Blood Pressure

[fdegranville]

AR

AR

Hi Lisa,
I also have mod/severe AR and one of the signs is a wide pulse pressure, which means a wide gap between the systolic and diastolic BP, the wider the pulse pressure the worse the AR. Mine is usually in the 50's diastolic and 140-160 systolic. Also you can see the pulse in my right wrist-it is called a water hammer pulse.

Linisopril(sp?), or prinivil is notorious for causing a cough, but it is supposed to decrease the AR, as are calcium channel blockers.

I have a very slow HR usually in the 50s and lower that is sometimes problematic. I have mod/severe mitral stenosis as well so I'm not sure how that affects the whole picture. I am extremely symptomatic and after a second opinion at the Howard Gilman Institute for Valvular Heart Diseases here in New York, they are sending me for a valvuloplasty first, that may delay replacing the valves for a couple of years. They believe my symptoms are mostly due to the MS.

Hope this helps.
fdeg
PS I was seen at the Texas Heart Institute for an echo a few years ago. I lived in Dallas for four years, but I can't remember where exactly it was. I also went to the Tom Landry Center, again just an echo, but they were very, very good.

 

[ccrawford]

T.H.I.

T.H.I.

Lisa - the Texas Heart Institute is in Houston at the St Lukes Episcopal hospital- they may have branches elsewhere. Their website is texasheartinstitute.com and their 800 # is 292-2221. When you visit their website, you'll find a ranking of hospitals which is good to check out. Don't get real upset about varying BP. It normally varies in everybody. I try to get mine up to about 105-110 on the stationary bike, and it typically starts out the day at about 65. Being near a white coat is almost guaranteed to send it up 20 to 30 points. I've got a whole list of drug side effects, and plan to start work next week with my cardiologist on at least trying to fix The the worst ones. I got to a point where I was really getting depressed with the prospects of facing these side effects every day, so discussed it with cardio, and we'll try to solve some of them. I'm also trying out the guided imagery CD. I've only had it a couple of days so can't really give a good opinion - except it is a great way to totally relax for 20 minutes, and you do escape from a lot of stuff that may be bothering you. The speaker on the CD, Diane Tusek, really has a soothing voice. Hope this helps, Chris

 

[Lisa45]

To Ram

To Ram

Ram,

You sweet talker! You sure made my night and day! Thank you very much. Wish I felt like I looked then. hahah

Lisa

 

[Lisa45]

to chris

to chris

Tell me tell me about he guided imagery cd your talking about, I want it bad! Thank you so much for the info. I will call and check the website out first thing in the morning. Thanks again Chris. By the way the ringing is so loud tonight in my ears I am surprised you can't hear it!

Lisa

 

[Lisa45]

To fdegranville

To fdegranville

Thanks for all the useful information. I am going to write a lot of it done along with the others and put together a list of questions. I am going for a TEE test in March down town Baylor I am going to call Ellen tomorrow (my lung transplant nurse, who schedules my tests there ) and make sure she makes me an appt. with the Cardiologist before the test to make sure I ask the right questions and see him/her before and after the TEE. I feel I need a second oponion at this point. Thanks again.

Lisa

 

[ccrawford]

Guided Imagery CD

Guided Imagery CD

Lisa - the Phone # on the CD case is 440-944-9292, fax is 440-944-1830, and web site shown is [email protected]. If this not current web site, do a search for "guided imagery". I'll be curious to hear from you after you try it for awhile. I'm only in 3rd day of usage, but think it is helping minimize drug side effects. On the other hand, maybe its just a coincidence that I have felt better in last two days. It is the most relaxing thing I have ever experienced, and look forward to 20 minutes of wonderful vacation every time I use it. I probably could hear your tinitus all the way up here in Indiana -- If my own ears weren't ringing. Keep on chuggin kiddo, we're all rootin for you. Chris

 

[ccrawford]

correct address

correct address

lisa- I goofed. The correct address for Diane Tusek's web site on Guided Imagery is guidedimagery.com. There are a lot of other sites out there as well that you can reach via a search.

 

[Lisa45]

To chris

To chris

Thanks very much I am on my way there now to try it.

Lisa

Still Ringing

 

[ccrawford]

Need to hear from you

Need to hear from you

Lisa - Its been awhile since we have heard from you. Not trying to bug you, just worried about how you are doing. Hope all ok. Chris

 

[Lisa45]

Chris and Nancy

Chris and Nancy

check your private messages. All is going well. Just been slow around here and as I said last week really hectic with the blood pressure and the blood sugar. How are you doing, we are having an ice storm here in Garland Texas, work and schools might are going to be shut down tomorrow. Worked on my clay mold today and went back to the doctor for my follow up. Blood sugar seems to be getting under control and BP is ok as long as I take my medicine. He suggested a Beta Blocker but with the transplant and lungs Pulmonologists say no can't do that.

Did you hear about the two French girls that got run over by the cop. Also, David Hasselhauff had a motorcycle accident.

I feel so bad for that family of that poor girl, my prayers are with the family.

Love
Lisa

 

[Lisa45]

Snow and Ice in Texas

Snow and Ice in Texas

Hey all you warm and toasty people. You just would not believe it out here (Garland, Texas) today is worse than yesterday. I will have to take some pictures. We stupidly drove a block and went to my sister in laws for her birthday (she lives a block away) and had pizza and cake for her birthday and that was a lot!!! Today it is just pure ice and streets and some highways are closing. It is crazy!! will try and send you pictures later. Would like to be able to mow the lawn...hahah I am going to light a fire and stay warm and watch ?My big fat Greek wedding? never saw it.

Love you
Lisa

 

[Ross]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 1 to 10, it gets a 1/2 from me. I guess I just don't get the movie.

 

[Lisa45]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Ok Ross now I have to watch and see. Will post my review later.

Lisa

 

[Granbonny]

Lisa, I saw pictures on news..

Lisa, I saw pictures on news..

Ice storm. You are lucky to have power.. Take care....Ross..Did you rent Lonesome Dove? Bonnie

 

[pegne]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Watched it, loved it. I think because I have an Italian heritage I could relate to it. This kind of culture is really funny. I remember as a kid if me or one of my sisters had a date the first words out of my Italian mother was "Is he Italian?" When my older sister got married the church was filled with lots of sobbing hysterically, Italian aunts. And of course there's the food. Food fixed everything. I hope you like it. Peg

 

[John Cochran]

coughing

coughing

Lisa,
I recall that coughing is one of the side effects of lisinipril. Both my son and I had lots and lots of coughing on that drug. It went away when I got off it, and went away for my son, too, when they switched him to another drug (not sure which one).

Sounds to me like a second opinion might be a good thing at this time for you.

John
P.S. I see there is a new TV series based on the movie, and it's called "My Big Fat Greek Life." Haven't seen it, so can't comment, but we liked the movie a lot!

 

[Gail in Ca]

Before my surgery, a leaflet of the pig valve I had was gone, (no one knew it though) and my blood pressure went down to 90/19.
From that experience I would assume that the more leakage the lower the bp?
Gail

 

[Lisa45]

What a Day

What a Day

Gail,
If that is true that the lower the BP the more the leakage why would they give me BP med's to keep my BP down do you think?

So here's my question. What is the time frame on an average if you have moderate Aortic Reg. to get worse and how do you know if it is worse? I know that it is mostly asymptomatic but there must be something to give you a clue...besides the echo's and heart cath. I have my TEE mid March.

Sorry for being such a downer today wasn't great. I was at the hospital today with my best friend (of 15 years) she had a colonoscopy after having a CT Scan, MRI and Endoscopy. They had her in there longer than they thought. They ended up removing 6 polyps. The doctor said that it was highly unusual to find that many, that size especially in a 43 year old woman without a family history of it. Now, we must wait 2 weeks for the results. From what I have read on the internet and from the doctors body language (and what she danced around) it sounds like at the very least it could be pre cancerous. That scares me to death for her. So kind of down today.

Luckly I can watch the "Hottest people in the world" reality show, which is so so
stupid it makes me laugh. Who would put themselves through that????

Lisa

 

[Gail in Ca]

Lisa,
I really am just assuming that the greater the leak, the more the pressure goes down. Mine was leaking pretty badly, obviously, since the leaflet was gone.
I think everyone is different when the valve will begin to go so that surgery is necessary. I was told in Jan that my porcine was leaking moderately and my cardio said not to wait too long to have the surgery, so I was going about my normal routine until I had a cardiac cath done in June, thinking I would have surgery in July. I wasn't having shortness of breath until after the cath, where I was given a fluid overload and went into CHF.
Even after that, I was sent home only to come back in bad shape 4 days later. My biggest symptom then was horrible back pain and I also felt really bad, very hard to describe, just knew something wasn't right.
I think BP meds are prescribed when the leakage isn't causing the heart to be affected, yet. They work to prolong the time before you may need to have the valve replaced. They take pressure off the leaking valve and the vessel. I now have a mitral valve leaking mod to severe, but showing no symptoms to the heart and I am on Cozaar to lower my BP and hopefully I won't need to have the valve replaced for a long time.
Keep your spirits up, I think you will know when something feels different. Women's intuition and all!!
Gail

 

[Lisa45]

Thanks gail

Thanks gail

thanks Gail that is excellent information for me to share with my Dr. and to think about myself. I appreciate it.

Lisa