To "jubilant"

hckynut — Wed, 01 May 2013 01:07:38 GMT

What you said is below:

"Hi John! I enjoyed your posts on "that other thread".....agreed with much of it and got a big kick out of the man and woman hole thing!

I hope you won't mind me interrupting Marp or John. I have a question I'd like to ask John. You were talking about your oxygen levels. DH has had some short term memory problems since his cardiac arrest (last Aug). Lately he seems much more confused. I thought we would have seen the worst of it right away ( like the mild memory loss) but new problems seem to be showing up. Maybe this is normal to have more things show up but it is scaring me. His driving is more eratic, he has an awful time keeping track of appointments. He is a handyman and is having trouble putting things together or figuring simple things out and it is frustrating him to no end. He hasn't had a blood test now for several months. The last 2 or 3 have shown up normal(so he says). I'm wondering if it could be an oxygen level problem. He doesn't seem to think I need to go the dr. with him anymore and I haven't the past 3 times so maybe I need to go this next time. He's a pretty independent guy. Doesn't like a lot of "hovering over" if you know what I mean. Any suggestions or insight would be appreciated.

Hope you get to the bottom of your problem and it's nothing serious. These things can be so trying. Between DH and both parents I think I'm going a little nutsmyself!"

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Hi jubilant

Marp2, suggested I reply to the above that was in another thread. I thought it would be easier and more effective to give you a shout out to make sure you see this.

In reply to your above, which I quoted: Your husband can have his oxygen saturation level taken very easily. It is not like having a blood draw or anything like that. The put a clip on the end of your finger and up pops your oxygen saturation level. If his levels are pretty low, the first indication is usually similar to anemia. It is very hard to do things that require any physical effort without really getting tired.

That is what got me to my Pulmonologist way back in 2002 and found out I had the PE(lung blood clots). Prior to this I was in the best physical shape I had been in for many years, and during the summer I couldn't understand why I was getting so tired doing very simple and not all that hard yard work.

I really can't say much because your husband survived something from which not many survive. PE, too kill a lot of people, but Cardiac Arrest kills in the high 90 percentile of those that experience it. Without immediate care, most people die right where they had the attack.

Blood tests I can't see telling a whole lot about his overall issues with his heart event. I know it involves many things that are important, but it seems like what your husband is experiencing has more to do with something above the shoulders to me. And blood tests to me are "numbers", not "normal/medium normal" and so on. I want numbers in the important categories and I get a printout copy of every blood test I've had done since 2002, which is the thousands. I decide what is normal for my body, not some scale they use to decide it.

I know minutes without oxygen can reek havoc on one's brain, but I really cannot say too much about that other than to suggest this is something to ask one of his doctors about. If you have to, talk with his Cardiologist, or whomever is in charge of his medication pertaining to his heart event.

This old man is about as independent as one can be, but I also love my wife enough to make sure she knows exactly what is going on in my head and with my body. There is no way I would not leave her not knowing what I know when it comes to my medical numbers and condition. She does not go with me to my appointments or blood transfusions or the like, but she knows everything I know that the doctors pass on to me. That is the least I can do for putting her in fear with the many life and death issues I've faced in the last 11+ years.

My issues are not anything major, and I must admit I was saying a lot of what I said in that other thread, in jest, I am really not thinking I have any serious issues with anything.

I just threw in the oxyimeter and oxygen saturation in jest, not thinking that it would be a cause for concern for others, but I see that I made a mistake in doing it. I'm sorry to you and everyone else that read something into my comments about this, that I really was saying more in jest than as a fact. That is why I said in another thread that: "many of my hockey players cannot tell when I am being serious or just saying something for levity".

If you are really as concerned as you seem to be, I would see that your husband makes an appointment with his major doctor that is responsible for him since his cardiac arrest. You go and tell the doctor exactly what you've said here, and I don't care if your husband likes it or not, he owes this to you for being his caretaker during some pretty bad times.

Let me know if there is anything else I might be able to pass on to you with this.

My best to you and that rascal husband of yours,

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