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Husband Has A Problem


Wufflebear

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My husband was born with a heart problem. His mother though converted to christian science and at 7 years old when his heart really started going fast, skipping, pausing etc they would not do anything...So he has lived with it. He is now 45 and it has always bothered him...but he has been very active despite it. Well about a month ago it worsened. No just walking across the room has him out of breath, and his heart is skipping and jumping and pausing. He has lost weight. He has lost 30 pounds in 3 weeks. He is down to 135 pounds. He is out of breath, normal heart rythems are now not the norm for him. His heart has always pounded but now if he stands still you can see his body move with the beats. I cant stand to lie next to him cause the irregular heard beats cause me to cough..

I took him to the ER yesterday in Eugene (two hour drive) cause our local area has no cardiologists and no docs in the hospital at night or on the weekend. (his mother died there a few years ago...had a clot in her lung..it was friday afternoon, the doc put her in ICU, gave her some medicine and left for the weekend. She died mid day saturday.) Anyway, considering that I took him to a hospital with doctors. They did a 15 second ekg and told him it was not a heart attack, did a blood test (limited, not a full cbc or anything) to test him for pneumonia and put him on a 24 hour holter monitor. That was it. They said to to to his PCP, which we have been calling now for a week and a half and they "just cant get him in". WE stopped by on the way home from the ER and got the same answer. Still today no call from the PCP even thought they said they 'would leave her a note that she would see first thing..."

A 6 foot 2 man can not weigh 135 pounds...and still loose weight for no visible reason. He is completely immobile for the most part. Very dizzy etc. I mean he gets up and walks around the house but it causes heart problems. The monitor he was hooked up to (EKG like thing) was showing a spike for the beat and then jaggedy things where the little bump and flat part should be if he so much as moved his head or raised an arm. Or it would go jaggedy where a beat should have been and would dip down...like the whole line would go down, be jaggedy and come back up. Our five year old finally siad "daddy turn your head and make more green line pictures.'

I am just terribly upset that this man needs medical care and can't seem to get any..... :(

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Guest Julia59

hmichel,

I'm sorry to thear your husband is having a hard time with his health right now. I can't believe the PCP has not bothered to call on such an urgent issue------and I believe the ER Docs should have admitted him. It just boggles my mind how physicians can be so detached from any kind of humane behaviour towards patients.

I hope you can find help for him soon----this just isn't fair that you both should have to sit there and wonder whats going on. That is so terrible what happened to his mother----I just can't believe how that kind of thing could happen----------tragic, so very tragic---I'm so sorry for you both.

What state do you live in? Can you drive to another hospital?

You both will be in my thoughts and prayers---I hope you find some help soon.

Hang in there--------------BIG HUGS,

Julie :0)

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hmichel,

i am so sorry to hear this. i couldn't believe the way your husband (and his mother) is/are treated. is this the us???????? i can't help you explain what the things on the holter mean as i'm not familiar with these things but i do hope that your husband will get good medical care soon.

warm wishes,

corina :(

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Guest tearose

While you wait to see the doctor get gatorade or electrolytes into him. Also try to supplement his diet with ensure or special supplemental mixes you get at a pharmacy with a script. Is his bp up or down?

I would be helping you get him to a top notch heart center asap if I lived closer!

sending you prayers and strength to make the best decisions...tearose

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Sorry to hear all that your family is going through. It really seems that he should be hospitalized for observation and testing. I agree that his weight loss would be of great concern to me. I know you state that the next big hospital is 4 hours away, but could you possibly call a cardiologist there? I would def. be pushing the PCP to do more. I am fortunate to live in area where I have several hospital options, including some of the best in Boston and still have run into physicians who weren't worth the months of waiting to see them. You have to just keep trying. There are some amazing ones. I hope you get some answers and help soon.

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This sounds very concerning. When do you go back in to have the holter results read? I hope it is very soon. Seems like he should be admitted to hospital for a full evaluation till they figure out definately what is going on. Sounds like he's a pretty sick guy. Take good care of yourselves in the meantime and keep pushing for treatment.

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Guest tearose

How is your husband doing today?

Any luck getting a sooner appointment?

Any chance you can make the journey to a large city hospital?

Hope you both are doing okay.

concerned, tearose

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How frustrating and scary for you and your family. It is amazing how slow doctors are to react. I am glad he got some basic testing (the EKG) and they ruled out a heart attack or anything immediately life-threatening.

I can relate to the poor quality of care at an ER. Our local ER is terrible. I have been there myself and only once got a good physician. I have a friend who nearly died due to misdiagnosis at the same ER. It is worth a longer trip to better care.

Could the unexplained irregular heartbeats be related to imbalance of electrolytes b/c of weight loss? Have they tested his thyroid?

I hope you get answers and relief very soon.

Also concerned,

Katherine

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I would think that with the weight loss, it's not congestive heart failure (b/c in that case, he would probably gain weight due to fluid retention). I would make sure he has a hematocrit to check for anemia, a vitamin levels blood test, all hormonal/adrenal tests (thyroid, catecholamines, etc.). He should also have an echocardiogram, in the event that he has a structural problem (has he ever had one of these?) or is experiencing mild heart failure. The SOB is concerning, esp. since it's sudden and new. And I assume he is not feeling ill otherwise? A virus can bring on a lot of heart-related stuff if you have a fever or underlying condition that makes you more sensitive to an infection.

Good luck, and do whatever it takes to get him seen by a decent doc. By the way, I have no medical authority here; I am going on my personal experience, plus taking care of my father (who had CHF, diabetes, etc.) for several years.

Amy

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hmichel

My brother had the same situation a few years back, they dismissed his health issues as well and he had a heart attack a few weeks later. I'm not telling you this to scare you...

but

We need to take our health issues seriously and insist that others do the same. If you don't feel your ER doctor has done his job then it is your right to see another physician, even if it means simply waiting for a shift change. If you can't get your local cardio or physician to get your husband in, insist on it!!!! Tell them your bringing him in and you'll just wait til the doctor can see him. I'm not sure in your state by doctors offices are suppose to leave so many empty spaces in their schedule daily for emergencies... My sister in law had problems like this even after my brothers heart attack!!! Its amazing how rude the medical field can be.

I even carry my own medical instructions for myself, I try to only go to one ER because they know me and the situation but I have had to go to others and myself or husband have to tell them what to do and not!!

I wish you the best!!!

((Hugs))

Sue

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i'm sorry that your husband has been/is so ill and that no one is helping to get to the bottom of it. i know it's easier said than done, but i would suggest finding a new primary care doc. it's true that ultimately a specialist is likely needed but a good PCP can help with that. and either way it's inexcusible to be blown off for so long by your "primary" care doc. i had the same thing after my recent hospital stay and had to find a new doc...ended up better in the long run.

hang in there & give us an update when you are able,

<_< melissa

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Update:

Thursday I called around to find a new PCP for him. There are two medical clinics in the three little towns near us and there was only one other doc willing to see new patients and they could 'not possibly fit in a new patient till july 7th". I explained the urgency and they said to call his regular doc and ask to speak to a supervisor.. I also drove him in to his PCP so we could demand to be seen again and we were rebuffed.

Thursday night was awful. Tachycardia, irregular beats, constant chest pain and pressure, shaking chills but no fever. He wrote a letter to our 5 year old that night and spoke to her in the morning. It is a conversation I cant even think about. Friday morning was bad too. He just held my hand as tight as he could. He fell asleep and so I got on the phone again and YELLED at the front desk staff of our doctors office untill I got passed thru to the head nurse. Who opened his file and found the notes of all our calls and visits just tucked in there...the file had been reshelved. She said to take him immediately to the ER down here. (the ER where a friend of mine w/ a pace maker went last week, was found to be anemic, was given three pints of blood which triggered a heart attack and had to be life flighted to Eugene. Where last month a friend of ours had twins, both cords wrapped the second babies neck and the hospital had no anestesialogist on staff and they called the on call one but he was an hour away, so they gave her morphine and did the c-section..) So I did it but not happily.

We went to the ER and they told him they did not do diagnosis', They did a 15 sec ECG and again ruled out a heart attack and pneumonia... (deja vu). They did do a CT scan of just his lungs and they did find a small nodule but it was too small to biopsy. The doc said he suspected cancer or a tumor but we would "have to see his regular doctor about that."They sent him home and said "you will likely have to live with it." Actual quote there...

I called the PCP nurse again, and the earliest they could 'squeeze him in was this coming wed afternoon." BTW the bloodwork (CBC and thyroid) were normal. We still dont have the HOlter results yet...

He does not seem to be loosing weight any more and our scale is about 5 pounds low so he is holding at 137 or so. He is forcing himself to eat but it is all going pretty much straight thru him.

His symptoms so far are the weight loss, heart rythem problems, very hard heart beat!, bouts of chills (the shaking of which triggers his heart to race and skip..you cant even tell one heart beat from the next when it gets going), Exhaustion, SOB, food going right thru, dizziness, constant chest pain, stabby pains around collar bone, pressure in chest...

He was supposed to take our 5 year old for a month long camping trip (they have been planning this for a year) to yellowstone etc begining 06/01 and yesterday he decided he still was... Just shortening it and going slower and will turn back if it gets bad. We shall see...

I took our daughter to the memorial day parade saturday for some lightness while he slept...She desperately needed a little lightness.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and thoughts. They are keeping me sane. We had planned to be remarried (10 year mark) on july 2nd. G-d willing...

BTW I am not sure of his BP. I do know the heart monitor they hooked him to had the line go way up off the chart and then dip down a lot and then it was jaggedy till the next beat. Wed it only did that when he moved..if he was still it was a normal heart beat looking line... Now it is constantly like that. When he moves the beat spike goes way way up, the dip goes sharply down and the jaggedy bit till the next beat is more pronounced. (makes sense huh? lol)

Our appointment w/ the pcp is wed at 2.50p

p.s. both ER docs told him it was likely anxioty. Yea right...

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My mom had open heart surgery in providence hospital in Portland. They gave her good care and there are cardios there that wouldn't blow this off. I can't believe he is being treated this way...oh wait...yes I can.

I'd go out of area and just explain to insurance the doctors wouldn't take care of him. I'm in Washington, so know how it is over here!!! Even a teaching hospital in portland is better than what he's getting now.. good luck! morgan

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Guest tearose

Continued prayers and healing thoughts for you and your family.

Please don't overdo on your part...you need to take care to replenish your strength too.

peace, tearose

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He keeps telling me "i cant beleive they dont beleive me" and "they are brushing it off as anxioty" and "they tell me to live with it"... "They offered me sleeping pills". So I said "what kind? were they fun??" lol

My only response is, "yea, been there done that...." On the up side I have vast experience ribbing (and that is putting it mildly) front desk staff to get to a doctor or nurse, and equal experience with doing the same w/ docs.....and I am not bothered by doing it.

My body has taken a beating for sure...but my daughter and I are doing lots of puzzles and things that are quiet stuff...Luckily I tend to do ok during any acute event but afterwards when the natural adrenolin hits my already wacko body....then there is a rumpus.

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Did your husband have his followup with his PCP? How can they state anxiety without complete cardio workup and what about this nodule that was seen??? This just doesn't seem right and of course there is anxiety with everything he has experienced and not knowing what is going on. I find it hard to believe that his extreme weight loss,if in a short period of time was anxiety related. I really hope you can find a specialist who will look into this more. GOOD LUCK!!!

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This pic is what the heart monitor looked like in the ER. On the first trip his line was ok unless he moved and then the whole thing dipped down. The second time it was like this all the time. When he moved his spike (R wave) jumped up off the monitor and the zigzaggy part would dip and stuff....but the ER doc said it was ok...Some beats were further apart than others. I did not see any that were super close to eachother...

afib.jpg

The other thing is that his heart beat has always been very forceful but now it is very very forceful and the chest pain is constant...

The appointment is this afternoon. I will update you guys then.

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