Vicious Cycle

Vicious Cycle

I may or not have mentioned that my heart is the proverbial train wreck. I enjoy such features as Cardiomyopathy compliments of multiple silent Myocardial Infarctions (heart attacks or as I refer to them heart farts), Coronary Artery Disease, Mitral valve stenosis (the new one is squeaking and leaking), Left Bundle Branch Block (my timing belt slipped and I sport a lovely CRT-D), a full host of Arrhythmias (SVT, PVC, V-Tach, and the big one V-Fib to touch on the highlights), and of course the often entertaining Congestive Heart Failure. I’m sure I overlooked a few but you get the idea, in fact my Cardiologist once told someone the only thing I don’t have is A-Fib.

Lately I’ve been on the ole merry go round fighting my arch nemesis Congestive Heart Failure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I exercise, eat right, watch my fluid and sodium intake and blah, blah, blah but nothing seems to work anymore.

With the CHF, my ejection fraction is a whopping 20%. You’ve no idea how, calling it a fraction and expressing it in percentage annoys me. Honestly I have no real idea what my EF actually is, after my last two annual echo’s my Cardiologist was evasive about the number and would only say it’s pretty much the same. Just what does that mean anyway? It seems logical if it had improved he’d be excited to share that news with me so I’m guessing it is not so good.  Is he afraid if he tells me the truth I’ll drop dead and destroy a valuable source of revenue for him?  

Now for the record, I know things are going downhill with my heart, in fact my Cardiologist agreed to a maintenance only program, but honestly, I’m holding out for someone to offer a trade in for the old heart. Hey it’s like a used car, still got some mileage left, albeit not many, sure it squeaks, rattles, and smokes, but I’m still here aren’t I. There should be some value.

Some mornings I awake and don’t need to follow my morning routine of, weighing myself, or the possibilities in life as my body is so swollen I look like the Goodyear blimp. Thank heaven for elastic wait bands. I’ve even been known to slosh when I walk. Like many of you, to get rid of the fluid overload, I take a daily mega dose of diuretics (p pills, I didn’t want to spell out p so as not to offend anyone), but I guess after so many years my body just laughs it off. My Cardiologist recently gave me a second prescription just for these times that effectively kicks starts the bladder into overdrive.

Now for me the truly sad part of this is that strangely nothing kicks in until bed time. I take the diuretics and turbo booster before breakfast but it has zero effect until bed, then I’m up and down every half hour in the night draining the swamp. Last night was one of those, safe and restful sleep ain’t happening. Now you’d think end of tale, but it’s not. Lately I’ve added a new feature to my repertoire in the night. When I get up, I notice I am so dry that my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth (my wife especially likes that), I have a pounding headache, my joints hurt as if I have no fluid in them and rounding it all off, severe muscle cramps, the infamous Charlie horse.

Who on earth is Charlie, and is this the same horse who the medical community claims kicks you in the chest when you get a Jesus Jolt from your defibrillator firing? Well I don’t know the answers to those questions but let me tell you, it strikes with vengeance. The pain is excruciating, in fact I think a Charlie horse is worse than open heart surgery. I suspect that’s where the song “don’t it make your brown eyes blue” came from.

So folks, here’s the crux of the matter…

I assume the symptoms I’m exhibiting are from dehydration, but

- how to properly compensate and not overdo it?

- How do I effectively get rid of Charlie and his horse?

- If I don’t take the diuretics will it make my butt look bigger?


3 Comments

Patch

by Grateful Heart - 2018-02-23 11:35:33

I'm probably not going to say anything you don't already know....since I've learned so much from you (and Donr and TraceyE) all these years.... but I'll give it a shot.

Are you also taking potassium along with the lasix?  The lasix depletes potassium and magnesium and can cause leg cramps.  Also, statins can be a huge problem for some...they were for me, until this new one so far.  Just a few thoughts.

Grateful Heart

Greatful

by The real Patch - 2018-02-23 13:58:28

Thanks I'm so glad you brought that up. Indeed we do monitor my potassium and I have a stock of pills just in case. However it's important to bring that point up as I'm sure there are many members who aren't aware that low levels of potassium can cause a lot of problems.

Taking diuretics (water pills) can deplete potassium and needs to be monitored closely, especially if you have to increase dosage even short term. By the obverse, too much potassium can be deadly, infact they injected my heart with potassium to stop it when doing open heart surgery.

So for anyone reading this make sure you are monitored, but don't just take medications without your doctors knowledge.

You made me smile......

by Carla2004 - 2018-02-23 18:22:52

Hi Charlie.     Being new to the Pacemaker world and just now hearing 20% myself, I've been a basket-case.   Now, the word "transplant" has entered my life, after 14 years with cardiomyopathy.   I enjoyed your post, as it made me smile   !!!!!       We have to somehow find some humor in all of this.     Good luck to you on this roller-coaster ride that we're all on.

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