Angelika_23

When I try to add it, I get an error saying I am not allowed to download avatars or personal photos. I made sure it was below the 0 kb size limit...

Can anyone help?

Thanks,

Angela

Hi Tommy,

I haven't had the first med before, but I did try the Effexor. It wasn't good. Caused a lot of problems for me. I have to say I am very sensitive to meds; just because this wasn't a good choice for me doesn't mean it won't be for you.

Good luck,

Angela

I have a history of chronically low potassium. You should not take this drug if you have low potassium. I did not know this and had a terrible time, ended up in the ER. My doctor did a potassium blood test and put me on pills.

Could you possibly have low potassium, and that is why you are having troubles?

Angela

Hello All,

My mom was diagnosed with pneumonia (on top of her COPD Emphysema) last week. She refused hospitalization for a couple days until it was ridiculous, then the facility convinced her to go. She has gone downhill since hospitalization. Yesterday they started her on Bi-pap. (sp?) She called me today and it tears my heart out to hear her struggling to breathe. She couldn't stay on the phone long at all. I can't go to see her because two of my children are sick with respiratory issues right now.

Someone told me that Bi-pap is the last step before a ventilator. Is this true? I know that she has issues with CO2 retention. The doctor does not have her in ICU at this time, he said yesterday her PCO2 was 80% but it is down to 60% today. I have no clue what is normal.

Angela

A beta blocker really helped my severe tachycardia. They tried me on several until they found one that worked. The others actually made my HR worse. Toprol XL is my beta blocker of choice.

Angela

I remember seeing a post similar to this in the past. Someone complaining of the same symptoms found some relief with DDAVP.

Here is the thread: http://dinet.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtop...77&hl=ddavp

Angela

No, PE is the kind you can buy without signing your life away. Regular Sudafed you now have to sign out at the pharmacy. I do not have tachy or anxiousness with Sudafed PE that regular Sudafed can cause.

I use Sudafed PE. It does not cause me to be tachy. Between the Sudafed PE, the nasal rinses I have managed to keep stuff at bay. Occasionally, I may need to use Afrin nose spray for 3 days.

Hope you start feeling better!

Angela

Thanks everyone.

Today I had to get her sent to a long term care facility. We simply can't manage her care at home. Weekly 911 calls...

My mom and I have never had a good relationship. I am her daughter and I love her, but we've really never been very close. She is much closer to my younger siblings.

My mom is practically indigent, so we will have to pay for all of it ourselves. Wow, $4,000 is a lot of money.

My mom is an ostrich type of person, she puts her head in the sand and avoids anything unpleasant. So, that makes any kind of planning very hard with her involved.

We have a visit with a new specialist on Monday, hopefully they can give us more information about how much time she has, etc. The hospital she was at is terrible. I requested a family conference with a social worker, the doctors and a patient advocate. Instead, they came into her room and flipped a brochure at her and said, "Pick out a nursing home to go to tomorrow." What the heck??? None of us were there, and she totally flipped out.

Angela

Hello,

This is the first time I have gone through this. I haven't lost a parent yet, my parents are relatively young, only 57. My mom has end stage COPD emphysema. She cannot stay out of the hospital. A pulmonary specialist told me we need to get her "end of life" planning done.

I am the oldest of three children, our parents are divorced. My mom only has us to help her. I have always been "the strong one", the one who "takes care of things" so this job will fall to me. I want to do what I can before things are worse and we are more emotional. With my health I am really limited on what I can do during normal times, I can only imagine how much harder this will be both physically and emotionally when my body won't cooperate.

How do I plan this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. My mom has Medicaid benefits, will that help with the cost of a funeral? I have no idea what to even ask, really.

This post probably sounds pretty matter-of-fact, but I'm still trying to process. And for me, when I have a plan I can cope better.

Thanks,

Angela

Well, yes and no.

My holter showed my GP that something was wacky with my HR, so he referred me to a cardiologist. The cardiologist put me on Atenolol for IST, which did not work for me. I ended up in the hospital, and it was there that I was diagnosed with POTS. The doctor who saw me at the hospital just happened to have been to an inservice or something on POTS. How lucky was that?

Angela

I did not have any meds with my TTT. I was on a bed for 10 mins, then when they raised it to 70 degrees, it took less than 30 seconds for my HR to skyrocket. My BP did not/does not drop. I lasted about 7 mins before they had to bring me back down. I did not faint, but it was touch and go there for a minute.

I was terrified before the test, I was afraid they would give me Isuprel or something like it to raise the HR. They didn't do it, but I had heard so many stories I was worried about it.

After the test I couldn't walk, my husband had to push me around in a wheelchair for the rest of the day. It took several days to recover.

Angela

I'm sure you will get better answers, but I have IST and POTS. My BP does not drop. With POTS, the 30 bpm increase in your heartrate when you come up from lying down is what qualifies the diagnosis. There is not necessarily a drop in BP.

I see a neurologist and a cardiologist.

Good luck

Angela

Lots of salt and water! Seriously! When you are sick, be extra careful. That is how I end up in the hospital every time I get the flu. I need to listen to my own advice.

Ummm, I hope I'm not the only one to post this, but I have to wear a thicker bra because, well because it LOOKS like I am always cold and it shows through a thinner bra... I was told this was normal for Midodrine. I will be so embarrassed if I am the only one...

I don't have the BP drop, and I do have the diagnosis of POTS.

Maxine,

This is what happens to me when I get a virus. I get dehydrated and this is what happens. I have had to be hospitalized and get fluid for two to three days every time. My advice would be drink a LOT of Gatorade or whatever you choose for electrolytes, and salt and water.

Good luck,

Angela

I get this when I am low on fluids. It's like my heart rate can't decide what to do. Drink plenty of fluids, Gatorade too. And eat some salt! After a couple days of bedrest, salt and fluids I usually come out of it s-l-o-w-l-y.

Good luck,

Angela

I personally hate Firefox. My husband has us set up with some firewall that keeps out all ads and bad stuff. So I don't have issues using IE.

What is the error message you are getting regarding Adobe? I can see if wonderful husband has any suggestions for you.

Angela

Hi Tammy,

I am so sorry you are experiencing this nightmare. You guys must have come in right after we got out of Children's. Were you at Cincinnati Children's? No, our son does not seem to have productive coughing spells. He has a small dry cough every once in a while.

They suspect our son had H1N1 then got a post-viral pneumonia that became complicated.

He was on Vancomycin (sp?) in the hospital, and came home on something different, but can't remember what it was.

Our surgeon told us the same thing about 3 mos and a year recovery. My kids are all 3 followed very closely by pulmonary medicine at Children's.

He thankfully hasn't gotten any colds or coughs since the flu/hospital nightmare. Just the lingering pain lately. They did not tell us that there was a 50% reoccurrence risk... That is a scary statistic.

How is your daughter doing now?

Angela

We got the nerve block yesterday. Other than pain at the injection site, he seems to be doing better! Today he got up and went to a competition with his combo in Indiana. I could cry I am so happy that he felt well enough to go and play his trumpet! Let's see how he feels tonight. I hope hope hope this works! He was getting so down about being in so much pain all the time.

Thanks everyone,

Angela

Saw the surgeon today. He basically shook his head and said he didn't know what was going on with Christopher. He urged us to get the nerve block, which is tentatively scheduled for this Friday morning. He said it would be a good diagnostic test for him (the surgeon) as he would then know if it is truly nerve pain or not. He said neuropathy or scar tissue are NOT common in children, you see that more in adults. So if it is that, it is pretty rare. But look at the family he's dealing with...

So for right now he's still in pain, still trying to get through with meds that aren't working. The pain management team started him on Neurontin, but he had an atypical reaction to it, so now he's on something else in the same class, and he is having the normal side-effects now.

Hopefully the nerve block will bring him some much needed relief.

Thanks,

Angela

Hello,

I have forgotten my BB a couple of times. I did not call my doctor. I guess it would depend on what BB you are on. I am on Toprol XL. Things seemed to calm down pretty soon after I took my med again.

I use a days of the week pill case. It has a removable row for each day of the week. I just fill the whole thing every Sunday night and my meds are set up for the rest of the week. Then I don't have to worry about remembering which pill to take, and have I taken it, every day.

Angela

I get the flu vaccine every year as well without complications.

Our doctor(s) say yes, get the shot UNLESS you have had tested positive for H1N1, not just type A flu.

As far as flu symptoms, I have heard that H1N1 symptoms are generally milder than "regular" flu. Tamiflu can probably help with that too. Saying that, I have to add we've seen the ugly side of this in our family; my son developed the post viral pneumonia. I am glad you are recovering and are seemingly having no complications.

Anytime I am sick with anything it makes my POTS symptoms worse. A good stomach bug will put me in the hospital. Try to keep your fluids up.

Angela