Wellness

[dennylilly]

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@pepes mom wrote:

Google esophageal spasms and see if your symptoms fall into that category.  I sometimes feel like there is an elephant on my chest and feel a horrid squeezing in the area above my bra.  I was diagnosed with esophageal spasms and placed on an old anti-depressant called nortriptyling.  It has helped tremendously.  I wish you good health.

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That doesn't fit my symptoms because I don't have pain

[Lipstickdiva]

@dennylilly, you had your stress test a week ago.  Do you have results yet?

[sann]

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@Trinity11 wrote:

Just a word of warning... I had a nuclear scan and stress test just weeks before I had a heart attack. I passed with flying colors. My doctor claims that they only real way to tell what is going on in the coronary arteries (if you have risk factors) is to do an angiogram.

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That is exactly what my Cardiologist said. 

[dennylilly]

yes it was normal

[LilacTree]

I have had this for quite some time, not everybday, but often enough. Zantac takes it away, but since I am also extremely fatigued and my heart races when I stand up, I have made an appt with a cardiologist around mid-Sept. 

I have a tendency to blame everything on rheumatoid, but at this stage it could be that rheumatoid is responsible for creating an issue with my heart.

 I have had EKGs in the ER, and even worn holter scanners when in the hospital, but at this age (81) CHF could very well be developing now.

 I don’t know your age or health condition, but my opinion is that you should get your heart checked out by a cardiologist.  Most cardiac tests are not painful.

[hckynut]

Hi my friend @LilacTree ,

Good to see you post in this thread, but not to hear this about what you mentioned. Unless heart procedures have changed, my CHF after my 2nd heart attack, was diagnosed and followed up via Echocardiograms. My Ejection Fraction(EF) numbers were what determined if I had CHF.

I did and had to follow a strict eating/drinking program. Never changed anything I ate, but cutting back to only 64oz. of fluid per day?  For me that would barely start my daily fluid intake. That was the hardest part for me.

Worked out extra hard in my 36 Cardiac Rehab Classes(patients are wired via EKG the whole class), and after the end of those classes had another Echocardiogram performed. I had raised my EF numbers high enough to no longer be classified as in CHF. 

The lower part of my heart function is pretty much gone since both heart attacks were a 100% blockage of the same Coronary Artery. Muscle dies never to regrow, but I am doing great with what I have to work with now.

Gotta go get my workout in now. Ice Rink still closed(all of August) for maintenance. Suppose to open September 3rd. So! Spending lots of time on my recumbent keeping my skating legs strong and durable, along with my balance exercises.

Thinking of you every day I visit here and always hoping to see good things for you. Take good care my friend,

JOhn

[LilacTree]

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@hckynut wrote:

Hi my friend @LilacTree ,

Good to see you post in this thread, but not to hear this about what you mentioned. Unless heart procedures have changed, my CHF after my 2nd heart attack, was diagnosed and followed up via Echocardiograms. My Ejection Fraction(EF) numbers were what determined if I had CHF.

I did and had to follow a strict eating/drinking program. Never changed anything I ate, but cutting back to only 64oz. of fluid per day?  For me that would barely start my daily fluid intake. That was the hardest part for me.

Worked out extra hard in my 36 Cardiac Rehab Classes(patients are wired via EKG the whole class), and after the end of those classes had another Echocardiogram performed. I had raised my EF numbers high enough to no longer be classified as in CHF. 

The lower part of my heart function is pretty much gone since both heart attacks were a 100% blockage of the same Coronary Artery. Muscle dies never to regrow, but I am doing great with what I have to work with now.

Gotta go get my workout in now. Ice Rink still closed(all of August) for maintenance. Suppose to open September 3rd. So! Spending lots of time on my recumbent keeping my skating legs strong and durable, along with my balance exercises.

Thinking of you every day I visit here and always hoping to see good things for you. Take good care my friend,

JOhn

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@hckynut 

Hello back John!  I would guess you had to go through all of that because they did discover CHF in you.  They have never found anything but a minor murmur in me, plus some docs hear “slushing” which is mitral valve prolapse, as you probably know.

It’s quite surprising, given my illness at the age of 14 when I was hospitalized with rheumatic fever, scarlet fever, and mono all at the same time.  I was told years later by my sister that our parents were warned at the time that I might not make it.  Yet here I am!!

 I was always a little behind my peers, couldn’t run very far, things like that. But I’ve always thought that having had four babies in four and a half years was a little more taxing than running on a treadmill, so how bad could my heart have been?!

 I do think it’s time for a thorough workup though, and I’ll definitely let you know via this forum how I do!

Happy skating!!  As always ~Ford

[chiclets]

@LilacTree 

Nice to see your smiling face.

Wishing you good news concerning those September test.

Be well, smile often, and do whatever you can whenever you want.