Bill: I have had congestive heart failure for two years (that I know of). I was doing an art class in another city when I became really short of breath, especially at night, and saw a doctor, who sent me to hospital. I thought it was my asthma. It turned out to be heart failure. The doctor in charge of my care while I was in hospital thought it had resulted from a medication I was taking. However, since then I have been hospitalized again and was not taking that medication. I had one echo cardiogram that showed what appeared to be mitral valve regurgitation and an enlarged left ventricle, and a year later one that the doctors argued about and then decided was not mitral valve regurgitation.
I have since seen a cardiologist for the first time. (We don't have any locally, so I had to wait eight months to see one in another city.) He did a scan of my heart; then sent me for a stress test (walking on a treadmill with abrupt increases in slope). I could not properly do that test as I have had numerous surgeries to my left knee and it won't lock that fast. The cardiologist did another scan after (even though the stress test was incomplete), and then said I had "lung" disease, but did not specify what kind.
Without diuretics (latest one is Zaroxilyn), my ankles and abdomen swell greatly. A very good doctor, who is looking after me while my family doctor is on leave, says he is sure I am in heart failure and he is treating me accordingly in spite of what the cardiologist has said. I have investigated the possibility that there is some type of lung disease that would cause your ankles to swell, and there is no such thing.
I used to be able to take angiotensin two inhibitors, and the hope was that in time they would improve my heart muscle. I cannot take them any longer as they drop my blood pressure too low. I don't seem to need anything to control for high blood pressure any more.
For many years I naturally had blood pressure a little on the low side. Then, I had surgery to remove a colloid cyst from my brain because it was causing hydrocephalus and creating pressure on areas that control heart rate and breathing. The surgery save my
life; but, following it my blood pressure was very high, and after I returned home I had to go on blood pressure medication. After a couple of years my blood pressure started to "rollercoaster," (go up and down
with extreme highs and lows). The latest angiotensin two inhibitor that I was taking (Atacand) seemed to reduce that action. Now, I don't need anything to level my B.P. out. If I try to take it (in order to improve my heart muscle) I get into trouble because my
B.P. goes too low--something it did periodically on the
meds because of the rollercoaster.
What I want to know is: 1. Is there a test that can be used instead of a treadmill to measure the heart's response to physical exertion? 2. Is there a surgery that could help me? 3. Do you kmow of a medication that would help my heart muscle without lowering my blood pressure?
I would appreciate anything you can contribute.
Freda
Posted on Jan 17, 2002, 11:44 AM from IP address 24.71.223.142