Thursday, August 28, 2008
My head
So I finally got in to see the neurologist. He said that all of the problems I am having are related to migraines. He said now that I am having heart related problems, he can try a blood pressure medication to prevent them. So far I've felt much better taking them! I do have some side effects because it lowers the bp and heartrate. The worst side effect I've had is night terrors. I wake up screaming or crying in a sweat every night! They are terrible. I have to get up and watch tv to shake the feeling and sometimes that doesn't help. I follow up with Dr. Miller tomorrow and I'll let him know, hopefully he can just adjust the dosage, because it otherwise helps.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Still beating
Ok so the morning after my last post I woke up and started to get ready for school. I walked into the kitchen to pack the diaper bag and my heart started racing. I took my pulse and it was in the 140s. I felt very faint so I called mom and told her I couldn't go to school and she came over and brought her blood pressure cuff. We called the doctor and my doctor was out of town, but I could get in to see another doc that day. My heart rate would go up and down and by the time we got to dad's to drop the kids off I couldn't get a blood pressure reading at all on her machine. So, I went over to the pharmacy and it couldn't get a reading!
At the doctors office the nurse couldn't get a reading and then finally she could, it was my normal bp. I talked to the doctor and he thought I was having serotonin syndrome and to stop all medications and give it a few days to get out of my system. As we got up to leave I felt very very faint and got very sweaty. My left arm went completely numb and I felt numb in my eyes and lips. The doctor decided I better be seen in the ER, so he called an ambulance. (I ended up with the same lady EMT as Thursday night!)
At the ER they did another EKG (normal), another chest x-ray (normal), and took more blood. They said they didn't think it was serotonin syndrome and that my labs showed that I was extremely dehydrated. They did a lying blood pressure/pulse and then wanted me to do a standing. When I stood up my heart rate doubled, which is what has been happening all week! They said that it was for sure dehydration and that's what was causing it all. So they gave me two bags of fluid and had me drink some apple juice and eat some graham crackers. I would have episodes of feeling worse and then better. During one of the worse ones the nurse said my heart rate was irregular and they would do another EKG. They never did and just sent me home.
So I stopped all meds and felt better the next few days. Then I got another migraine and had to suffer through it with just Aleve. Ever since that migraine the chest pain and irregular heart beat is back. So, I went to see my regular doctor again today.
He thinks it has nothing to do with the meds, but agrees that the meds aren't helping. He thinks that it is all related to migraines and thinks that I may need to see a vascular/neurologist. He's also ordering a stress/echo for Tuesday. I see the regular neurologist on the 15th and then see my reg. doc again on the 29th. He also prescribed me an antacid because he said the chest pressure could be silent reflux from all of the medicines I was on. So, that's where I'm at now. Today I've felt pretty weak and a little faint at times. Hopefully the stress test will give us some answers.
Also, he said my labs showed that I was definitely NOT dehydrated at the ER that day! (I knew it!) I feel like ER doctors are trained for trauma and emergencies such as stitches/broken bones, but when someone comes in with something non-threatening but needs more than a family doctor can give, they really don't know what to do. And I'd also just like to say that every time I've ever gone to St. Francis hospital they tell me that I am dehydrated and fill me with bags of fluid. I'm breastfeeding so I try to drink a lot and I never miss a meal.
In other news, the big storm we had Tuesday night left our brand new carpet upstairs soaking wet! A huge area is soaked and the ceiling tiles in our bedroom have large water spots now. I'm hoping to clean it thoroughly today and pray we won't get mold. It's really starting to smell bad though. I hope it doesn't give me a migraine because I can't take another one this week!
In other other news, I've lost 10 pounds in one month, 4 pounds since July 16th. Don't know if it's related to feeling bad or the medications, but I've actually not been able to go to the gym and I've of course still been eating. Not really complaining about it!
At the doctors office the nurse couldn't get a reading and then finally she could, it was my normal bp. I talked to the doctor and he thought I was having serotonin syndrome and to stop all medications and give it a few days to get out of my system. As we got up to leave I felt very very faint and got very sweaty. My left arm went completely numb and I felt numb in my eyes and lips. The doctor decided I better be seen in the ER, so he called an ambulance. (I ended up with the same lady EMT as Thursday night!)
At the ER they did another EKG (normal), another chest x-ray (normal), and took more blood. They said they didn't think it was serotonin syndrome and that my labs showed that I was extremely dehydrated. They did a lying blood pressure/pulse and then wanted me to do a standing. When I stood up my heart rate doubled, which is what has been happening all week! They said that it was for sure dehydration and that's what was causing it all. So they gave me two bags of fluid and had me drink some apple juice and eat some graham crackers. I would have episodes of feeling worse and then better. During one of the worse ones the nurse said my heart rate was irregular and they would do another EKG. They never did and just sent me home.
So I stopped all meds and felt better the next few days. Then I got another migraine and had to suffer through it with just Aleve. Ever since that migraine the chest pain and irregular heart beat is back. So, I went to see my regular doctor again today.
He thinks it has nothing to do with the meds, but agrees that the meds aren't helping. He thinks that it is all related to migraines and thinks that I may need to see a vascular/neurologist. He's also ordering a stress/echo for Tuesday. I see the regular neurologist on the 15th and then see my reg. doc again on the 29th. He also prescribed me an antacid because he said the chest pressure could be silent reflux from all of the medicines I was on. So, that's where I'm at now. Today I've felt pretty weak and a little faint at times. Hopefully the stress test will give us some answers.
Also, he said my labs showed that I was definitely NOT dehydrated at the ER that day! (I knew it!) I feel like ER doctors are trained for trauma and emergencies such as stitches/broken bones, but when someone comes in with something non-threatening but needs more than a family doctor can give, they really don't know what to do. And I'd also just like to say that every time I've ever gone to St. Francis hospital they tell me that I am dehydrated and fill me with bags of fluid. I'm breastfeeding so I try to drink a lot and I never miss a meal.
In other news, the big storm we had Tuesday night left our brand new carpet upstairs soaking wet! A huge area is soaked and the ceiling tiles in our bedroom have large water spots now. I'm hoping to clean it thoroughly today and pray we won't get mold. It's really starting to smell bad though. I hope it doesn't give me a migraine because I can't take another one this week!
In other other news, I've lost 10 pounds in one month, 4 pounds since July 16th. Don't know if it's related to feeling bad or the medications, but I've actually not been able to go to the gym and I've of course still been eating. Not really complaining about it!
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