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As some of you may already know I have had one heck of a time getting answers from my pulmonologist (Dr. H I'll call her from now on just because I'm too lazy to type pulmonologist or Dr. Henderson over and over) and my internal medicine Doc. Crossing the line from proactive patient to annoying patient I decided to send Dr. H an email yesterday telling her my internal medicine doctor got the report days ago, asking if she had gotten it and asking certain questions based on information I've read in a PH forum I joined and other places online. At the time I called yesterday morning she still didn't have the report from the cardiologist, but she answered a lot of my questions. One of the major ones being this number of "38" that has been haunting me since the echo. She told me that it is a mean systolic number. She said that it is DIFFERENT than the numbers from the Right heart catherization (RHC). She said that my number could very well be normal. She went on to say that that number range (mine was 38-40) is not the only indicator of PH that can be seen on echos. She said in people with PH there is usually change to the right side of the heart. She added also that I don't have a lot of the symptoms that people with PH have, though that's not really saying much right now. She just called me back little while later, after receiving the report [FINALLY], and said the right side of my heart looks "completely, completely normal" her exact words. She went on to say that the next step is to check for Asthma...the methacholine study I was suppose to have Friday but couldn't because I had a cold (rescheduled for the 16th). She said that if that comes back completely normal that the next step would be a RHC to get the EXACT pressure in the pulmonary artery to rule out or diagnose PH once and for all. She said if I do have PH it is probably "very very mild." So mild that they may not even need to treat me, if they do I will be "very easy to treat." In my email I asked if I should see a PH specialist and her response to that was "I am one." She said basically by seeing her I've hit two birds with one stone. She said my being "high strung," which I am, especially with having a baby and considering an out of state move...very anxious and worrisome...can contribute to the crushing feeling in my chest. She said instead of looking up stuff on PH and scaring myself, to look up stuff on anxiety problems. She said chances are I'll have a lot of those symptoms. So...good news! Could be better, but could be so much worse too! Which about sums up my life... like the one time my timing belt broke in my car. If you don't know anything about a timing belt, basically once it goes you're screwed because your car won't move. Anyway my timing belt broke which was baaaaad news BUT it broke IN my driveway, haha! Let's pray it's asthma...or anxiety..heck..or both as long as it's not Pulmonary Hypertension or if it's going to be PH I'll take "very very mild" and be thankful I briefly looked up "Anxiety Disorders" yesterday and if anything I think I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). I've been looking up medications for anxiety safe to take while breastfeeding and it looks like Zoloft is going to the best, safest bet (but I have talked to my doc yet)...going to see my doctor tomorrow morning. |
