Should I be worried about this HR/SOB?

[ponygirlmom]

I'm hoping someone here will say, "That's normal, you idiot!" because I just found out BOTH my surgeon and my cardiologist are out of town.

Okay, some of you may remember that I'm retaining fluid in my chest cavity, especially around my right lung. I lose some of the fluids during the day because I take lasik in the morning, but I seem to gain it again overnight. I don't have swelling anywhere else -- I guess that's just where my body stores excess fluids.

Last week my surgeon was concerned about my heart rate, although after posting here many people said the range was entirely normal after OHS (92 - 110 either at rest or after mild activity.)

As of last week, my pericarditis (inflammation of the lining around the heart) was practically gone. There are a few places where the heart is sticking to the lining around the heart, but the surgeon said this is common after surgery.

The surgeon sent me home with a.) lasik, b.) orders to try to increase my red blood cell count and c.) an appointment to see him in a few weeks (next Friday.) The surgeon also wanted me to see my cardio.

Monday was a good day for me (had energy, started the next phase of my exercise rehab program, cooked dinner all by myself.) Yesterday I wasn't surprised to be very tired. Unfortunately I didn't sleep well last night.

This morning I woke up feeling okay. (Not great, not bad, just okay.) I did my walking -- by myself for the first time -- and as I got back to the house I thought I heard my husband shouting for me. (He wasn't -- he was still asleep.) This made my heart start to pound and beat faster, because I thought something was wrong or that he had forgotten I was walking alone and was searching for me. When I got in I took my HR and it was 120 -- higher than I've ever recorded it myself.

I relaxed a little and then did more of my exercises. I was not short of breath doing them. I am normally hungry at this point, but I didn't feel hungry, so I forced myself to eat something to cushion the blow of my anti-inflammatory. I also took my lasik.

Then my doctor's office called about scheduling, and I started to get short of breath talking to them.

Now it's three hours later and my HR is STILL 120 and I am increasingly short of breath. My neighbor called to ask if she could get me anything from the store, and I had trouble talking normally to her.

I weighed myself and I've actually lost a few pounds of water weight since this morning -- typical of what happens a few hours after taking lasik.

Any thoughts? I'll be talking to the Dr.'s office later in the day in case anyone thinks I should report this -- a PA can talk to me.

UPDATE forty minutes later: After posting the above, I lay down in my recliner to try to sleep. I couldn't, but after a while my heart felt like it had slowed down a bit, so I checked my HR twice to be sure, and it's either 100 or 102. So it finally slowed down.

 

[geebee]

Sorry - not normal. You need to talk to your doctor. It could be that the lasix is not working enough or you have more fluid but this warrants checking out and soon.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

Surely some other Surgeon should be covering for your Surgeon, and some other Cardiologist should be covering for your Cardiologist. Call their offices and ask who you can talk with about your HR and Fluid Retention issues. You may have to start with a Nurse or Physician Assistant. If so, ask them to at least confer with a Doctor.

If none of the above are successful, consult with your Primary Care Physician. Since you will be talking with your PCP's office anyway, go ahead and report your issues and ask for his advice on how to handle your situation.

Good Luck!

'AL Capshaw'

 

[SHEEPDOG]

Get some professional opinions!

Get some professional opinions!

Not that we aren't full of opinions and some may well be the same as the doctor, but I missed that day in med school. My Surgeon put me on a beta blocker after my surgery. This was to help with the BP and to keep my HR from getting too high. Now, 3 weeks out, my resting HR is 80. When he saw me yesterday, he said I should be able to switch to my old BP meds soon. I would think you should be on a similar BP med to prevent the HR problems. BUT AGAIN, I missed that day in med school. The lasix will deal with the fluid but you need to treat the cause as well as the symptom. In short, CALL THE DOCTOR!!! Thats why they get the BIG bucks!

 

[hall]

Absolutely, call a doctor. I agree with Al, someone has to covering for them.
Better to be safe than sorry. I hope everything comes out ok for you. Prayers.

 

[Dina]

I'm hoping someone here will say, "That's normal, you idiot!" because I just found out BOTH my surgeon and my cardiologist are out of town.

Okay, some of you may remember that I'm retaining fluid in my chest cavity, especially around my right lung. I lose some of the fluids during the day because I take lasik in the morning, but I seem to gain it again overnight. I don't have swelling anywhere else -- I guess that's just where my body stores excess fluids.

Last week my surgeon was concerned about my heart rate, although after posting here many people said the range was entirely normal after OHS (92 - 110 either at rest or after mild activity.)

As of last week, my pericarditis (inflammation of the lining around the heart) was practically gone. There are a few places where the heart is sticking to the lining around the heart, but the surgeon said this is common after surgery.

The surgeon sent me home with a.) lasik, b.) orders to try to increase my red blood cell count and c.) an appointment to see him in a few weeks (next Friday.) The surgeon also wanted me to see my cardio.

Monday was a good day for me (had energy, started the next phase of my exercise rehab program, cooked dinner all by myself.) Yesterday I wasn't surprised to be very tired. Unfortunately I didn't sleep well last night.

This morning I woke up feeling okay. (Not great, not bad, just okay.) I did my walking -- by myself for the first time -- and as I got back to the house I thought I heard my husband shouting for me. (He wasn't -- he was still asleep.) This made my heart start to pound and beat faster, because I thought something was wrong or that he had forgotten I was walking alone and was searching for me. When I got in I took my HR and it was 120 -- higher than I've ever recorded it myself.

I relaxed a little and then did more of my exercises. I was not short of breath doing them. I am normally hungry at this point, but I didn't feel hungry, so I forced myself to eat something to cushion the blow of my anti-inflammatory. I also took my lasik.

Then my doctor's office called about scheduling, and I started to get short of breath talking to them.

Now it's three hours later and my HR is STILL 120 and I am increasingly short of breath. My neighbor called to ask if she could get me anything from the store, and I had trouble talking normally to her.

I weighed myself and I've actually lost a few pounds of water weight since this morning -- typical of what happens a few hours after taking lasik.

Any thoughts? I'll be talking to the Dr.'s office later in the day in case anyone thinks I should report this -- a PA can talk to me.

UPDATE forty minutes later: After posting the above, I lay down in my recliner to try to sleep. I couldn't, but after a while my heart felt like it had slowed down a bit, so I checked my HR twice to be sure, and it's either 100 or 102. So it finally slowed down.

Yes I do think you should call the P.A.
I have some of these symptoms too- the fluid shift from morning to night. I'm guessing that when you lay down the fluid builds up via gravity to the area in your chest ,causing increased SOB. It may help if you can prop yourself up while sleeping-maybe with extra pillows. Also the SOB while talking ,esp on
the phone, for some reason.But since your high heart rate has been maintaining itself for awhile now and increases even more with exercise, I would atleast call about it and mention all the details here. Hope you feel better and let us know whats up--Dina