Nancy
Well-known member
Joe had his right heart cath today. He had been having issues with breathing. And the funny thing is that nothing was adding up. His oxygenation has been 95 or better in room air and his jugular veins have not been sticking out, and he has lost about 20 pounds of ugly fluid which left him skinny but without any rales (fluid sounds in the lungs), no ascites, and his leg edema is almost back to normal. He had had terrible fluid retention problems for the past several months. Most of that was left over from having 4 hospitalizations since Christmas, and the hospitals not taking good care of his sodium restriction. I cannot get it through their fat heads. It really burns me up.
His former anemia problems seem to be getting straightened out due to the terrific argon plasma coagulation procedure which cauterized the gastritis in his stomach.
However, his docs took him off Tracleer for his pulmonary hypertension because there were some liver issues. And everyone was afraid that his PH was returning with a vengeance.
Well, the right cath showed his pulmonary pressures have remained stable and in the mild range. His cardiac output is "great" for the condition of his heart and so far his valves seem to be fine with the exception of the tricuspid. That is leaking, and at times severely, but because the fluid overload can be controlled with diuretics, he is not a candidate for surgery repair or replacement. Believe me when I say I really have pushed that issue with every doctor I've spoken with, and the answer is the same.
The next step today will be a pulmonary function workup and then another echo. He had one within the last two months, so I do not expect any surprises there.
But it is possible that they can tweak his pulmonary function and get him breathing better, and get him to the point that he can exercise, and then get him over the hump.
So, many good things today. We'll see what the pulmonary function stuff shows.
I think he's in much better shape than he thought.
His former anemia problems seem to be getting straightened out due to the terrific argon plasma coagulation procedure which cauterized the gastritis in his stomach.
However, his docs took him off Tracleer for his pulmonary hypertension because there were some liver issues. And everyone was afraid that his PH was returning with a vengeance.
Well, the right cath showed his pulmonary pressures have remained stable and in the mild range. His cardiac output is "great" for the condition of his heart and so far his valves seem to be fine with the exception of the tricuspid. That is leaking, and at times severely, but because the fluid overload can be controlled with diuretics, he is not a candidate for surgery repair or replacement. Believe me when I say I really have pushed that issue with every doctor I've spoken with, and the answer is the same.
The next step today will be a pulmonary function workup and then another echo. He had one within the last two months, so I do not expect any surprises there.
But it is possible that they can tweak his pulmonary function and get him breathing better, and get him to the point that he can exercise, and then get him over the hump.
So, many good things today. We'll see what the pulmonary function stuff shows.
I think he's in much better shape than he thought.
