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Not How I Expected My Week To Go

For the past few months I've been going through a number of medical tests as various doctors try to figure out what the heck to do with the horrible acid reflux I've been having that's been immune to all drugs. My GP decided he was going to run some cardiac tests just to make sure there wasn't anything going on with my heart. Which led to me having a stress test on Monday.

This did not go how I expected. I expected that I'd pass it no problem. What actually happened was that I failed, the cardiologist stopped the test early and scheduled me for an angiogram the next day on the assumption that I had at least one blocked artery. He also gave me cholesterol and high blood pressure meds to start on right away.

This freaked me out. Because while I've always had low blood pressure, entirely normal cholesterol and am in pretty good shape, my mom's side of the family has made a habit of dying of massive heart attacks before 50, which is what I'm turning this year.

So I go for the angiogram. Which first entails sitting in the waiting room for four hours. (Fortunately, I'd brought the last Sharpe novel, which I'd been saving for the right occasion.) Then there's the test, which involves them slicing open an artery in my leg, putting a catheter through it to my heart, and injecting dye so they can x-ray the arteries.

The good news is there weren't any blocked arteries. Though the cardiologist had no good theories for why my heart freaked out during the stress test.

The bad news is I'm allergic to the dye. Which meant they then had to push benadryl into me through the IV and I spent most of yesterday looped.

Also, I've now had to take two extra days off work to let the artery heal. And I've spent most of the last day and a half feeling like I've been beaten up.

It seems entirely unfair that I will have lost three days to get a negative result. Though I would have lost a heck of a lot more if I'd had a positive one.

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Golly, what an experience.

I am glad to hear you haven't got any blocked arteries.

And what a way to find our you're allergic to dye :-(

I can understand you feeling it's all unfair to have lost three days for a negative result. I'm just glad it is negative.

Yep, definitely an experience, dye allergy and all. But I'm just going to take comfort in the fact that it was a negative result.

::sigh::

Oh god, what a nightmare! Not quite sure what 'looped' means, but am guessed at either zonked out or slightly manic, and I can't imagine either are great fun.

Agree entirely on the unfairness. I am well familiar with 'if I have a scan, it had better show up something'! And I presume it still leaves you waiting for answers about the reflux - bummer :(

Hope you shake the rest of the effects off soon.

Looped = zonked. And definitely not fun.

I didn't really want the scan to show something, but it does seem unfair to have lost three days to a negative. I had a follow up with the surgeon about the reflux today, but he still didn't have all the results back yet. So it's back again in another month.

At least I am finally feeling mostly okay again. Though we've cancelled our evening plans for babysitting and a movie because the time to find out I'm not feeling great is not when I'm sitting in a movie theatre.

Ah, definitely not fun at all, then. I wish I knew why some results take longer than others - is it time taken to culture something in the lab, a two-week queue in front of you, or because that's when the next clinical meeting is? Just knowing that much would help!

I see from your later post that at least one movie has been a great success - yay.

I suspect the time for results is a combination of all of the above. I try to stay zen about it all (I've been dealing with hospitals pretty much all my life) but it can be frustrating.

A definite yay to the success of the Potter film! I'll take anything that gets Ros enthusiastic about movies.

Bloody hell, that sounds like fun .... you know, as in the diametric opposite of fun :-(
Allergy to this dye must be very rare? I presume they wouldn't inject it without checking, otherwise! At least I hope they wouldn't.
Hope you are feeling OK now!

Definitely the diametric opposite of fun. :(

They ask you if you've had a shrimp allergy, which I never have, so that didn't entirely work as a preventative. And apparently if I ever have to have another one there's no alternate dye, they just give you the benadryl right away. Joy. :(

At least I am finally feeling better now. Fingers crossed I'm perfectly better tomorrow. I'm supposed to be teaching two classes!

Hope you feel better soon.
It's a pain about going through all of that but at least it's a 'good' result (you know what I mean.)
*hugs*

I'm finally starting to feel mostly human.

And getting a good result is definitely a good thing.

::hugs back::

EEEEEK! Poor you! And presumably they're no nearer the acid reflux diagnosis? That's what I had when they decided I had a hiatus hernia but then a lot of people do, with no symptoms. After loads of tests for everything ranging from cancer to mere indigestion they started meds for the hernia. Nobody ever mentioned heart. Then it all got worse and I ended up with a massive gall bladder infection and the consequent op. What I really really couldn't understand was why they hadn't done gall bladder checks right at the start because I know about a dozen people who had the same symptoms and the same eventual outcome and nobody ever looked at the gall bladder straight away. I'm really glad it wasn't your heart - but the stress of all that must have driven you almost to a heart attack anyway!!!

I had a follow up with the surgeon for the reflux this afternoon, and he hasn't got all the test results back yet, though it's still looking like the hernia is the likeliest diagnosis. I did mention your experience with your gall bladder, though, and he's scheduling me for a ultrasound to rule that out.

At least it's not my heart. That would have been a much worse option.

I certainly hope they discover what's wrong soon. Unfortunately, it's been my experience that, with some things, they never do really know. Or, because they can't make an absolute link, they're reluctant to state that a certain illness is causing the problem. Do you know what tests they're planning next?

I saw the specialist today and they're waiting on one more test result, and they're scheduling an ultrasound to rule out gall bladder issues. But it sounds like he's edging closer to thinking it really is a hernia.

I'm so sorry you had to go through all this petal but I'm glad to hear about the negative result. ♥

I'm sure your doctor has already considered the more commonly associated things else he wouldn't have sent you for the stress test. On my mother's side the acid reflux has always heralded gall bladder problems and my MIL's family tend to have a narrow oesophagus which starts to give them problems in their 50s. They usually end up doing swallow tests and then having their oesophagus stretched.

I'm definitely glad there was a negative result on the heart thing.

We're waiting for the result of a swallow test. And I've just seen the specialist and asked for a gall bladder test, so they can rule that out. It looks like it'll be another month of waiting for results, but at least I'm not in imminent danger of a heart attack and the biopsy has shown no cancer, so yay! (I'm going to take what good news I can.)

Oh, my dear! Hugs. I'm so glad it was negative, though.

Yay for a negative! And also yay for my leg finally not mostly killing me.

Hugs back.

Yikes, scary! Glad the test was negative and hope they figure out what it is soon, and that it is easily sorted.

Scary, but I'm finally feeling mostly okay now.

I'm going to be waiting for some more tests, but at least I feel like they're getting a bit closer to finding the diagnosis.

Oof! Glad to hear that it's not your heart, but what a way to find out! And it sucks like nobody's business not only to go through all that to find out nothing much (other than a new allergy, oh yay), but to still not know what's causing the heartburn (or the stress test failure).

Best wishes and hope you feel better soon (and figure out what's up).

Marian

Marian!

Thanks for the good wishes. It's aggravating that they're still trying to figure out what's going on, but I had a meeting with the specialist this afternoon and feel like they're edging ever closer to the right answer.

(Hey, I don't suppose there's any way you can get to MW this year? The con's been fading and I suspect this will be the last year I'm going. It would be awesome to see you there.)

Oh man, I really wish I could! It would be wonderful to see you and the other cousins again. But that's a bad weekend for me now. There are just too many things going on here with the fire department for me to be able to get away (both planned activities and the "fun" things that happen when lots of people decide that a holiday weekend is the best possible time for them all to come to the mountain -- go hiking, drive atvs without protective equipment (or experience), start fires, feed the bears...).

Shucks....

I suspected it wouldn't be good for you, but I had to ask. (So, are you still the chief?)

Shucks, indeed. I was hoping we could convince you *and* Linda to come. (I haven't asked Linda yet, but I bet she's otherwise engaged as well.)

:) Yeah, they've still got the fruitcake in charge of the madhouse. I was actually trying to convince the officers last night that they really wanted to make a change, but none of them wants to be in charge. Not that I do, but unless there's someone willing to step up, I don't feel comfortable stepping out. So it would appear that I'm stuck with this for a while longer...

The things we find ourselves involved in, huh?

A better fruitcake they could not have in charge of the madhouse! Though I understand the frustration of having an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. (I've only gradually become better at saying no to things, mostly because if I don't I'm going to explode.)

:) Thanks.

And yes, overdeveloped sense of responsibility is just about right, and possibly exploding is becoming an option. :) I've had people say "just quit; they'll figure it out." Yeah, they will, but it would be hard and things would go fairly not-right for a while before it got straightened out, because to get someone else to step up, I'd have to quit the fire department altogether. I'd also probably upset most of my local friends (who are primarily fire department) in the process by leaving them in the lurch. To me, that's only an option if I get desperate or something.

I think I've figured out my way forward, though. I'm going to tell the department that I won't accept a nomination for chief after this December (ie - I'm in it one more year, if they elect me, then not). That gives them a year and three-quarters to figure it out, which ought to be enough.

:) I'm glad to see that you're feeling better, and yay for Ros liking a movie!

Marian

What a horrible episode in your life, so unexpected and worrying, I had no idea that acid reflux could suggest heart trouble. But thank goodness the results were good and I hope you're feeling much better now.

Well, I've had chest pain and shortness of breath as well, which is why my doctor suggested the stress test, but heart attacks in women can also cause what feels like heart burn.

I'm just glad the heart results were good. Now I'm just hoping they can figure out how to fix the reflux.

OMG! You poor wubbie! I'm sorry to hear that you had to go through this but it's good the test is negative. I'm hoping this means your okay!

It's been a not-so-good few days, but at least I got a negative result and I'm finally starting to feel okay again.

I've still got to get a few test results for the reflux, but I saw the specialist this afternoon and it seems like he's moving in the right direction.

wow! while I'm glad you got a negative result, going through that process sure doesn't sound like fun - and still no answer as to you failed the stress test isn't helpful. I sure hope the next few weeks are completely uneventful!

The angiogram was much more trying than I thought it would be. But at least there was no blockage, so that's good. And I'm hoping they're getting closer to the right answer for the reflux.

Blimey - how scary for you! *hugs* I'm glad the result with your heart was negative and am crossing everything that they can find out what is up with the acid reflux thing and get it fixed quickly and easily.

It was...an interesting experience. I'm just glad the heart result was negative. Now I've just got to get a few more results for the specialist before he can decide what to do for the reflux. Fingers crossed.

Angiograms are not a joy. Though I'm not allergic to the dye, I still was loopy all day. Well, glad all the parts are in order. Who knows what happened?! They'll probably retest you and see the results.

Angiograms are much less than a joy. (I honestly didn't think it would take me out for this long. Three days! The dye allergy probably didn't help.)

I've had random arrhythmia happening for a few years that they've never found a cause for, so I suspect the stress test failure was just more of that. Fingers crossed I don't have to do another angiogram.

Oh, goodness! You poor thing. Sending lots of positive vibes your way. Hope you'll be on the mend soon.

Thanks for the positive vibes. I'm finally feeling mostly okay. Here's hoping I'm totally okay by tomorrow when I'm supposed to be teaching two sessions!

Edited 2015-03-05 23:32 (UTC)

Oh god, what a pile of horrible :( I'm so glad that the angiogram was negative, but utterly understand the weird extra frustration of waiting forever for something painful (and in your case, anaphylactic-y) that ends up having not produced anything concrete. And you still don't know about the heartburn (although I see from lower comments that that's in hand)

*hugshugshugs*

It has not been my best week ever. And I have to say, though I was feeling better yesterday, today I'm feeling absolutely wrung out again. And I somehow have to teach two classes. Yay?

But, yes, getting a negative on the heart issue is a very good thing, and I have hopes they'll figure out the reflux issue soon.

::hugs back::

Oh, you poor love! What a horrid experience - though yay for not getting bad news. But still... you kind of want to find out what's wrong, how to fix it, and move on, dammit! I hope you're feeling tons better now, and whatever it is gets sorted out quickly... by the time they find out what's wrong, it'll probably have fixed itself! ♥

This has been a long, slow process for figuring out what's wrong, which is frustrating, but at least I feel like the main specialist is doing all the right things and will eventually figure out the right course to take.

I'm mostly feeling better, but still surprisingly wrung out. (I'd take today off again if I didn't have two classes scheduled. Oh boy.)

My OH had something similar some years ago, which was very miserable, complete with emergency dashes to hospital because the medics thought he was having heart problems. His was eventually diagnosed as oesophagitis, for which he is now prescribed Lansoprazole (called Zoton in the USA/Canada, he thinks) which solved the problem for him. This inhibits the production of gastric acid. He has no side effects from this though he has been taking it for over ten years. Another friend had similar problems and was also prescribed this which sorted him out, too. May be worth you mentioning to your medics.
Hope you feel fully recovered now!

I'm glad your OH finally got the right diagnosis, and that the prescription works for him.

I've tried five or six different proton pump inhibitors (like Lansoprazole) now and none of them do me any good, alas. Which is why it's looking like the surgical option may be the only one. Not that I'm at all looking forward to it. :(

That must have been a scary experience but I'm glad the result was negative. Bummer about the allergy though! There always has to be some complication, doesn't there.

PS I didn't want to take medication forever so I mucked about with diet, and discovered that a really low-carb diet helped to the point where I didn't need the medication any more. Might be something to look into - it had something to do with intestinal bacteria proliferating on a high carb diet and causing the pressure that forced the gastric acid into my eosophagus. Rather than neutralising the acid, the low carb diet attempts to remove the cause. Also gave up bread which helped no end. Of course it may not work for everyone but it might be worth a try.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's definitely something to consider, though I have to say the thought of a low carb diet is not a happy one for me. Both the Irish and Latvian sides of my heritage are big on potatoes and other carbs. :(

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Not How I Expected My Week To Go

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