One year anniversary
Well I've made it a year. Here's my story. I had been going to the doctor for around six months with chest pains and trouble breathing. After many tests and trips to the doctor, at least once a week, I was told that I had a lung infection. Even after no change in my condition or the way I felt they kept doing more test and still had no answers. On 12/29/03 I went to work and passed out when I walked through the door. My helper brought me home and then with my wife's pushy attitude took me to the emergency room where I underwent emergency quadruple bypass. I came home from the hospital five days later. Thirty days later I went back to work with no restrictions. Imagine that. I did fine until sometime in June when I started having severe chest pains again. At least not from my heart or so they say. I haven't worked since August now. They will not give me anything to get rid of the pain. Most mornings I can not even get out of bed by myself. I'm becoming afraid even to drive. Afraid as to what might happen if I have one of my spells (as my wife tells our kids). So far they have only been breathing problems and slight dizziness (which sometimes I do have to sit down or grab a hold of something to steady myself). They just happen. I've tried to figure out what brings them on myself with no luck. My left arm will not raise any higher than my shoulder without creating a excruciating pain. And now they say that the pain in my chest is due to having carpel tunnel in my left wrist. I am having surgery on my left had wrist on the 14th on January. I've been assured (80%) that this will take care of it. I think I have heard this before. I have been experiencing muscle cramps in my arms and legs. When I lay down and try to sleep they drive me crazy. I've mentioned it every time I've went to the doctor. He didn't seem worried. Never has. Sleep, thats another one of my problems. I no longer can sleep. I stay up for days at a time. When I do fall asleep; it's never for more than two to three hours at a time. Usually there are many hours between these little catnaps. SEX DRIVE, whats that. I have none any more. Scars. I have one about 3/4" long on my left leg. It seems to have healed with no problem. The one on my chest is somewhere around ten to twelve inches. The bottom three to five inches is about 1/2" wide and still raised up quite a bit. It stays red and itches almost constantly. The top part of it is fine. It looks well healed. As far as meds go I take Crestoer, Toprol, Gabapentin, and Welbutrin. I take Vitamin E, garlic, CQ-10, Polisncal, B-6, Fish Oil, and aspirin also. Depression. Why shouldn't I be depressed. I turned forty in September. The last year has been a real learning experience. My life has became a crawl every day. The only advice I have is not to push it. Take your own sweet time healing and getting back into things. Make sure you feel ready not the doctor. I think that my major problem was I was forced back to work way to soon just because I felt really well and had no insurance at the time. Everyone wanted me to go back to work so I could start paying what I owed them. This is something that I really do believe. And now due to this fact I am no longer able be the person I was or at least I don't feel like that person. Enough. I'll hush. I hope everyone had a great Yule, Christmas, Hanuka, or what every you celebrate. May the Mother keep you well and in her thoughts for the next year. -- hefreels@...
Hershel, I experienced the dizzy spells, nausea, weakness at 7 weeks. Also severe left arm pain, and swelling of limbs. They increased the blood pressure meds, and after a month it helped. Also, I was anemic from bleeding internally; a stool culture determined that. It wasn't from the heart. I think it was the pain meds pulverizing my stomach. After 2 months of GI testing I will be having a gall bladder removed. Hershel, are you on lasix? Perhaps you need potassium if you are having leg cramps. Another thing that helps with leg cramps/charley horses....and I have no clue as to WHY or HOW it works.....is to put a fresh, unused, but unwrapped bar of hand soap under the bottom sheet of your bed....in the area of where your knees bend. I know it sounds strange, but it works. I read it in Dear Abby first, and have since seen it in other articles. Doctors can't explain how or why it works either. But if you do a net search on it, you'll find more articles about the bar of soap. It helps me! But a word of caution....my husband almost broke his kneecap on a soap bar one night when he.....ahh....I'm trying to put this delicately...."assumed the position"....in the throes of passion. Connie Hershel Freels <hefreels@... Well I've made it a year. Here's my story. I had been going to the doctor for around six months with chest pains and trouble breathing. After many tests and trips to the doctor, at least once a week, I was told that I had a lung infection. Even after no change in my condition or the way I felt they kept doing more test and still had no answers. On 12/29/03 I went to work and passed out when I walked through the door. My helper brought me home and then with my wife's pushy attitude took me to the emergency room where I underwent emergency quadruple bypass. I came home from the hospital five days later. Thirty days later I went back to work with no restrictions. Imagine that. I did fine until sometime in June when I started having severe chest pains again. At least not from my heart or so they say. I haven't worked since August now. They will not give me anything to get rid of the pain. Most mornings I can not even get out of bed by myself. I'm becoming afraid even to drive. Afraid as to what might happen if I have one of my spells (as my wife tells our kids). So far they have only been breathing problems and slight dizziness (which sometimes I do have to sit down or grab a hold of something to steady myself). They just happen. I've tried to figure out what brings them on myself with no luck. My left arm will not raise any higher than my shoulder without creating a excruciating pain. And now they say that the pain in my chest is due to having carpel tunnel in my left wrist. I am having surgery on my left had wrist on the 14th on January. I've been assured (80%) that this will take care of it. I think I have heard this before. I have been experiencing muscle cramps in my arms and legs. When I lay down and try to sleep they drive me crazy. I've mentioned it every time I've went to the doctor. He didn't seem worried. Never has. Sleep, thats another one of my problems. I no longer can sleep. I stay up for days at a time. When I do fall asleep; it's never for more than two to three hours at a time. Usually there are many hours between these little catnaps. SEX DRIVE, whats that. I have none any more. Scars. I have one about 3/4" long on my left leg. It seems to have healed with no problem. The one on my chest is somewhere around ten to twelve inches. The bottom three to five inches is about 1/2" wide and still raised up quite a bit. It stays red and itches almost constantly. The top part of it is fine. It looks well healed. As far as meds go I take Crestoer, Toprol, Gabapentin, and Welbutrin. I take Vitamin E, garlic, CQ-10, Polisncal, B-6, Fish Oil, and aspirin also. Depression. Why shouldn't I be depressed. I turned forty in September. The last year has been a real learning experience. My life has became a crawl every day. The only advice I have is not to push it. Take your own sweet time healing and getting back into things. Make sure you feel ready not the doctor. I think that my major problem was I was forced back to work way to soon just because I felt really well and had no insurance at the time. Everyone wanted me to go back to work so I could start paying what I owed them. This is something that I really do believe. And now due to this fact I am no longer able be the person I was or at least I don't feel like that person. Enough. I'll hush. I hope everyone had a great Yule, Christmas, Hanuka, or what every you celebrate. May the Mother keep you well and in her thoughts for the next year. -- hefreels@... Connie Turner
One thing I forgot to mention is the sign hanging in the doctor's office. It reads "Due to the overwhelming number of patients that we are seeing now. We will only be able to discuss your most important ailment. All others will have to have another appointment made." I mentioned this to the doctor the last time i was in his office. He did not appreciate it. I also mentioned that I belonged to several groups here on the Internet and was asking questions about things everyone had wrote about to see if maybe it might help to figure out my pains. Boy did I ever get a dirty look and speech how you can not believe everything someone tells you over the Internet. I tried to explain that these were support groups, but that did no good. My wife got pissed at that point. She lit into him like there was no tomorrow. I thought he was going to walk out and call the law on her. She told him that she was going to report him to the medical board due to the sign (which she took a picture of and sent to all the insurance companies she had addresses for. She worked in the insurance business for almost 27 years.) She said "it's no wonder that insurance rates are so high. You have to make a dozen trips if you have twelve problems. After settling her down I then to tell him about all my problems, which he already knew about. And that how none of these things started until after my bypass. He then spent another hour trying to smooth things over. I even tried to get my insurance company to switch me to another doctor. Which they would, but it's 55 miles away to the next doctor that takes my insurance. Being unable to work, I can't afford to go that far. So I guess i'm stuck with him until someone else takes my insurance. hefreels@...
I agree Rus if the money went to the terrorits but not all of it does and its hard to tell where it goes without a thorough investigation. That may be why he is still being allowed to practice. Sometimes law enforcement reacts first because of how serious it is and then investigates later. It is all so very complicated. Trying to help the innocent and get rid of the bad guys. Ann Happy New Year Rus