How things can or cannot affect you

I've had asthma my whole life and never thought of it as some 'disease'. I knew it was a bother and that my parents had to take all kinds of precautions with me as a child. But, I never felt that I was at any 'risk' or in any 'danger'. I remember times that I ended up in a hospital and because it was a teaching hospital there would always be doctors coming around to do tests or to listen for the 'crackles' or wheezing.

It got to a point as a child that any time I saw a doctor approach I would lift my hospital pajama top up so they could listen to my lungs. It never bothered me that I remember. Mind you, I don't do that NOW when a doctor approaches me. Also as a kid, I had all kinds of scratch tests and breathing tests and x-rays and stuff. I used to have to go every week to get an allergy shot of some sort just to keep the hay fever under control and thus my asthma. Scratch tests were terrible as they were testing to see what you were allergic to. They made little pen marks on your arms(s) and beside each one made a tiny scratch with the point of a needle. Then a drop from each little vial of possible allergens was applied to its appropriate mark. If you had a reaction to something then the area they were testing would get swollen and then very itchy, but you can't scratch because it could interfere with the other places on the arm(s).

I remember when we would, as a family, go for a drive in the country. If we went down a dusty road, all the windows went up and the vents were turned off. If we drove past anyplace that was cutting straw or hay, same thing. It used to really bother my brothers and myself because it gets hot inside a car pretty quickly when you have two adults and four children in there.

Despite all this I grew up with a pretty healthy attitude about my 'disease'. It always surprised me when people made a fuss about the fact that I had ...... "ASTHMA".....

I remember having a bad night about four days after my brother had gone to hospital with his asthma. They admitted him and then one night my parents came home from visiting him to have the babysitter tell them how bad I was. Back to the hospital we go. So for about a week or so my Mum and Dad had their two oldest children in the hospital for the same thing and the other boys still at home. I don't know how they managed. I DO know that I thought it was an adventure in that I was 'away' with my brother and, even though we were in different areas of the hospital due to our age difference, he would come visit me or I would go track him down and we would play games or stuff.

I was always happy yo see my Mum and Dad when they came and they always brought a little surprise. One time it was a sleeve of tea biscuits, that I kept in my drawer ond doled as as I saw fit. Another time my Dad brought me this end of the roll newsprint. He worked at the Toronto Star then and sometimes the employees could bring home the end of the roll after a newspaper run. Can you imagine as a kid having a blank piece of seemingly endless blank newsprint to draw on? You could lay it on the floor in the hospital and draw what ever you wanted. Everyone just walked around you.

I guess I'm just thinking about how different things are now.

l find it interesting that I have to wear a Medic Alert bracelet that warns of my asthma. Oh, by the way, the only 'traumatic' thing that happened to me because of the asthma was when I was a teenager. I had to have a test done on my kidneys. The doctor told my Mum that the chance of me reacting to the dye they would have to use was like 1 in 100,000, but just to be safe we should have the test done at the hospital.

The doctor said to me you'll probably be fine and I remember saying 'with odds like that what do you want to bet that I'll react'? He just chuckled and I went home. We go to the hospital later that week and they hook me up. They say "we're injecting the dye now. How do you feel?"

I said "Fine," then almost immediately I remember saying "Oooohhh its getting dark in here." The next thing I knew I woke up in the recovery room, my Mum was absolutely frantic and I was covered in hives.

Apparently anaphylaxis is not good. I caused quite the stir in the hospital and had all kinds of doctors excited because they got to see a real, almost, fatal reaction. I guess when you're learning its nice to see what would happen. I just remember that my Mum was scared witless.

Me...

I took it in stride and remembered to tell the doctor " I told you I'd react."

Its odd how some kids grew up petrified of needles and to this day can't stand them. Whereas I see a needle coming and my veins are jumping saying here we are, come poke us.

Needles don't bother me. AT ALL. I have to get my blood tested every week to ten days now because of warfarin, but still it doesn't bother me.I think its because it was just treated as something that happens rather than this big scary thing and all this reassurance and talking about it. My folks just took me to the doctor and chatted about stuff and I read a book or played with the toys and dutifully walked in, got my shot, and waited till I was free to go. Then I went back to being a kid.

I guess my folks did a damn good job of getting me through childhood.

Tsk Tsk Tsk

It looks like one of us has been neglecting the blog lately.

Not mentioning any names......!

* * * * *

Well, I guess once the novelty of testing me every week had worn off, I got a little complacent with writing. That's just pure "I'll do it tomorrow -ishness". I keep thinking 'ehh, I'll write something tomorrow. I'm too (tired, lazy, sick, hurt, whatever) to have written that particular day. 

I think it actually comes down to sitting at the computer and not having a title. For me, having a title is sort of where I start. Once I have that, then usually the words start to come.

Now obviously I must have had something that makes me think of a title, but, to me, it always feels like I have the title first.

* * * * * 

So, the INR thing is only being checked every few weeks now..

They are trying for 4 weeks between, but then I have managed to screw that up. I have, at least three times, forgotten to take my medication. Turns out that's not a good thing. The warfarin level must stay at a steady level in order to do the job it was hired for.

Sooooooooo..... , last Friday, I come downstairs to take the days dosage of three different pills and see Thursday's pills still in the container.

(whoops) 

I am working that day and will not be home at the time I normally take them. Okay, I'll just put them in my pill container in the car and take them on break. At least that's what I think I may or may not have done.

Because when I get home I look for the pills, and can't find them. I would not have taken them at home before I left because it was too early. I start to think and do NOT remember taking them on break time. Then I better take the proper day's dosage, in this case Friday's.

But then I remember that maybe I did take them because, seeing as how I'd missed the day's before pills then being early shouldn't be a problem. But I also remember thinking that that will mess up the next day because the timing will be off again. So what happened to Thursday's meds?

* * * * *

Now that was Friday. Three days before, on Tuesday we were stirred from slumber at 4 in the morning by Emma, the uber watchdog, barking at something outside. As we awaken a little more we hear these noises and the Hubby looks out the window to see three fairly young kids knocking down the safety pylons in front of the house.

(Sewer work, should, should be finished by the end of June, which means August, maybe, so there is a big sidewalk sized moat in front of the house. The pylons are to let drivers know that there is a drop off.)

Hubby is calling the police to report the vandalism. I decide to go downstairs and see if I recognize any of the little dears.

I don't need to turn a light on because, 1) it will mess up what I can see outside, and 2) I've lived here for 24 years I know where everything is! ! ! ! ! 

EXCEPT THAT; I had forgotten about a piece of equipment in the hallway. Yup, you guessed it. I tripped over it. It was all in slow motion and I remember parts of the incident but the most vivid memory I have is of 'coming back ' to real time, realizing I have a death grip on this piece of equipment, a monitor. By the way, the first thought was the fact that I had not ruined the monitor.

I get up, look out the front door, no little creeps anywhere, so I go back inside. When I get back upstairs and lay down, I find that there is a huge swelling over the artificial hip. Within five minutes, that has increased 100% in size. There is no real pain at this point. I get another hour or two of sleep and then get up to go about my day. Once I get downstairs and start the day I lean against something and I feet a lot of pain.

When I get in the car to go to the medical centre I sit into the nice comfortable bucket seat in my car and the side touches my hip area.

 &^%$#&    OUCH     &^%$#& !  

Same thing getting out of the car. I see the nurse who calls in a doctor who then both check it out again. They are amazed that I didn't break anything, and tell me to keep an eye on it. And use ice. (I am startled at myself for not once thinking about ice.) If there is any pain in the joint or difficulty walking, or other changes, then see them again or go to emergency. I actually felt okay about the joint except the surface pain.

Hubby calls to see how I am and I ask him to bring home ice. He decides to come home early to keep an eye on me. He was quite sad looking when he came home. Turns out he's feeling GUILTY for leaving the monitor there. Its NOT his fault. 

I am the one that gets really annoyed with kids being stupid.

I am the one that  decided to go downstairs.

I am the one that wanted to catch the little bastards out wreaking havoc.

I am the one that didn't turn the light on !

I am also the one with this really cool looking bruise that is now covering almost my whole thigh, front to back, hip to knee. I have to sit with one side off the edge so as not to cause pain. This picture shows the line from the chair edge and the bruise end of day one:

 The light part is right over the artificial joint.

So,

what have you been doing lately?.

                                                                      

Okay, so I've missed a couple of weeks

So, when last we spoke, my INR was at 2.2. Last week it went to 2.5 and I guessed I was staying at the same medication. The pharmacist had the week off because of it being spring break for the schools. She had her children at home and they took a small vacation.

So I kept the meds the same and went for the test on Monday morning. Tuesday the results were 2.5. I figured that since its within the range I should keep the meds where they are again.

Which brings us to this week. Meds were the same and the INR this week is 2.0. So I am guessing that I will get another blood test on Monday and see how its going.

Maybe I've stabilized now. That would be nice. it helps that my dentist knows about this stuff. I broke a tooth right off last Friday. It didn't hurt because its been root canal-ed, but when it broke it left behind some pretty sharp edges. Both my tongue and cheek were getting ruined.

I had an appointment for tomorrow to get it done and something possessed me to call them today. Sure enough they had a cancellation and were able to get me in. He figured that seeing as the tooth was going to come out anyway, he might as well pull the tooth right then.

So a little freezing and he gets his official tooth puller outer tool. He has to push it in first and then they twist and tug one way, then the other.

It only had one root but at the very end the root spread out into two little roots. It still came out without a problem. Now I have a mouth full of gauze and instructions of what to do. After the swelling leaves we wait until it settles down and then look at the options.

* * * * *

Today was my first x-ray and pulmonary function test. I have to get that every six months because of the amiodarone that I am on for the heart rhythm.

Then I also have to get liver and thyroid function tests because of the same drug from my own doctor. Those are done once a year.

I don't like breathing tests. I used to do lots of them for the Clinic's testing of ways to diagnose asthma.
Funny, the tests aren't THAT hard but I really don't like going there and doing them any more. Its not that they are hard, its just that I've had enough of them. The odd thing is I don't mind having needles, or blood drawn etc. But I just don't like the breathing tests.

Blood results

This weeks INR is 2.2. The pharmacist wasn't there today so I had to ask. Sort of wondering why no one called me, but I guess as its in the 'normal' range that the results didn't raise any red flags.

That's good. So this week nothing changed ! ! ! ! !

Just keep doing what I'm doing and I am guessing I will get checked on Monday again.

Sort of anticlimactic isn't it.

Cardiologist and Blood results

I went to the doctor this morning. He is very pleased with how I'm doing. He says this medication could hold off and further degeneration in the signals for ten years. Operative word being 'could'. As it stands now I don't have to go back for a year unless I have a set back or I notice something going on. I do, however, have to get a chest x-ray and breathing tests every six months and thyroid and liver function tests once a year through the family doctor. If there are any changes with the chest x-ray or breathing tests the cardiologist is told right away.

I'm just waiting to hear what my INR is. I got the blood done yesterday so they should have the results. But, we'll see. Its just after 6:00 pm so I'll wait another half hour then take my warfarin.

I'm expecting it to stay in the same range as last week.

That's it for today. Oh, other than that lots of my older customers have commented on how much healthier I look.  They are amazing with how concerned they are. Gotta love 'em! ! ! ! !

Still pretty steady

Last Wednesday I got my results and I was at 2.1. At least now its going up but on a much shallower incline. Before, if you plotted it out, it looked like an EKG.

So this will be the second week of staying at the same dosage. I see the cardiologist on Wednesday and we'll see if the other drug gets reduced. I suspect he will.

* * * * *

We have some major sewer construction going on in the intersection near us. Man the most annoying thing is the traffic. Lanes have been reduced so there is only one and it is an either/or lane. You can go west or you can go east, but you wait your turn. Its a four minute wait going eastbound and three minutes the other way.

Its annoying, in that the place I get stuck at is only 10 houses away from home. You don't realize how long four minutes is until you're sitting there waiting. What I really get a kick out of though, is the fact that there are enough signs around warning of the delay and the signs were up a full two weeks before they even started this. So why do people get out of their cars and look to where they want to be and shake their heads? The signs where you stop says "4 minute wait". The other huge signs tell you to expect MAJOR DELAYS.


Oh, and don't  let anyone in off the side street. In fact, block the intersection so they can't even get through. Yeah, that's the ticket. You don't want them getting home any sooner than you're going to.

But, we still get bozos trying to get around the intersection by cutting the corner. They then come down our street, the wrong way, and haven't got the brains to figure it out. There's a one way sign right opposite where they come out the side street and turn the wrong way. I will admit its not as bad now with only one car or truck coming around at a time. But it sure is amazing to see these people come the wrong way down the road and suddenly all three lanes are filled with cars that have turned with the light!

We actually had that happen with a person one night. He was going north on a south bound street and suddenly all these cars were in front of him. He pulled over as far as he could and then turned off his headlights???????

I wonder if he thought it put him in invisible mode???

* * * * *

My little brother turns out to have heart issues as well. He needs a valve replaced. BUT he has the doctor who is head of cardiovascular surgery at a major hospital.My brother isn't quite ready to commit to the surgery yet. They have other things going on in their lives right now. SO he is looking at about July to see the surgeon again and then it should be about 6 months after that for the surgery, so about a year from now.

They (brother and SIL) are thinking of moving somewhere out past London. That's better than where they were first looking. They were  thinking of going to Elliott Lake. Do you know how far away that is. I mean you're darn near living with Santa ! ! ! !

Thankfully they want to stay near the bigger hospitals and that means southern Ontario. Fine by me.

Thanks Baby Brother ! ! ! ! ! ! !

No longer falling. Have pulled up. For now.

Got the INR results yesterday. They're 2.0 which means I am just barely in the range of between 2 and 3.

We're trying to get it to be about 2.5 because that gives us some space to play with.

I have actually been feeling a whole lot better and when I think back I must have had this going on a long time. I can't remember how long its been since I felt like I could do things. Everything was a chore. I had to make myself be 'up' for work and 'up' for dealing with customers and just 'up' for trying to get through the day.

Its been nice this past week or so, not feeling SO tired.

 * * * * *

Don't get me wrong as I sit here I could fall asleep, but that is more because I was awake from 2 until 4 trying to get rid of cats in our driveway. I WISH PEOPLE WOULD SPAY AND NUETER THE DAMN THINGS ! ! !

I love cats, I really do. I wish we could have one but we are both allergic to them; my hubby even more than myself.

Having said that, I DON'T like the fact that they have to sit under our window yowling and fighting and making 'Cry of The Banshee' sounds. All because someone is stupid enough to not get their cat fixed. Don't these people realize or EVEN think about the fact that while a female can only breed about twice a year, the males can go out and breed several times, a day to several females every single day of the year.

So while, based on an average litter of 4 kittens, and for arguments sake, the male only has an opportunity to reproduce once a week. (very conservative, because given the opportunity they can breed several females in a day. And we'll take out two weeks for him stopping to admire himself in the mirror. So we have the female having 8 kittens in a year and the male, producing conservatively 4 x 50 which is 200 kittens. Of those, half seem to end up living in the North End, specifically all around our house.


A few years ago we 'adopted' a cat that the neighbours got as a kitten but they decided once he got older that they didn't want him any more. So they just stopped letting him in the house and stopped feeding him. The poor cat hung around a LONG time. We couldn't touch him but he gratefully took the food I gave him everyday. I never left food out after he walked away and he always left his dish spotless. He was REALLY abandoned the night these people up and snuck away from a grow op in their attic.

In the end he was adopted by some lovely people who bought and renovated the house next door. They flipped the property and when they moved out they asked our permission (?) to take him to live with them. He never got better from his months spent in the cold. (we made him a box with blankets and a door etc, and checked on him every day). He only ever let me touch him once and the look on his face was worth it. He so wanted to be cuddled but didn't trust ANYone other than the two cat people next door. He lived for three more years in comfort and being loved before finally having to be put to sleep.

His was named Sad Kitty by his new owners. They actually asked my permission to take him to live with them and also called us to let us know what the vet said and did we have any objections to him being put down. I had so wanted to pet that cat just once. And when I saw him shortly before he was gone he did let me touch him, briefly. It was heaven.

THAT is why I don't want or like these other cats around here. I can't afford to get attached to another one and not be able to bring him in and look after him the way he deserves.

Sorry didn't mean to go on so long.

I just hate some 'cat' people.

I'm Falling ! ! ! ! !

Got the blood test done yesterday and the results are in today. I am 2.6 which is where they want me to be.

So,

now I take one 5mg and 1/4 of a 4mg which gives me 6mg. for today.

Then Saturday through to Tuesday I take 5mg per day. Blood test on Tuesday (everything is closed Monday for Family Day) results Wednesday and we see how its going.

I'm climbing ! ! ! ! !

No sooner did I finish writing yesterday when I got a phone call from the doctors office to tell me my INR was at 4.4.

STOP THE PRESSES ! ! ! ! ! ! !

I am to now skip two days and then start at one 5mg tablet every day.
You know with one of these, a half of that one, and two of those over there, its a wonder I don't rattle when I walk.

As it is, I not only have an am/pm drug case but now I have one for the afternoon time. That's the one I take the warfarin at and when I was on the loading dose. Those drugs are all little more important to keep track of, because there are not any warning signs when you have an incident with your blood count or clotting factor.

INR to date.

Jan. 6/12            1.6
Jan. 13/12          2.3
Jan. 20/12          1.7
Jan. 27/12          1.2
Feb. 3/12            1.7
Feb. 10/12          3.1
Feb.  14/12         4.4

Average should between two and 3.

My average over the past 2 months is: 2.3

Latest Cardiologist appointment

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

He's very happy that I am finally in a steady rhythm and my pulse is close to my normal of 52. It was 58 yesterday and 54 this morning. Let's hope it stops falling and levels out. Today is the first day of a therapeutic dose, 1x 200mg a day, Monday to Friday, and take Saturday and Sunday off. I was on ten days of loading dose, 2x 200mg twice a day. Now we try to taper it off to the absolute minimum I can take and keep a steady rhythm.

Then I asked "So, what happens if this drug doesn't work?"
He says there is nothing else. I said that I thought I was eligible for a pacemaker.

Nay, nay, I'm told.

Those are for people with a slow heart beat. All we are doing with my fibrillation is holding it off.

What do you mean holding it off? Well, eventually the drug doesn't work anymore or I get used to it or something. I will try to get some clarity on this at the next appointment.

So as it stands now, I just take the new dose and see what happens.

BUT.........

there is still the excitement of tomorrow when I get to see where my INR is.

The lastest numbers

Friday was check in day. First off I was to get my blood tested on Wednesday because they wanted the coumadin to have a chance to work. Get to the clinic and the blood lady had an emergency at home and wasn't able to come in.
Okay, how about if I just get a req. for the test somewhere else?

Good, but they can't find the one I have on file. I told them I'd come back later for it and I walked the dogs. When I went back about 1/2 an hour later they had one made up for me. Off I go to the other place to get the blood drawn there.
What a terrible way to run a clinic. You get in there and take a number. When they finally call your number its just so they can take your health card, and the req and put them on the bottom of the pile, while you wait some more. Finally they call names and you go in to get which ever test you are getting. This whole process took over half an hour.

When it is finally my turn, I go in, sit down and she proceeds to tie my arm off. I tell her that the person that normally does it said they half to use a baby one on me because of the thinning of my blood. She says 'well, I don't need to. Not with the veins you have.'

Doesn't that mean if my veins are that big that its easier to leak afterwards? What could I know? I'm only a patient.

After she draws the blood she looks and says 'you better hold this, you're not done yet.'

Fine, and with that I leave. I get to the car thinking I have held it long enough and proceed to go home. When I get there and take the bandage off there is more blood on there than I have ever had before. I'm not saying it was a gusher, but it was enough to let me know it had needed more pressure. Sure enough there is a leak into the arm, and I ended up with a bruise the size of a quarter.

We won't go there again.

* * * * *

Friday and time to see the numbers. My INR is up to 3.1. Not bad, but they like you to be between 2 and 3, so I'm a little over. That means one of two things: either we have reached my ideal dose, OR, and this is more important, I may continue to climb.

So now I have to go in Monday because if it continues to climb they have to stop that and adjust the medication again. If it stays in that area then I think they keep me at that dose and monitor it. OR they take the dose down a little to see how much it changes.

I liken it to having one of those paddles that you have to balance a ball on. It wobbles around all over the place and tried to get to the edge so you have to keep making adjustments until you find the 'sweet' spot where all is well and you maintain regular numbers.

Lets see how this goes.

Monday: blood test AND follow up with the cardiologist.

Wednesday: the numbers come in.

OOOOOOOOOoooooooo

The suspense of it all.

I am getting closer. Whoops, maybe not.

I have been feeling pretty crappy all week and come Friday I was to go swimming. I didn't push myself, but thoroughly enjoyed being in the water again.

Well, I was quite tired afterward, but stopped back at the clinic to see if I could get my INR number as I was going to be at work and the pharmacist wouldn't be able to talk to me personally. I am at 1.7 again so the warfarin has gone to 7mg a day and then blood test on Wednesday. I'll tell you, it involves math and stuff. She has to figure out what I had in a week and what the percentages are and then I go up or down to reach the percentage needed.

I was to be at work for 2:00 and I really didn't feel like going. But I did. I got ready and was there for two. I had to take the girl off express for her break and one of the head cashier people came out and asked how I was feeling. I had been there 10 minutes and I was feeling pretty bad. I told her that and she asked if I wanted them to get somebody. She was surprised when I said yes, because I usually stick this crap out.

They were able to get someone and I left after 45 minutes. They said to go home and feel better. I said 'no, I'm going right to the cardiologists office'. Which I did. Got a choice parking place right off the bat and was in there for about 2:55. They actually squeezed me in. (Yet another reason why I am so glad I switched cardiologists.) He listened and said that I have returned to the fibrillation again and he was afraid of that. He didn't want to switch me to this other drug but he feels he has no choice. If my heart isn't happy at 100mg of the other drug, 150mgs aren't going to help either.

So I now no longer take the heart rhythm medication or the beta blocker type drug, Now I am on this very powerful rhythm drug that has lots of potential side effects, but he feels this is what we have to do. He is going on vacation the end of next week and would normally rather see me the week he's gone, but I am going in the following week.

Also, if it doesn't get better or should get worse I am to go to EMERG as my doctor's office won't be able to handle the issue. I would need more agressive therapy.

Stay tuned  . . . . . .  . . . . . . .

Where are the DOCTORS ? ? ? ? ? ?

Friday morning, I still have this cough thing and my leg is feeling a bit better. I get a call from the nurse. She didn't get the message the night before. She asks me if I can come in for 9:30 that morning to see the PA , and I agreed.

I was there on time. He wasn't, but he comes and gets me and then proceeds to tell me that there was nothing on the chest x-ray. This is between coughing bouts I'm having where I am apparently trying to expel my lungs.

He is back and forth as to whether I should have a doppler done on the leg to rule out a clot. Then should he put me on antibiotics? Well, not sure on that one, because he doesn't know what's wrong with my leg. Then I get a message from the clinic's pharmacist that she wants to talk to me about my INR (blood clotting ability). I go in there when I can and my numbers went down. That's right, we increased the dosage and I have gone from 1.7 to 1.3 (they want it close to 2.3)

No, no, no. Wrong way. I was increased so I should be BETTER.

They can't think of what I have done different or what could be happening, but its down. So I get a change again. This time I am to take 6mg a day. That's one and a half 4 mg tablets.

I also have to go get a doppler done on my leg. I can't go to my swimming, because if it is a clot we don't want to be moving around and then it comes loose and I have a stroke or something. AND if its just the eczema and its infected I can't go in the pool. Well thanks for wrecking my Friday.

Anyway, I have to go to this place on the mountain (that's what the people who live on the escarpment call it) and I have an appt. for 2:00.

The PA is trying to make the decision of whether to give me an antibiotic in case it is just an infection. Now he and the pharmacist have to co-ordinate what will happen. He casually says 'if its a clot you won't be coming home' so we need to have one in place in case it isn't.

What do you mean "I won't be coming home"?

Well, if its a clot you go in the hospital to manage it.     no.


Finally I am given the prescription, and if it IS a clot and no antibiotic take 6mg. If its an infection and I have to take the antibiotic then take 5 mg warfarin.


Which brings us to this week. I went to get blood done Monday. Nurse wasn't there. So I go Tuesday and also have an appointment with my doctor. He was glad there was no clot. He doesn't think medication is needed for the leg, and he does think they are on the right track with getting this controlled. It is liable to be all over the place while we try to stabilize the dosage. Eventually I may even have to get a hospital bed to sleep in because I can raise the head end up to breathe easier.


And how was your week?

Now this is more like me.

I was asked to come in Wednesday, rather then Monday, to have this weeks blood taken, because the dosage was changed and they wanted to give it a chance to work. So I showed up for 8:30am and was done by about 9:00.

In the meantime, I have developed a cough similar to the one I had just before Christmas. After the blood was taken I decided to ask if the pharmacist has a few minutes because I wanted to ask her about the cough and the doctor's are usually in meetings on Wednesdays. She had an opening for about an hour later. I come back and we talk a bit and somehow, can't remember the order of this, but I end up seeing the physician's assistant. She is listening to my lungs and doesn't like what she hears, so she gets my doctor. He agrees with her about crackles in my right lung. They order a couple of blood tests and then send me for a chest x-ray.

He suspects it might be either pneumonia or, because the noise is on the right side, it could be congestive heart failure.

Okay then.

Now, I had made plans for what I was going to do on my Wednesday off, but what the heck, the living/breathing thing has become a habit. Off to the x-ray store. I had to go downtown, right close to the hospital, but don't I luck into a GREAT parking spot. By the time THAT is all done it is 12:45. I decided that I was through and went home.

Spent the rest of the day doing housewife things. After supper, we're sitting and talking and I notice that my leg feels a little odd. Same leg I had talked to the nurse about, the Friday before. Red spot, heat, tenderness, blah, blah, blah. I call and leave a message for the nurse, thinking that if she thinks I need to do something about it she'll call me.

Thursday morning its not too bad and I can check for messages remotely so its off to work for a 'longer than normal' day as there is a training session I have to attend. I did two hours of sitting and then 4.5 hours of working, and I just I want to go home and check messages. I have to do my volunteer stuff the next morning so...... I can talk to them about the leg then. And home I go. I called and left a message for the nurse, but it was fairly late in the day.

Thursday evening I start to feel kind of crummy. So crummy in fact that I started to suspect I should head to the ER. But, being who I am I decide to get some sleep, instead.

CONTINUED IN NEXT BLOG

And so it goes

I went for my cardiologist  appointment on Thursday and he was very pleased with the heart rhythm. I was at 62 beats a minute instead of the 125 two weeks ago. He said that it would be nice to take me off the medications but feels that is too big a chance to take at this time. 'We' just got the flutters to stop and to take me off the meds now could allow it to start up again. So I am to see him in three months and we'll assess from there.

Also he showed me the reading and even I could see it looked better that the last one. It was, neat, I guess. The other one had lots of jagged lines.

He told me that there is this one spike on there that if I was to go into emergency with a stubbed toe and they did an EKG they'd FREAK when they saw it ! ! ! ! ! He says he can tell them what it is though.

Like a nitwit I forgot to ask him what it was. I also asked for but forgot to get a copy of my EKG tape.
* * * * *
So earlier that day I had this lump come up on my leg. I had one before. It was red, sore like a bruise but not coloured like one, and it was sensitive and hot to the touch.

I had gone to the doctor then, and they put me on some antibiotics for it. They thought it was a clot. Well, now that I'm on warfarin, I guess its a bigger deal. Anyway, I called the doctors office and they had me come in to see the nurse. She took one look and some measurements and went to talk to a doctor who wants me to go get a Doppler done. Okay, but I think that it may be gone or moved or what ever by the time they can get a Doppler. I don't know, though, because the health system up here can work in strange ways. I may very well get an appointment right away.

As I was going in to this appointment the pharmacist in charge of my meds came out and said she had just that second called and left a message about my blood count. Its down to 1.7 now which is just above where it was three weeks ago.

So the dosage is changed again. I now take 4 mgs on Thursday and Sunday, and 5 mgs the rest of the week. Then I will get my blood tested Wednesday instead of Tuesday. That's to allow the change to maybe take hold.

You know I felt like crap most of yesterday. In the morning, i realized I had forgotten to take the rhythm med and the warfarin. So that will mess up her reading she thinks. Plus missing the other pills made my heart be skippy and all. Which is why I felt like crap. Then this morning I went to take my meds and found that I had forgotten to even put the rhythm meds in my container. How long I had gone without I don't know. I make the container up on Wednesdays so I'm guessing I missed a total of 2 doses or all day Thursday's.

Better make sure that doesn't happen again.

Yay, thin blood ! ! ! ! !

Went in and got the blood results today. I am at 2.3 which is good. The Lasix has been increased because somewhere along the line it seems like it stopped working. I have put on 7 pounds in the past week just from fluid retention. Consequently my BP has been going up. Its not real critical, but we have to stay on top of it.

I still have to get blood tests every week until we're sure that I am stabilized as far as anti-coagulation. I see the cardiologist this coming Thursday again for another follow up.

It makes me a little unsure that my blood has hit the mark so fast. Its not like me. I wonder if it is due to the extra dose I had on the Friday to sort of give me a boost. Ah well, we'll find out soon enough. Its just that the way the rare things or weird things happen to me, it just seems unusual to get the dosage right on the second try.

Well, this is rather interesting.

When last I wrote I had heard that I had atrial fibrillation. So they added some meds and took some away, and I had my first blood test.

Well, last Thursday I went for a follow-up appointment to see how all was going. Now from the Tuesday I had not been feeling at all well. My heart was doing that fluttering thing and even though I couldn't feel it all the time, it was, apparently doing it most of the time.

I was thinking I wished I had the appointment on one of those days so the cardiologist could see it and tell me what was specifically going on. Lucky (?) for me I awoke Thursday morning feeling pretty crummy still.

I arrived early at the doctor's office as parking is a real pain around there so if I can get there early I may get a spot and don't mind sitting in the car and waiting. When I got in the office, someone came out almost right away with a gown and I'm thinking that maybe I have another test coming.Turns out it was another EKG. The person performing it can't tell you much but she did say they captured something.

I wait in the room and the doctor comes in and looks at the reading and says that the fibrillation has settled into a flutter instead. The top of my heart was beating at over 200 BPM, and the bottom was at 126.  He said the flutter was a step in the right direction. He wanted me to increase the rhythm medication. I had taken one already and he wanted me to take another as soon as I got home.

I happened to have brought the meds with me in the car so took it as soon as I got outside. Then I headed home as I was going in to work later in the day. I arrived home and had a few hours to kill, so sat and did some stuff on the computer.

Well, don't I start to feel pretty crummy. I can't describe it other than I just felt bad! Dizzy? Exhausted? Faint? Not sure which describes it but I sure didn't feel like me. I called work and asked if they could get someone to cover for me. I was hoping the lady I traded shifts with would stay as she is always asking for more hours. It got down to 20 minutes before my shift and they finally got an answer from her. She couldn't do it. They also had some calls out to some other girls, but hadn't heard back from them. I told them I would come in as I wasn't leaving them short handed, but to keep trying to get someone.

I was to work 2:00 to 6:30. Luckily one young lady, a new hire, said she thought she could be there by 5:30. I was still feeling lousy, but thought I could make it that far. Turns out she was able to get there for 5:00 so I could go home.  I thanked her for coming in and went home.

I actually called the doctor's office to tell them what I felt like and they put the doctor on the phone. He said to give it a little time but if this didn't sort itself out we'd have to do something else. (sounded like a threat to me).

Friday morning I got a call from the pharmacist on duty at our medical centre. She is the one that will be keeping track of my medications and dosages. I went in to see her and explained all that had been going on. She recommended rather than double it, we should add half again as much for four days, then go up to double as the doctor ordered. I also had to increase my warfarin to 2 for one day as a boost, then go back to one. The blood numbers shoudl be between 2 and 3 whatever they measure. Mine was at 1.6, which is why she recommended the boost. It sort of gets you started.
I had the next blood test yesterday (Tuesday). I should get the results today. Then I will either go up or down.

This sounds like a lot of CRAP going on, but it really is nice to finally know what is going on. So many times I have felt really bad and been told there is nothing wrong. I guess it really is true about women not being diagnosed properly. I am SO VERY GLAD that the pharmacist decided to do an EKG that day and that they caught my abnormal pulse. Also I am very glad to not be going to the same cardiologist I had for several years. His office never did send anything to my family doctor. This new doctor had reports sent almost before I left the office.

Hope you don't mind listening to this but I have to keep track of it somehow.

So what do I write about?

Well, how about the fact that I am swimming, okay so its Aqua fit, once a week now. Well, not NOW because we are off till the 20th of January. But soon.

And, this is the year I am supposed to get a new knee. Haven't heard anything from the doctor's office but that's okay because. . . . . . .

I have been diagnosed, finally, with a heart issue. Its appears to be electrical of some kind. Valves, veins, arteries are all okay, but there is a palpitation or fibrillation that show's up periodically and makes me a prime candidate for a stroke.

Well, I don't like that one little bit. If that should ever happen to me and I couldn't work with my hands or had to learn it all over again, I think I'd go nuts. Not that there is any distance to go.

So, I have had two medications taken away and three added, which means I have gone up overall by one. I have to get blood tests twice a week until they get the amount of warfarin correct. I can no longer shovel snow. (Well technically I was pushing and pulling it because I have a scoop).

I had a 24 hour holter monitor that showed an event of well over two hours where my heart was not beating correctly.