success ☼ JanCarol: Reboxetine first, then lithium

[brassmonkey]

I am so impressed and so proud of you JC.  No stopping you now.

 

(((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))

 

Brass

[JanCarol]

Cardio update:

 

Echo (EKG) - all looks very good (compared to hubby who has some thickening of the heart muscle)

On the advise of a former SA member, I doubled my magnesium over the course of a month, and it seems to be helping.  I went from 300 mg per day (plus baths and mag sports drinks) to 600 mg per day.

 

NOTE:  This is still the Vitacost "Albion" which was recalled, not as strong (included oxide).  I am a firm believer in not wasting, so I am still taking them until I am out of them.  The price was good, so I have a lot of them.  So if absorption is not good, then - more is better.

 

My ectopic beats (PVC's) are less.  I still have them, but not as intrusively.  I credit the magnesium for that.  

 

I aced my stress test today - all looks really good.  Stress test was easy easy easy, even the tech commented that I was not struggling at all, and was able to hold a conversation even when we were at 95% of target.  All pictures/ultrasound looked good.

 

Because I 'complained', the cardiologist gave me a metoprolol.  He wants me to take it 2x daily.  Of course the pharmacist told me that there are start up symptoms, and that it needs to be tapered.  Of course I'm not going to take it 2x daily.  I may try it PRN if I'm having an attack, to see if it calms the badger, to see if it helps me sleep.  Now, I learn that I should have asked for Atenolol which does not cross the Blood Brain Barrier....I'll consider that in future, as this is only a $5 script.

I've gone from having the heart-flopping-like-fish 40-60% of the time, to more like 10% of the time.  I'm not going to take a drug full time, for a 10% problem.

 

He wants to do another Holter in October.

So - good good good.  The badger just did a little grab and squeeze as I wrote this post - but - this, I can live with.

[Skeeter]

JC,

Congrats!! I am happily surprised and amazed, and now very calm about an travelling you may do long distance.  You made my day!!

 

Love it when m pals get awesome news.  I have NEVER seen anyone at 95% not huffing, and being able to hold a convo, personally (as long as you were doing the treadmill test vs chemical (which they do for those who cannot safely exercise their way to get the HR up that far.  CONGRATS!

 

You are a warrior!!!

 

You asked above at what point do you take your previus heart issues to the hospital, and this is for you and for anyone else who reads this.  You had a known issue at the time.  Whenever there is a change (just like there is a "WD normal" as one of our very smart mods wrote a post on, there is also a "cardiac norma"l for you}. After hours of your heart fli p-flopping (not literally- just feels like it), it is sort of like overworking a muscle.  If you have shortness of breath, unless this is normal for you, that is also hospital time. Any change from that that worries you is when you should go in.  Such as, one of the most common signs of true heart issues beyond normal is diaphoresis (sweating) in a room where no one else is, or it is a temperature you know is not a problem, substernal (central) chest pain that worsens on exertion is that is abnormal for you, and you have not been dx with angina (heart pain, usually due to plaque in the blood vessels in the hert being too narrow, and physical or emotional issues can bring it on, nut your doc would have prescribed nitro for tht always carried in a small dark amber bottle (in my experience), as light degrades it.  Also referral of pain up into the jaw down either arm, though mostly the left is a big sign t look out for.  As women, our signs and symptoms are not as eaisly figured out as mens.  They are more likely to have the common referral of left arm pain, or jaw pain, when in women, I heard before of it referring into the breast, even, or the neck.  I am sure this seems as clear as mud, but this is my experience of years of responding to cardiac calls via 911 and attending to cardiac patients.  Once even had a woman call 911for her chest feeling "funny", that is all sh could tell us, until we hooked her up to the EKG/ECG, and realized we were in trouble.  Luckipy we were smart enough to have a police officer drive us in, because she coded on the way.  Mid sentence she stopped talking the same second she flatlined.  Luckily she did not have a history of heat issues, and we were able to shock her back.

 

Thickening of the heart muscle is a very common, and can generally be handled with drugs, even if we hate taking them.

 

I am sorry to hear about your issues with you nrother, bt very proud of the stance you have taken on the issue of dealing with him and the house if that will relieve stress on you.

 

B well!

Skeeter

Edited August 6, 2017 by Skeeter

[JanCarol]

Thanks so much Skeeter!

 

I'm trying to get him to exercise and adding some supplements to his diet (he also got some early suspect readings on kidney and liver from his psoriatic arthritis drug).  He's complying so far - joined the gym, taking a yoga class.

 

I am concerned enough about his drug load - a statin, and this mysterious arthritis drug (sulfasalazine) which nobody can say how it works.  Geez, he's on fish oil and turmeric - I wonder if the thing does anything besides chew up his kidneys and liver?  Anyhow, I will be heavily researching any drug they offer (he is likely to take it anyway, "doctor's orders" blah blah)

 

He's due for more checks - a 24 hour blood pressure monitor, stress test, etc.

 

But I'm not that impressed with the cardio - he seemed to think that the metoprolol was "no big deal," and I looked it up - geez, it's a depressing little drug!

FOR OTHERS WHO ARE READING: Atenolol does not cross the blood brain barrier.  If you can, and it's appropriate, it is preferable to metoprolol and propanolol.

 

I did have a "session" of flopping fish, and tried the metoprolol.  Whatever my problem is - it is not helped by slowing heart rate or lowering blood pressure (what metoprolol does, by his description).  I guess I knew that, since my parasympathetic nervous system techniques - legs up on the wall, deep breathing, "this is only a symptom" - do nothing to the flopping fish/badger either.

 

But I will see him in October and I will tell him then that he struck out with the drug.  The best part is - I'm cleared for exercise and travel.

 

FUNNY:  We were talking in the cardio tech's office after the post-stress-test-ultrasound.  And I was listening to him, and as soon as he said, "i want you to take this drug 2x a day," I guess my face changed - because he said next, "we were friends until I said that, weren't we?"  

[JanCarol]

Okay - I've decided that much of what I'm battling now is ongoing health issues.

 

Maybe some of them were exacerbated by the drugs - but they were also complicated by surgeries.

 

I no longer struggle with mood.  I do still struggle with energy (but that falls under the "ongoing health issues.")

 

So I'm closing this thread, and moving over to the Success Stories side of things!  See y'all there!

[JanCarol]

Find my success story (starting, anyway) here:

 

jancarol-undiagnosed-off-all-bipolar-drugs

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by ChessieCat