Older Folks and Vaping Back Porch - Part Seven

[Tonee N]

eleaf iCard[emoji41]

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[bigbells]

Three unrelated thoughts:

Bea, my absolute best wishes go out to you and yours.

It kind of amazes me that there are enough people using catheters to cover the costs of Liberty Medical's voluminous advertising.

In these perilous times, it is imperative that we answer the question: does Robo Twist really work?

 

[pwmeek]

You may have read my post about DH's heart issue (left branch bundle block) and his cardiologist had said many people have those and no other heart issues. But he ordered a cardio-cath done to find out if there was a reason for it because these bundle blocks are the result of a problem not the cause.

Today we had DH's follow up about the cardio-cath with the cardiologist. The story has changed a lot. As he previously told DH after the procedure he has a 100% blocked artery but it apparently happened slowly and surrounding blood vessels have taken on its job so no surgery. But he also has some partial blockages in some other blood vessels. No symptoms at all though…a good thing…means his body is handling it ok for now but he will be on the maximum dose of Lipitor from now on.

The part that you all will find interesting is the comments about smokers. Doc asked DH if he was a smoker. DH said "no" and doc said he could tell because, besides the smell, smokers look a lot older than their age, their voices are harsher, and their coloration is off…greyish.

Doc also said that his coronary heart disease is a substantial threat to DH's life but what he has going for him is that his body has handled it well so far and hopefully will continue to do so for a long time…years.

And that's when it hit me…the fact that doc said my DH has heart disease…heart disease that can kill him! As you know we lost our son to another type of heart disease and now we're told that DH has a serious heart disease.

I'm so scared. He's my best friend, my rock. I'm posting this because I need to verbalize it and I can't tell him how scared I am.

Bea - It may be serious, but it shouldn't make you panicky. You know what the problems are; you have people testing, observing, and monitoring the situation; and modern medicine is astoundingly capable. Things can be done today (via catheterization) that would have required open heart surgery a few decades ago, and would have been incurable a few decades before that. Knowing what you (and the docs) know, you should be able to manage his condition safely for the future. It's when you ignore problems that they cause the worst problems.

I'm still waiting for my next meeting with the electro-cardiologist (after I wore a Holter EKG monitor for 48 hours). He went in with a catheter and explored where the signals were going and where they weren't, and ablated (burned) four locations until he was happy with the result (Atrial Flutter stopped). With the Holter monitor, he will have a record of every single heartbeat for 48 hours to study (which is why it takes a specialist quite some time to return a finding).

I don't know if your hospital has something like the University of Michigan Health System's "Patient Portal". I can go online and see things like all past and future appointments, test results, billing (this episode has cost my insurance almost $100,000 so far), and (what was most interesting to me) the complete narrative of my "visit".

It was about 30-40 pages of tiny print with every comment by every care-giver (docs and nurses) about what they did and what they observed, as well as the tests ordered and the results. The narrative had as many acronyms (most of which I had to look up online - wut the heck is JVD? It's Jugular Vein Distention and I didn't have any on several occasions) as English words, but I plugged on through. It seemed as though it matched up well with everything I remembered happening, and everyone seemed to feel that things went well.

{I did note that there were quite a few errors, in the sense that when they were questioning me about my personal history, it seemed that they didn't listen very carefully. I'm pretty sure that I gave accurate answers about my smoking, vaping, drinking, and exercise history to quite a number of people, but what they recorded varied wildly, and was largely inaccurate. They commented that I was alert, lucid, and aware at all times when I wasn't actually under anesthesia or asleep. (To me this suggests that I probably gave correct answers to questions about my history - I wasn't babbling nonsense.) I am in the process of getting this corrected; it's not good to have errors in your medical record.}

 

[Bea-FL]

Bea - It may be serious, but it shouldn't make you panicky. You know what the problems are; you have people testing, observing, and monitoring the situation; and modern medicine is astoundingly capable. Things can be done today (via catheterization) that would have required open heart surgery a few decades ago, and would have been incurable a few decades before that. Knowing what you (and the docs) know, you should be able to manage his condition safely for the future. It's when you ignore problems that they cause the worst problems.

I'm still waiting for my next meeting with the electro-cardiologist (after I wore a Holter EKG monitor for 48 hours). He went in with a catheter and explored where the signals were going and where they weren't, and ablated (burned) four locations until he was happy with the result (Atrial Flutter stopped). With the Holter monitor, he will have a record of every single heartbeat for 48 hours to study (which is why it takes a specialist quite some time to return a finding).

I don't know if your hospital has something like the University of Michigan Health System's "Patient Portal". I can go online and see things like all past and future appointments, test results, billing (this episode has cost my insurance almost $100,000 so far), and (what was most interesting to me) the complete narrative of my "visit".

It was about 30-40 pages of tiny print with every comment by every care-giver (docs and nurses) about what they did and what they observed, as well as the tests ordered and the results. The narrative had as many acronyms (most of which I had to look up online - wut the heck is JVD? It's Jugular Vein Distention and I didn't have any on several occasions) as English words, but I plugged on through. It seemed as though it matched up well with everything I remembered happening, and everyone seemed to feel that things went well.

{I did note that there were quite a few errors, in the sense that when they were questioning me about my personal history, it seemed that they didn't listen very carefully. I'm pretty sure that I gave accurate answers about my smoking, vaping, drinking, and exercise history to quite a number of people, but what they recorded varied wildly, and was largely inaccurate. They commented that I was alert, lucid, and aware at all times when I wasn't actually under anesthesia or asleep. (To me this suggests that I probably gave correct answers to questions about my history - I wasn't babbling nonsense.) I am in the process of getting this corrected; it's not good to have errors in your medical record.}

I know you and @DavidOck are right. I guess because we lost our son to heart disease any mention of heart disease makes me panick. I need the get ahold of myself.

Unfortunately Florida doesn't have any of the top hospitals as far as heart disease but we are researching the possibility of a second opinion as to options of treatment.

As far as a patient portal, yes, our local hospital with which all our doctors are affiliated, we have that. And you are right I too find that they are not exactly accurate on everything.

 

[MikeE3]

You may have read my post about DH's heart issue (left branch bundle block) and his cardiologist had said many people have those and no other heart issues. But he ordered a cardio-cath done to find out if there was a reason for it because these bundle blocks are the result of a problem not the cause.

Today we had DH's follow up about the cardio-cath with the cardiologist. The story has changed a lot. As he previously told DH after the procedure he has a 100% blocked artery but it apparently happened slowly and surrounding blood vessels have taken on its job so no surgery. But he also has some partial blockages in some other blood vessels. No symptoms at all though…a good thing…means his body is handling it ok for now but he will be on the maximum dose of Lipitor from now on.

The part that you all will find interesting is the comments about smokers. Doc asked DH if he was a smoker. DH said "no" and doc said he could tell because, besides the smell, smokers look a lot older than their age, their voices are harsher, and their coloration is off…greyish.

Doc also said that his coronary heart disease is a substantial threat to DH's life but what he has going for him is that his body has handled it well so far and hopefully will continue to do so for a long time…years.

And that's when it hit me…the fact that doc said my DH has heart disease…heart disease that can kill him! As you know we lost our son to another type of heart disease and now we're told that DH has a serious heart disease.

I'm so scared. He's my best friend, my rock. I'm posting this because I need to verbalize it and I can't tell him how scared I am.

Hugs {{{Bea}}} ... take a breath ... on the positive side, seems the doctors are mapping out his condition pretty well and his body is adjusting and compensating. My grandmother was diagnosed with heart conditions most of her life, but lived 'till her lat 90's. Nice you could 'unload' here and get some of the stress and frustration released. That's why we're here.

 

[Bea-FL]

Hugs {{{Bea}}} ... take a breath ... on the positive side, seems the doctors are mapping out his condition pretty well and his body is adjusting and compensating. My grandmother was diagnosed with heart conditions most of her life, but lived 'till her lat 90's. Nice you could 'unload' here and get some of the stress and frustration released. That's why we're here.

Thanks everybody. It really helps talking with you all. I've always been the strong one in our relationship and if hubs knew I'm panicking he would too and feel bad he's the cause of my panic. So while we talked about the issue openly and realistically I also reminded him that the doc is optimistic…says she who isn't following her own advice.

Once we have all the answers…stats, treatment options if/when it gets worse I'll be fine.

Thanks again

 

[clnire]

@Bea-FL , I can only imagine how you feel. As others have said, it looks like he is getting good care and the doctors are aware of the situation. I think it's better to know what you are dealing with than to ignore or deny.

We are always here for you.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}}

 

[Iffy]

Thanks everybody. It really helps talking with you all.

Thanks again

Anytime!!!

Count da blessings! Thankfully, his condition was discovered and is being treated.

 

[LyLyV]

Pooch will get better. That's the same as Victoria (Vic) is on. She had accidents at first but she has been much better. On her Prednisone days she is constantly hungry. If you have to leave him in the morning make sure he doesn't drink too much water, it also makes them really thirsty. She lost weight and Alyssa had put her on a senior dog food because she had been gaining weight but after a while on the meds started losing. She put her back on the better dog food, she uses the fancy dry from Costco and she has started gaining. She takes the Prednisone 1 day then the anti immune the next. They both work so Alyssa has to go home at lunch time and feed them, especially Vic. But it has sure worked. She is on 50mg every other day which I thought Wow Ginny my wife is only on 5. I hope he responds as well as Vic did. She was really getting bad which was over a year ago and now she is pretty much a normal geriatric doggie. She has to have blood tests every 3 months I think it is because it can affect the liver but she is 11 years old now and so far so good. By accidents I take it you are talking ....... Vic drinks a lot of water that day when she can (weekends) but she has gotten so she can hold it pretty good. She also has a problem if she gets hold of something she shouldn't eat, with her being constantly hungry sometimes not even something she isn't supposed to eat but she really can make a mess. That happens rarely tho. Other then that it has been a miracle cure for her.

That's awesome .... He actually had pee AND poo last week ... The weather has been nice enough that I can leave my kitchen door open (he still won't use the doggie door without coaxing - silly doggo), so that helps. And you know what - it's taken a good week or maybe 10 days and I think it is helping. He's eating better (has been going through this phase where he had trouble swallowing or something - so weird). He's taking 40 mg/day - hopefully he can get to a lower dose at some point. I guess it takes a while to work (and get used to)...

 

[LyLyV]

Movie review. Sully, 2016, Tom Hanks.
Worst Tom Hanks movie I've ever seen. I can only give it 4.5 stars out of 5. Totally worth watching.

Unsane is pretty good - if you want to get totally creeped out, LOL

 

[LyLyV]

{I did note that there were quite a few errors, in the sense that when they were questioning me about my personal history, it seemed that they didn't listen very carefully. I'm pretty sure that I gave accurate answers about my smoking, vaping, drinking, and exercise history to quite a number of people, but what they recorded varied wildly, and was largely inaccurate. They commented that I was alert, lucid, and aware at all times when I wasn't actually under anesthesia or asleep. (To me this suggests that I probably gave correct answers to questions about my history - I wasn't babbling nonsense.) I am in the process of getting this corrected; it's not good to have errors in your medical record.}

That kind of thing fries me to no end. I've had doctor's scoff when telling them I'm allergic to something, like they didn't believe me (it was a sulfa medication - pretty common to have an allergy to that, plus, my mom landed in the hospital from it once, as have a handful of other people I've known - but because I didn't end up in the hospital, I must be making it up e_e). I've seen nurses dole out medication and not record it in the chart (happened when my mom - who was 80 at the time). They almost never report drug reactions, either.

 

[LyLyV]

So you're and IT girl?

What - like it's hard?

 

[3mg Meniere]

That kind of thing fries me to no end. I've had doctor's scoff when telling them I'm allergic to something, like they didn't believe me (it was a sulfa medication - pretty common to have an allergy to that, plus, my mom landed in the hospital from it once, as have a handful of other people I've known - but because I didn't end up in the hospital, I must be making it up e_e). I've seen nurses dole out medication and not record it in the chart (happened when my mom - who was 80 at the time). They almost never report drug reactions, either.

"Allergies?" "Yes, house dust and penicillin." "How do you react to housedust?" "Sinus problems." "How do you react to penicillin?" "I die." They dutifully write anaphylaxis, and it becomes a huge red flag. No problem.

 

[Bea-FL]

That's awesome .... He actually had pee AND poo last week ... The weather has been nice enough that I can leave my kitchen door open (he still won't use the doggie door without coaxing - silly doggo), so that helps. And you know what - it's taken a good week or maybe 10 days and I think it is helping. He's eating better (has been going through this phase where he had trouble swallowing or something - so weird). He's taking 40 mg/day - hopefully he can get to a lower dose at some point. I guess it takes a while to work (and get used to)...

great news!!!

 

[bigbells]

Unsane is pretty good - if you want to get totally creeped out, LOL

But it doesn't have Tom Hanks! I like Amy Irving and Juno Temple, though. The rest of the marquee names I don't know.

 

[LyLyV]

But it doesn't have Tom Hanks! I like Amy Irving and Juno Temple, though. The rest of the marquee names I don't know.

Haha - no it doesn't. But the acting is *really* good!

 

[LyLyV]

"Allergies?" "Yes, house dust and penicillin." "How do you react to housedust?" "Sinus problems." "How do you react to penicillin?" "I die." They dutifully write anaphylaxis, and it becomes a huge red flag. No problem.

Yeah - I don't get anaphylaxis - but I have every symptom listed in the "call your doctor if you have any of these severe side effects" list. MAJOR headaches (the likes of which I've never had in my over 50 years), flu-like symptoms, psychosis.... I could go on. All I know is that when I stopped taking it, all of that stopped immediately. I'm never taking that stuff again!

 

[Debadoo]

Punkin, my birthday was in December

ok, so as I've said before, one day I will learn to read. Looked again at my calendar, and it said vaperversary not birthday..........did I get that on the right day??? if so.......happy vaperversary!! (19th)

2 leaks in our brand new roof!!!! Roofing company has been notified, but this roof has been nothing but trouble. With a company that has been in business for 32 years with an excellent reputation. AHAHAHAHAHAH!!!

oh nooooooo how horrible! any updates on that?

It seems to have. Today I got a lot done, I am tired, but not fried. Will see how the next few days go before I declare the problem resolved. Thanks for the encouragement.

I've tried that before, unfortunately for me the pain relieving effects don't last but a couple hours, so I am able to go back to sleep and that is nice, but then I still wake up in pain. Glad it seems to be working for you

Thx, Debadoo <3 ... Got the pooch on Prednisone (along with a bunch of other things). Sadly, he continues to lose weight, and, it's causing him to have accidents in the house. He continues to lose weight... To the point where it's freaking me out. ........ School? Went back to school to get into IT (after years of artsy and musical stuff). Network security. Just got a PT job at as a helpdesk technician (aka/apprentice) that I started this week. .... Believe me when I tell you, help desk technicians are highly underrated. The guy I work with does literally everything for about 200 people. Yeesh! I'm the only female in the entire group of 15 IT people. 20-something kid teaching a (ahem) older chick new tricks. It's fun.

kewl on the IT......good job security and knowing how to fix your own stuff........priceless. am glad for your other post saying your puppy is doing better. (I know he's prolly not a puppy, but for me all dogs are puppies). Great that legs had been through this with his granddog and can offer info and encouragement.

And I have tomatoes on my plants!!!

wahoooooo I want a veggie garden so bad, but I can't grow nuttin. I have been trying to talk my son into getting a few herb plants, they are supposed to be stupid simple to grow.

Movie review. Sully, 2016, Tom Hanks.
Worst Tom Hanks movie I've ever seen. I can only give it 4.5 stars out of 5. Totally worth watching.

I looked at the trailer, and am sure I saw this, but can't figure out how. It's not on netflix or amazon prime yet, and I sure didn't pay to watch it. But it seems like I saw it and liked it.

We had rice left over from the chili so I decided to make rice pudding this morning. Don't know why I don't make it more often because it's so delicious and so easy to make.

yummmmmm love it too. I made some not too awful long ago. I've been wanting some tapioca, and have had it on the list, but the kids haven't gotten it yet. Been wanting to make a Tres Leches cake for a very long time.

(I have several more of Tom Hanks in my 2200 DVD collection,

wow! I thought I had a lot at around 300. I do love to watch movies.

Today we had DH's follow up about the cardio-cath with the cardiologist. The story has changed a lot. As he previously told DH after the procedure he has a 100% blocked artery but it apparently happened slowly and surrounding blood vessels have taken on its job so no surgery. But he also has some partial blockages in some other blood vessels. No symptoms at all though…a good thing…means his body is handling it ok for now but he will be on the maximum dose of Lipitor from now on.

((((((((((Bea))))))))))))) try to keep focusing on how well his body is managing it and as Iffy said, that you caught it and it's being monitored, but I surely see how that would send you into a panic. We are here, so use that anytime you need to. Wish I was there to give you a hug in person.

{I did note that there were quite a few errors, in the sense that when they were questioning me about my personal history, it seemed that they didn't listen very carefully. I'm pretty sure that I gave accurate answers about my smoking, vaping, drinking, and exercise history to quite a number of people, but what they recorded varied wildly, and was largely inaccurate.

We have the online portal, but I can't see Dr notes and I would dearly love to. It is amazing the number of folks that say when they did see it, a lot was inaccurate.

 

[bigbells]

I looked at the trailer, and am sure I saw this, but can't figure out how. It's not on netflix or amazon prime yet, and I sure didn't pay to watch it. But it seems like I saw it and liked it.

Maybe you were at somebody's house who had the movie on disc? Another thought: there was a serious amount of coverage on TV when it happened. Real life so real that it almost felt like a movie, lol.

Now for the more likely scenarios: there has been a made-for-TV movie, in addition to at least one TV documentary, made about "The Miracle on the Hudson". Of course, even the real-time event was not as good as the Tom Hanks movie.

 

[r77r7r]

Maybe you were at somebody's house who had the movie on disc? Another thought: there was a serious amount of coverage on TV when it happened. Real life so real that it almost felt like a movie, lol.

Now for the more likely scenarios: there has been a made-for-TV movie, in addition to at least one TV documentary, made about "The Miracle on the Hudson". Of course, even the real-time event was not as good as the Tom Hanks movie.

Very good movie, thanks for the recommendation.