Glad everyone else is doing well
You all may remember that my 52 year old hubby had his first HA on July 6 of last year and had his emergency bypass on the 13th of July 2001. He then developed symptoms again in November and after a whole battery of tests he had his second bypass on April 15, 2002. He was doing well and then 2 weeks ago he started to have all the same symptoms again, chest pain, SOB, night sweats, increased blood pressure, and rapid weight gain. He went back in hospital yesterday. The did all the blood tests, cardiac enzymes they dont know what is going on. One number is strange in the CE but they didnt say what it was. I wasn't there when the dr was so I couldn't ask him. Tomorrow he goes in for his 5th cardiac catherization. Any ideas?? The doctors seem to be stumped and I am just exhausted. I also have severe CHF and a year of doing everything on the farm is about to kill me. Guess I am just totally depressed and don't know where to turn. It all seems so hopeless, you do everything you are told to, no smoking, no fat diet, no family history and still......... Alice
Hello Alice, Sorry to hear your husband is having so many problems. The rapid weight gain caught my attention. Could he be in CHF? Have they done an ECHOgram to check his valves? Was he ever treated for Hodgkins Disease with Radiation Therapy to the Chest? (I have recently become aware of 3 Hodgkins survivors who developed Heart problems, including myself, one with a quadruple bypass, one with a double valve replacement, and one with bypass and one valve replacement). Hope the doctors are able to pinpoint the source of this difficulties. 'AL'
Alice, please don't get discouraged. Keep your chin up and take one day at a time. Sounds easy for me to say but that is about all you can do. I feel for you as the support person. My husband has been wonderful to me through the past 5 years, my heart attack, a stent, 4 cardiac catheterizations and as of 7 weeks ago a quadruple bypass. I have coronary disease so it's not over by any means but for now we are living and doing what we like to do and we have each other for yet a while longer. Don't forget to take care of yourself though. Sometimes we have to make lifestyle changes and they don't always make a difference but we must have hope and be optimistic none the less. Thinking of you, Barb