Visit to emergency room, in tears and very scared

[Sherrylynn41]

Tonight I had to visit the emergency room. I blacked out after playing fairly vigorously with my granddaughter. After xray and blood tests and looking over an echo I had done last Friday the er doc diagnoised me with Pulmonary Hypertension, he said all the symptoms and test results add up. He filled me in on the basics and I have looked up a lot here. This has my world reeling. Any info will help. Does the mild regurg from the mitral valve and bicuspid valve cause this problem or vicce versa? Thanks to anyone who can help.

 

[Yaps]

Hello, I hope you feel better.Severe regurge from mitral can cause PH, once valve is replaced/repaired PH should dissapear.
A cath is the only way to truly know if one has PH, echos only give estimates.
The mean pulmonary pressures is the guidelines,and a cath will reveal these.
There are medications to help, my husband has PH, has for 6 years now, kept on meds he is stable.
Your dr said test show PH , which test did they do?Have they began any meds?
Once Nancy see's this she will respond as well.
Dont be afraid we are here. Love the pup

 

[Cris N]

Sherrylynn,
I don't know anything about PH but I just want to offer my emotional & prayerful support. How scary to have an episode that takes you to the ER and then to hear that something else is not quite right with your body. Just know that you're not alone. I'll keep you in my thoughts & prayers. Please let us know what happens after you see your own dr.

Cris

 

[Curtsmum]

Sherrylynn,
I don't know anything about PH but I just want to offer my emotional & prayerful support. How scary to have an episode that takes you to the ER and then to hear that something else is not quite right with your body. Just know that you're not alone. I'll keep you in my thoughts & prayers. Please let us know what happens after you see your own dr.

Cris

Just to say i agree with what Chris says and hope everything goes well for you goodluck

 

[Karlynn]

I'm so sorry you had this experience and also offer my prayers and support. Nancy is very knowledgable about PH, so I'm sure she'll be along to help you with information.

 

[Nancy]

PH is a serious condition, but now it is treatable. The secret to treating it is to go to a PH specialist. You have to make sure that the doctor specializes in it. Many cardiologists and pulmonologists THINK they know all about it, but many are not up to speed with the way to test for it, and the most up to date treatments.

It used to be a progressive and fatal disease. But new meds have made this almost a thing of the past.

I urge you to go to the Pulmonary Hypertension Assoc. website. Here is a link to the main page. There are also forums and the main discussion forum is wonderful. Very supportive people and they will help you. They are all in accord, as is the PHA (Assoc.) that you NEED to seek out a specialist in the disease, not just your regular card or other doc.

http://www.phassociation.org/
http://www.phassociation.org/Message_Boards/main.asp?board=1

The right test for diagnosing PH is NOT an echo. That is too inaccurate. The actual numbers could be either lower or higher than the echo shows. The right heart cath. is the gold standard for diagnosing PH.

Whether it is primary or secondary to your other medical problems is something a specialist should determine.

Joe had PH for many years. His former card. ignored it because (I think) he thought it wasn't treatable, and because he thought it was secondary to his heart problems. It became severe and almost cost him his life. I found a specialist and Joe spent a whole month in the hospital. He was put on Tracleer which has reduced his PH to mild to moderate levels. And by the way, his was determined to be primary after exhaustive testing.

So use the PHA website to look for a specialist and call as soon as you can to get an appt. Most specialists are booked for about 3-4 months.

Good luck. Get going on your plan of action.

 

[Sherrylynn41]

Thanks each of you for the support, I needed it. Nancy I have used the wonderful links you gave me, pulled myself together and will be calling a Dr. Clinton at Emory University Hospital in the morning. Until then and when I have an appointment I will be seeing my card. here and signing whatever medical releases necessary. You must be an extremley courageous, strong and caring woman and I admire you very much. You and your husband have been through more than most and I will keep you both in my prayers. Thanks again to each of you. I have had my share of lifes hiccups but this one threw me for a loop.

 

[gijanet]

How frightening.............

How frightening.............

I'm so sorry. Just wanted to send hugs and prayers. Much love. J.

 

[Nancy]

Good for you to get your plan of action together. I'm hoping that it isn't as bad as you think. Specialists many times find out that the PH is less serious than the first tests (echoes) show. And if that's the case, there are many lesser meds that can be used to help with symptoms. There are many more options than you would imagine.

Let us know how it goes.