maryfw Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 The doctors want to refer my husband to a rheumatologist but that can take awhile and I would like to do some research on his symptoms. Does anyone know any websites other than webmd to do research on muscular skeletal issues/thanksmary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randi Free Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 Mary,'What are your husband's symptoms. Did I miss an earlier post?RandiThe doctors want to refer my husband to a rheumatologist but that can take awhile and I would like to do some research on his symptoms. Does anyone know any websites other than webmd to do research on muscular skeletal issues/thanksmary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted May 20, 2008 Report Share Posted May 20, 2008 there are lots of resources out there; I always start off at NIH's site to look up disorders b/c they typically cover most major and rare disorders, as well as contain links to other reputable sites.NIH's institute on arthritis, musculoskelatal and skin disorders is here:http://www.niams.nih.gov/Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted May 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 His symptoms are chest pain and tenderness that they dont think are related to his blood clots. They believe he has some other muscualr skeletal problem going on. We hope he gets to come home today. If his blood levels are theraputic then he can come home. When you are on heparin it is sooooo extremely tricky. To start with his blood was too thick then a couple of days later his blood is dangerously too thin. Hope it is right today and he can come home. The other issue is that he seems to be extremely sensitive to the pain meds and has been unable to keep down any food. So they have to get him on a pain management system he can tolerate. He was on a duragesic patch and that made him throw up. Morphine makes him throw up. Now they are trying him on percacet but he is afraid to take it too.mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted May 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 Oh My!!! I just went to that website you recommended and I looked up Lupus and it fits. I know I should not jump to conclusions but it fits. The chest pain, blood clotting issues, pleurasy. Pray for us.mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 Mary, there are blood tests to check for lupus and other autoimmune disorders that can give you answers in a rather short period of time. If your husband has not yet had those types of tests done, you might want to ask your doctor(s) about them.Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted May 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 he is coming home from the hospital today so we can make an appt to see our doc and start running the tests. For some reason at our hospital they dont have rheumatologist that come to the hospital so we have been on hold for a week. The symptoms do seem to really fit though. 1. chest pain/pleuresy2. swelling/joint paint3. headaches4. clotting issues/ p.e's and dvt's5. he had and elevated creatinine and potassium on one of his first visits which indicates kidney problems6. abnomal liver labs on the last hospital stay7. neuropothy in his feet which could indicate vasculitos8 stroke symptoms last time9 high bp which he has never had before10 then his bp crashedAnyway I am on my way to get him from the hospital and I will then call our doc.mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted May 22, 2008 Report Share Posted May 22, 2008 I hope your husband manages to get some investigations organised soon and that the doctors work out what is causing all his problems.Flop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted May 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Well we have not seen a rheumy yet but today they found out the his gall bladder is junk. Gall stones and sludge and it is deformed. Dont know yet what they will do because he is on blood thinner. He will have to come off the blood thinner to have surgery so it may be 6 months before he can have it removed. The doctor did say that there is a medicine (VERY EXPENSIVE) that can dissolve the stones until he can have surgery. I guess the doctors will have to decide which is more important right now, the gallbladder or the blood thinner and I bet the blood thinner will win.but this can explain alot of the chest pain that he is having so maybe it is nothing other than the gallbladder. I am so glad I did not tell my husband that I thought he had Lupus. mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Please tell your husband that I empathize with his situation. It took my doctors SIX YEARS to figure out my gall bladder was on it's way out... but I felt so much better once it was gone! My recovery felt like a breeze compared with the pain I'd lived with all that time. Not everyone, however, has an easy time recovering (Dancinglight/Emily had a heck of a time after her gall bladder was removed, if my brain isn't failing me).Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megan Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 As awful as it is, I'm glad they think they've found the problem! (I'm having my gall bladder out later this summer. awful pain!) I did want to mention, however, that there is not one blood test for lupus. My sister has it. There are blood tests that can say "probably" or "maybe" but it's more like a list of checkpoints (which you really would rather not reach) that lead to an official lupus diagnosis. Of course, in the diagnosis, other symptoms are factored in as well.I'm glad that it's not that, though!Meg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted May 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 I am still not 100% convinced that his gallbladder is causing all his pain. A great deal of his pain is on the left side of his chest and I have seen nothing to indicate that pain on the left side is from a gallbladder issue. I guess we will just wait and see. I know that with Lupus you have flares and then good periods. If this does not take care of the pain then I will definitely push forward with that. Again, i dont want to tell my hubbie I think he has Lupus if I am WAY Off base but I will keep my eyes and ears open to see what develops. Dont get me wrong I want it to be his gallbladder but I will be vigilant. That is my job as his wife................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 You're husband is so fortunate to have you as his caring wife. You're right that gallbladder problems usually cause pain under the right ribs but nothing in medicine is that straightforward so report all symptoms to his doctors and hopefully he will get the right tests that will lead to a diagnosis and treatment to get him feeling better again.Flop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted June 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 Well we have definitely found out that my husbands gallbladder is causing his chest pain. So he probably never had chostocondritis. I have read that it can feel like a heartattack as well. He will see a surgeon next Wednesday to see if they can do surgery now. The complication is that he is on the blood thinners because of the blood clots he had 6 weeks ago. We want them to do the curgery NOW because my husband is in sooooooooooooooo much pain and is miserable. I feel like life will be so much better if they just get this part over with. mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan617 Posted June 6, 2008 Report Share Posted June 6, 2008 You can get pain from the gallbladder in various places, referred to as "referred" pain. So it can really throw people off. My gallbladder has been dead for 20 years (20 years ago the ejection fraction was less than 20, it is now full of sludge and stones, but no one here will take it out, saying I am too high risk. Well, I wouldn't have been 20 years ago, so now I have 3-4 attacks a week and it's miserable.I hope your husband can get his out very soon and they do discover the cause of the clots and stuff! Good luck sweetie! morgan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted June 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 My husband is having surgery tomorrow morning. They took him off the coumadin on Thursday and we checked into the hospital yesterday. He is now back on Heparin and then his gallbladder surgery tomorrow then stay in the hospital for a few days to regulate the coumadin again. Pray for no clots since he had no reason for them to begin with but surgery can cause clots but the heparin is to prevent them this time. mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyMouse Posted June 16, 2008 Report Share Posted June 16, 2008 I hope that everything goes smoothly!Nina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryfw Posted June 19, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2008 The surgery went very well. He is now back on blood thinners and will be in the hospital until his blood level is theraputic which probably means Sat or Sun. But we are making progess!!!!!!!mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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