Borderline cardiomegaly

[fyrfytr]

Hey Christina,
I know everything will be OK for you.
I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Take Care

 

[PJmomrunner]

Christina:

I am sorry you are upset about your recent x-ray report. Did your doctor ever get back to you after seeking help to interpret it? Like Karlynn and others pointed out, a mildly enlarged heart may just be your new normal. The size of the heart is probably not as important as how well it functions. Also, while an x-ray is a quick and inexpensive screening tool, it is not definitive. Even if it does suggest an irregularity it is never ?the final word?. All tests are limited within the constraints of the machine being used, much like a given global positioning system might ?pinpoint? one?s location to within 10 feet. And the person interpreting the results can of course make a difference too?I had an echo and a CT on the same day in January; the echo said ?normal chamber sizes?, the CT said ?left ventricle mildly dilated.? It would seem possible that even if the x-ray indicates cardiomegaly, an echo or CT might even rule it out.

Sixteen years ago when I was pregnant with my first child I took husband coached childbirth classes. Among a huge amount of invaluable information learned in those classes was the concept of ?emotional signposts.? Emotional signposts are certain predictable behaviors during the course of labor that are an indicator of a stage of labor. The first emotional signpost is marked by exitement??Yippee! I?m having a baby!? The second emotional signpost is a determined seriousness??Okay! I can do this and I?m gonna get to it.? The third emotional signpost is self-doubt??Omigod! What was I thinking??? I can?t do this!? That third emotional signpost signals the imminent birth and, in my experience, it is right as rain! Just when you think you can?t do it, you do.

Now, I know you are adopting, but your situation is not that dissimilar: you are a woman who may as well be in labor because you?re about to have a baby?and you can do it! You are doubting your body for different reasons than a typical laboring mom does, but your concern for the future of your baby is the same and very intertwined with your concern for whether you are capable of being all that baby needs. Make the leap of faith and trust your body and trust yourself that you will do the very best you can do for your body and for your baby. There are never any guarantees for any baby, but you can be sure that your best will be better than many of the alternative scenarios your baby might have faced because you are a kind, sensitive, loving woman who wants to love and parent a baby.

This website is all about support. I?m sorry I didn?t chime in sooner.

 

[Christina L]

Can't leave just yet -

Can't leave just yet -

and not thank those of you that have recently posted.

Thanks Mary for your prayers. I truly covet them.

Dave, thank you to you also.

Blanche - I hope that if you spit, you did it outside!! You are such a kick.

PJMomrunner - what a fascinating post. You know I have had other people (Melissa for one) suggest the same thing - that this adoption is adding an extra major stress to my health issues. I also had a second-opinion cardiologist look me right in the eye and ask me "Do you REALLY want to adopt?" He seemed to think that I am looking for a reason not to adopt. I do not think that is true at all - I am more inclined to agree with you and Melissa and others, especially mothers who realize that it is an overwhelming thing to love and take care of a child and I truly just want to make sure that I can do this completely.

I think the thing now is that my echo on November 1 showed mildly dilated right atrium and right ventricle and now the chest x-ray shows borderline cardiomegaly. The cardiologists now tell me that my heart has always been about this size but I do not understand why they didn't say something before unless they were just so focused on my valve and thought the heart size would come back to normal after surgery. I am so confused and still very fearful.

I truly appreciate all the prayers. I am trying to keep on keeping on and will try to exercise every day and also attempt to get my stress under control by yoga and meditation/prayer. As Mark said, I have to stop worrying about things that are out of my control - mostly this is out of my control, but there are some things I need to know that I can do, i.e. getting my thyroid in shape, controlling my mild asthma, and continuing to wear my oxygen at night. So many new things - so very overwhelming, but I hope to get through it and come out stronger.

Christina L

 

[Nancy]

Christina-

I have mild hypothyroid and take medication to help it. I also have mild to moderate asthma, depending on the season. I take several meds to help that. So I know from long experience (have had both for a long time) that your doctor can help both of these conditions and get you on the right road there. I rarely think about either, unless they give me problems, and then I have the meds to help and I can function very well again.

So once you get the right meds for these, you can put them on the back burner. So that will eliminate a couple of worries.

 

[Christina L]

Nancy,

Nancy,

I'm glad to hear that you have your asthma and hypothyroidism under control. From what I have read about hypothyroidism it is VERY common in women as they "mature."

I have also read that hypothyroidism can cause heart enlargement if you already have heart disease.

We have cats and both Wayne and I are mildly allergic to them, so I think this asthma has been a long time coming. My grandfather had asthma, so it is hereditary also. The pulmonologist wanted to put me on Singulair and I said no. I have read up on Singulair on the internet and now believe I want to take it. It sounds as if it has few serious side effects and even children take it. It is for allergies and asthma. I think I need to open up my airways to help my heart to work less hard. I did get an albuterol inhaler as I have had one of those in the distant past (before my surgery). The pulmonologist said my asthma is very mild and nothing to worry about - he did say I could have a full-blown asthma attack at any time and the Singulair would help to hopefully prevent that and keep the asthma from getting worse.

I have this "thing" about taking medications - just don't like to take them, but I am getting to the age where they are going to become necessary I think. Of course the thing to do is to get rid of the cats, but of course we can't do that - we have had a couple of them for over 15 years. We will NOT replace them when they die, though, which is sad to think about, as Wayne and I both love cats.

A lot on my health plate right now.

I think my being on VR.com is to serve as a warning to others - - to get control of your stress!! Stress can really cause a lot of health problems. It is no secret here that I am kind of high strung. Hee. I used to joke about this in my younger days but it is not funny at all any more. I can still joke, but it is now a serious concern and I truly hope that I can learn to manage my stress in much healthier ways and in turn, my physical health will improve.

Thanks Nancy! I hope Joe is doing well.

Christina L

 

[Georgia]

I started taking Singulair when my old standby Claritin just wasn't doing the job anymore. I love it. I have seasonal allergies (geesh - I sound like a tv commercial) so don't take it all the time. But no sleepiness or dry mouth and it gets to work really fast. I don't have asthma, so I can't address that - I get month-long sore throats from allergies (along with the usual stuffiness & sneezing, etc), and the Singulair really helps.

 

[Nancy]

I take Singulair and have NO side effects from it. (My grandson takes it too, since he has inherited my asthma and allergies. He plays baseball full-out and he's 8 years old.) It helped me tremendously. I also use an Advair inhaler. The only side effect from that is a crackly voice from time to time. But that helps a lot too. I have Albuterol with me at all times, rarely use it, but it's there when I need it. I also a have Rhinocort inhaler for post nasal drip. And last but not least I take Allegra which has also helped tremendously. All of these things combined have kept the asthma at bay for the most part, and my seasonal allergies too.

I don't think you have to fear any of them, and whatever your doc wants you to take might help with your breathing too, with very few side effects.

Get the minor things under control. Fewer problems to worry about.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

WHOA Christina !

You're getting ahead of yourself (again).

The operative word here is "MILD" which ranks in the "NOT-to-Worry" category, just "watch and see".

Here is the hierarchial list of Medical Modifiers:

NO / NONE
TRACE
MILD
MODERATE
SEVERE
CRITICAL

You have quite a way to go before reaching the SERIOUS stages. Take some Deep Breaths (and maybe a Xanax - is that the anti-anxiety drug???)

'AL Capshaw'