GO FOR IT SMITTY

Hi Smitty. I read your comments on your reluctance to go for a biventricular pacemaker. I do think the doctors are right in thinking you really need a biventricular pacemaker. Just because your experieces with your current device have not all been positive, it does not mean that there is room for considerable improvement that a biventricular pacemaker would give you. The doctors have probably realised that the device you have is not quite appropriate for you. I too had a very low EF sometimes down to 25% (not any more). You might like to hang in their until a replacement is due though but I personally would not wait any longer than necessary.Go for it. Cheers Peter

4 Comments

Smitty and Dottie

by cottontop - 2008-04-08 01:04:21

My prayers are with you both. I only wish the best for both of you. Have faith.

God bless you,

Amy

Low EF

by SMITTY - 2008-04-08 01:04:37

Peter, thanks for taking the time to give me you input.

I consider myself lucky with this issue as my boss has decided it is too big a decision for me and that she will decide what I will do. It will be a few weeks before I get her decision, but fortunately I do not have any symptoms right now that are attributable to a low EF.

Now I have a request for any of you that may read this. If you will be speaking with our big Boss upstairs anytime soon, Dottie (my boss, of course) is having a CT scan to see if the tumor in her pancreas has gotten larger since her last scan about 6 months ago. She and I will appreciate any help we can get.

We do not get the scan results until next Monday and I will pass along what we learn.

Thanks to all of you,

Smitty

Pancreatic Tumour

by peter - 2008-04-08 02:04:37

Hi Smitty do you know if they a calling the pancreatic tumour cancer and if so do you know what stage it has reaches like Tis, T1, T2, T3,? If not ask them as soon as you can. If it is pancreatic cancer your wife needs all the treatment she can get as it is often diagnosed at a late stage. Good luck with your wifes appointment. Cheers Peter

Pancreatic Tumor

by SMITTY - 2008-04-08 04:04:12

Hello Peter,

No, it has not been diagnosed as a cancer,only a umor. The tumor, less than a half-inch in diameter, was found during a routine abdominal scan last July or August. A follow up scan in October showed little change so the doctors decided to wait until March '08 for another scan but the March date got shoved back to April for some reason. But the fact that it has not been called a cancer, is located in the middle part and not the head of the pancreas is the upside of this.

The down side is my wife, a nurse, was employed by a surgeon for about 8 or 9 yrs. and during that time she saw a number of his patients with pancreatic cancer. So she knows full well the speed with which it can kill and the high mortality rate when treated or left untreated. Making things worse for her is she had a brother and 1st cousin to die from the disease and her mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but she died of problems from her long standing heart disease about 3 months after the diagnosis.. The brother lived about 4 months after diagnosis. Dottie has some symptoms that can be associated with pancreatic cancer, but she says "these can go with other problems so I'm not jumping to conclusions yet."

I am certain we both know what it feels like to be sitting on a time bomb and waiting and waiting. I'll guarantee you it will consume a major part a person's thinking every day.

Thanks for the good thoughts and I'll pass on what we learn the day we get a report.

Smitty

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