Confused
Hi everyone. I went to my Cardiologist Thursday for shortness of breath. He checked my BNP and he said it was great that I was not retaining fluid. But what has really upset me, without any other tests he said that I was not progressing like he wanted me to. He said he expected when I got my CRT-D that I would get much better. I am still puzzled because he doubled my Coreg from 25mg a day to 50 mg a day and my Atacand from 4 mg to 8 mg aday. He also said he wants to send me to a Pulmonary MD because I have Asthma. I could understand better if he would have done an Echocardiogram to see if my EF is still in the 20's but he didn't. Has anyone had this to happen to them? I feel better except for the shortness of breath. I can also walk 2 miles without any problems and now I am back to the beginning very sleepy and tired. Please help.
3 Comments
CRT-D
by fishfighter - 2011-05-01 09:05:09
I had one implanted on April 18,2011. I still feel bad more then half the day. Extra tired by 7pm and still unable to sleep all night. I been back to the doctors twice and they are telling me everything is working right.
BNP and What It Tells The Doctor
by SMITTY - 2011-05-01 12:05:46
Hi Sonya,
I had my first BNP test several years ago and was just told it was a new blood test to gauge the severity of my heart disease. I just said okay and left it there. Since then I have had several BNP tests and finally got curious as to what they were telling the Dr. So I went looking and below is an edited portion of an article on the BNP test that I find . I am sending this with the thought it might it may give you a little insight as to what the BNP test results can tell your Dr.
"How is it used? BNP may be used to help diagnose heart failure and to grade the severity of that heart failure. There are various causes of heart failure. Currently, the condition is diagnosed by the presence of symptoms such as swelling in the legs (edema), difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, and fatigue, in addition to chest X-rays and an ultrasound test called echocardiography. However, heart failure is still often confused with other conditions. BNP levels can help doctors differentiate between heart failure and other problems, such as lung disease. An accurate diagnosis is important because heart failure can be successfully managed with various medical treatments.
When is it ordered? A BNP test may be ordered under these circumstances:
In your doctor's office, if you have symptoms that could be due to heart failure.
To monitor the effects of therapy for heart failure.
In the emergency room, if you are in crisis and doctors need to quickly determine whether you are suffering from heart failure or some other medical problem.
Higher-than-normal results suggest that a person is in heart failure, and the level of BNP in the blood is related to the severity of heart failure. Higher levels of BNP also may be associated with a worse outlook (prognosis) for the patient.
Is there anything else I should know? BNP levels decrease in most patients who have been taking drug therapies for heart failure, such as ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, and diuretics. Levels of BNP tend to increase with age. Levels of BNP increase in persons with kidney disease."
Good luck to you,
Smitty
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Please...
by donr - 2011-05-01 01:05:22
...Google on "Coreg." It';s a Beta Blocker & can do that to some folks. I'm one of them. I feel like the tail on a 1000 Lb Gator - always dragging!
Could this be your problem?
Don