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Posted 9/27/2012 2:11 AM (GMT 0)
Hello All,

I'm a 40 yr-old who was diagnosed with acute benign pericarditis at age 15. After a couple of brief hospital visits and treatment with prednisone, I remained asymptomatic for the next twenty four years, and was always told at my annual cardiologist checkup that the calcification left by this condition was "probably nothing to worry about".

When I developed a-fib last year, along with dizziness and edema in my legs and feet, my longtime doctor still denied a connection to the calcium, but after I had a successful a-fib ablation procedure at NYU and my symptoms continued to worsen, I decided to seek another opinion. The new cardiologist took one look at my CT scan, chest MRI and echo and said it was glaringly obvious that I have constrictive pericarditis and would need a pericardiectomy at some point in the near future.

I'm currently on 40mg/day of Lasix, which helped me to shed 10lbs of excess fluid in a week, but it's apparent that it's a temporary solution, and that it's buying me extra time while I decide where to go for treatment. The Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic seem like the best two options, but I'm surprised that there isn't anyone in NYC who does them frequently.

Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Trevor
Posted 9/27/2012 2:15 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Trevor:
I just read your post. I just had my pericardium removed on sept. 11th. I live near indianapolis, and had the great staff at st. vincents heart center care for me before and after surgery. Dr. Sina Moainie performed the pericardectomy. I'm 51, and let me tell you that after 2 plus weeks later, I'm feeling better than even expected.
I, too had calcification of the pericardium to the point of it being, "like eggshell" and very thick at the bottom of the heart. I was on lasix for a few days because of edema in my lower legs before the surgery. That effectively knocked down the swelling for a bit.
If you are at all healthy, meaning that you're not overweight, don't smoke, and exercise regularly, your recovery will be much speedier, I would think. I am already able to do some light weights, walk alot, and doing some light biking. If I were you, I'd get it done, and you will feel better pretty quick. I no longer have the bloating associated with it, and eating is more enjoyable than ever, too.

Hope you find the place to have it done soon and I wish you well! bob
Posted 9/28/2012 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Trevor I am 82 and I had the operation for pericarditis (pericardectomy) in 1945 before the days of the National Health Service in United Kingdom.(of course it would be free now in the UK) open chest surgery in those days was rare in the UK I was in three hospitals for a total of nine months and discharged four weeks after the operation and have not had a scrap of heart trouble since.

For all of the time before the operation I was on drugs to keep the fluid from building up.but nothing for that problem at all since.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery

Reg

(Cardiff UK)
Posted 10/4/2012 1:44 AM (GMT 0)
hi musicman,
wanted to share my fast education on this condition as my husband was just told as well he has this..... some odd stuff i must admit... well anyway,his is unknown at this time on how and when... but mri, eco and chest x ray all shows clear signs along with blood work , a bnp, this showed heart failure.... which is common with people who have this. constrictive pericarditis. docs told us its the hardest surgery of all to do in cardio, more so then a transplant.. i cant imagine.. so with the risk being so high they wait as long as thy can to operate, this seems odd to me, id rather be healthy going through it.. but i understand risk. my husband as welll has calcium and i belive i heard them say fibrious tissue. i dont know if all gets the fibrous tissue, ill check into this more.. we were told only 2 hospitals, clevland and mayo, we were told mayo was more aggressive, id opt for mayo with the calcium. the doctor that newheart51 mentions is to be the best at mayo.... i have read alot on him.. :)
my husbands symtoms are: edema, tired, winded, hic-ups, burping, and pressure feeling n his chest but not all the time. its odd stuff.... like i said. he also had heart cath last week to get pressure readings on cardiac output.. this is a must for both places to touch you, i was told...
he is on restricted sodium to 2000mg a day and 50 ozs of fluids a day, water pill of 20 mg only after 3 lb increase, not alot can be done other then buy time, we are told here.... ( sounds crazy) that no surgery till you can not walk 3 blocks or sleep laying down... i do not agree with this. i understand the risk with this surgery, its high, but with skilled hands like newheart had im sure the out come is good. i hope to hear from you soon:)
oh! and btw he is 44.... young like you:) i hope you are feeling ok and do well , please get back to me, this is some scary stuff ... till then take care..
Posted 10/4/2012 1:52 AM (GMT 0)
newheart, can you explain to me the bloating and eating thing? my husband has this as well, i noticed he burps alot and gets these new odd hic ups.
read my post to music man.... so u can see my story.. thanks alot.. glad you are well:)
Posted 10/4/2012 5:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi
I'm only 19 years old and about 3 weeks ago I was diagnosed with Myopericarditus. It's a little different to what everyone else here is talking about because it's both fluid and heart tissue damage. The doctors at the hospital told me it was most likely viral. I'm very healthy, normal weight, don't smoke or drink and all I started with was a cough.

I was in hospital for 3 days, and given ibuprofen to bring down the swelling on my heart. This started to help and eased the pain. I still had the sore throat and the doctors said they would give me something for it but never did.

I went home and then about a week and a half later, my sore throat got worse, so I started taking an antiseptic throat spray, strepsils, paracetamol and ibuprofen. After a few days, I stopped eating because it felt like I was swallowing a knife. I went to my GP about it and she told me I had an extremely bad throat infection and gave me a course of anti-biotics for 10 days. I finished the course today, but the chest pain has come back 2 days ago and I'm getting more and more tired as the days go on.

I don't really want to go back to A&E and I've been off work for a month now. Luckily I have my family supporting me but I'm not sure what to do, as I haven't told them the pain has returned yet.

Should I go to the doctors? Or straight to A&E? Or wait for my follow up out-patient appointment with the cardiologist?

I hope everyone is feeling better soon. It's very tiring trying to get answers when it's something as serious as your heart.

Melina
Posted 10/4/2012 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
hello mellina,
well i am sorry you are not feeling well. my husband has constrictive pericardits, knowing now what i know i get very upset thinking back on things when he had some signs like you have now, that we did not get medical attention, i keep thinking if we had, would we be here now, this i will never know, but for you, yes id tell family and go asap, in many cases things can be done to keep you from more serious issues and for what ever this is worth id go to ER and not the doctor, i have read many story's on here and most got better care at the ER, I this helps, and feel better:)
rockchick...
Posted 10/5/2012 8:59 AM (GMT 0)
Hi rockchick,

Thankyou for your reply, it's very interesting hearing about other people's experiences.

I went to the hospital last night since the pain got worse. The doctors did a blood test, an ecg and a chest x-ray and everything came back normal (the ecg was a "normal variant" since I seem to have an irregular heartbeat).

The only thing I regret is asking for another echo, which is what showed the myopericarditus before...so I don't understand why they didn't do that. 4 hours later, they sent me home and said if it comes back again go and see my GP... I honestly don't know what to do now. I thought doctors at the hospital would be able help more, but they said that because it's not serious, they can't say what it is and that GPs are more accustomed to complaints of chest pain which are non-serious, which makes no sense because they already found out what it was last time I was in hospital.

All I can think of now is to wait for the follow up appointment with the cardiologist.

Melina
Posted 10/5/2012 4:56 PM (GMT 0)
melina,
i am understanding from many cardio docs that the true only way to find this is via, heart mri or ct and on some this is even hard, ( on some people), i am understanding that your condition is typical for chest pains for many weeks on and off for weeks, are you not taking the ibuprofen ? how far off is your cardio appt? yes, i agree that the ER docs treatment and testing seem a little lax and it would be frustrating as well, the good thing is with proper treatment you will be fine soon ( from my understanding of your condition). are you in a the USA? when my husbands eco showed hints of something wrong this is when they moved forward to the MRI of the heart,then the heart cath to get pressure measurments of his cardiac out put, and to confirm his constrictive pericarditis. have you looked up your condition via web? this may help you understand it more. i do hope your doc appt is not far off so you can get the meds to help you get over this along with time, most of all i am glad your problem is not cronic, but i understand your fear, i to was a little put back when i seen the lets watch and see method to my husbands , this is after they got confirmation of his problem, i dont do the watch and see method well, i am lets fix it type, but.... understand the surgery he will need has huge risk with a possible no improvement. on your next doc appt id ask for mri or ct of the heart... this will help then see more and hopefully put your mind to rest. look forward to hearing from you again.... lisa
Posted 10/6/2012 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
Great thread and posts by each of you.  This is what it is all about sharing and supporting one another. 

I've missed welcoming several new members as I was dx in August with cancer  so i thought I would do a big shout out welcome to all new comers. Glad you found us !

Kindly,

Kitt

Posted 10/8/2012 8:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi again Lisa,
I was supposed to have an MRI and CT scan the first time I went in
hospital, after I had the echo done, but they decided to do a different
scan, though I can't remember what it was. It did show up on the results
of the test so they know that's what I have.

I have been taking the ibuprofen and paracetamol together but it
doesn't seem to make a difference. The cardio appt should be in a few
weeks, but I haven't had a letter confirming it yet, the doctor said I
would get a letter and that I didn't have to make the appt myself, is it worth
making the appt sooner myself do you think?

I'm in the UK and under NHS, I could go private but it will be very expensive

I had an echo done and then the other scan which they said was a "special
type of CT scan" but I never had a heart cath. I have looked it up, because I
have myopericarditus which is pericarditus but with inflamation of the
heart muscle as well.

I'm not a big fan of the watch and see method either, when I have chest
pain I generally want to get it fixed so I don't have it again, and it's very
frustrating not having answers. I have an appt with my GP later today to
see the results of the 24 hour heart monitor I was put on and see if I can
get some more answers.

Thank you for your help,
Melina
Posted 10/8/2012 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
hi melina,

it took us 2 weeks to get in to a cardio here as well, things are just not as speedy as they once use to be in the medical field. the scan you had i am sure showed them what they wanted to know, i am not sure how your medical system works there, i do know that reading the stuff i have, that the UK, is very good at this type of condition, i often wondered if the uk was more advanced then america after reading some.. the other scan may have been a PET SCAN, those are even better.. all things i have read about this stuff including wht you have, all claims to take time.. which i just dont like... lol. maybe this week your primary doc can give you better advice or speed things along, i am sure you have read many things about what you have... and it does cause pain. even my husbands who has constrictive has some pain at times , which is not overly common, he has the worst one ... chronic constrictive peridarditis, i dont really get what makes constrive or the chronic part, but, this is what we were told, at times i feel like we are moving n slowww motion with all this when it comes to the doctors, i am sure you feel the same, but i read and it just goes this way..... i now call it the nature of the beast.. lol. this weekend we went out to do some things which included walking, i did notice a difference in how fast he can walk without getting winded, since he is in denial he does not admit things so i have to watch him closely, so i am seeing his condition progress but still have no clue how long it takes as everyone is different . with the rate i am seeing i am guessing by christmas time he will be having alot more troules with even simple things. they have yet to pin point his cause, but this is not bad i am told and reading, it common thy cant find cause. i still dig for more readings on this odd stuff to try and learn if there are differences of the crhonic vs constrictive, what you have from my readings are the beginning stage of all this other stuff, if treated properly and maintained well with a good immune system you should be fine, i have found that all the best docs in the world do not have answers. which is very frustrating..... we are 14 hour drive to mayo or clevland clinc, so its a little hard getting there opinon, i have read on his condition, the sooner the better.... but not in asymtomatic or class 1, and what class he is, idk, since thy dont tell you these things... and if i asked, they may tell me they dont know.... which seems to be what we hear here alot, if i was to guess, id say, class 1, based on what i read..... well i hope you feel better soon, and try to not get stressed over this, which is hard, even i struggle with that and its not me, im just watching it..... but do try.... i tihnk because its the heart we tend to freak out more... like the common cold we tend to be more patient :) but the heart is a vital organ so we should, rt.. :)..... looking forward to hearing from yu agian... :) lisa

Posted 10/10/2012 6:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Lisa,

I got no answers from my GP either, he said that he didn't have the results of the 24-hour heart monitor, and that the Cardiologist would have those results. So I have to wait until my appointment with them, or ring up to bring the appointment forward.

I have also noticed a change. I've started getting regular headaches, and dizzy spells, which mean I have to stop walking for a bit, in case I trip or fall, which is a little new to me. The doctors I have spoken to, both times I went to A&E, have asked me if I got headaches or felt dizzy and/or light-headed. At the time, I hadn't been feeling these things, until yesterday so I'm now wondering if this is normal during recovery, which no one is telling me. I guess it could just be the way my body reacts to fighting the condition and recovering but if it isn't that then, do I go back to the doctors or back to A&E or maybe I'm worrying too much. It could just be my blood pressure, but these dizzy spells seems to be related to the chest pain which I'm still
experiencing.

Thank you for answering so quickly. Talking with you is helping me to understand what other people are going through and what I could be expecting with this condition :)

Melina
Posted 10/11/2012 12:36 AM (GMT 0)
hi melina, i am no doctor but i do have medical experience and was at one time married to a doctor for several years, but please dont take my advice as a medical professional. i do understand that these can be normal for what you have, the one thing tht brings questions to me is, that it is new to you and you are being treated, with that brings concern as you have.... are there other hosptials there u can try to get help at? i know here in america, you can line up 10 hospitals but the level of care may be different at some, not all but some. let me do some fast reading.. and i will come rt back with a link, or info that will help. thanks lisa.... and feel better.. :)
Posted 10/11/2012 2:23 AM (GMT 0)
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/pericardial-effusion
melina, there i link to read..... i would call docs or nurse on call, when it comes to medical i want great care as we all should have, we only get one body, so it needs taken care of.... if you dont like the answers you are getting from the docs, id try to find a hospital for another look, if they did not mention these symptoms to you, i would get checked again, as pericarditis can change to other forms , like effusive, contrictive, ect. if it were me i would, just for minds sake and assurance that you are ok. let me know and keep me posted.... and above get better... :) your friend, lisa
Posted 10/12/2012 11:01 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Lisa,

I undertsand your position but I am grateful for any help regardless, even if it is just from people who are experiencing a similar thing. I may book another appointment at the doctors to tell them that I am now experiencing dizziness and lightheadedness. I'm also feeling tired all the time. I slept fr 12 hours last night and I feel like I have only slept for 3. The doctor at the hospital said to consuolt my GP after a week of taking ibuprofen anyway, if it hasn't settled. If anything, it's got worse and new symptoms are developing. I also had a look at the link you sent and noticed a few other symptoms which I have, but thought nothing of. For example, the second time I went to hospital I had clammy hands but I was physically shivering, and I regularly feel my heart beating unusually fast. I am now getting dizzy spells, tripping over a lot. I don't feel like I have passed out yet, but there was a time when I appeared to fall over backwards for no reason. The main thing the doctors seem worried about is where I can breathe properly, which I can. But nevertheless, they should look into these new symptoms shouldn't they. I will try and go to the doctors, first thing on monday, but obviously if it gets any worse, I will have to go to hospital at the weekend. Thank you for your replies, Melina :)
Posted 10/12/2012 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
hi, melina,
i was doing some reading last night, on your condition as welll as my husbands, reading on yours i found that it is highly recomended that a heart cath is done, they also can get tissue samples of the myocardium , as well as pressure and o2 sats... my hubby had this done but did not change the fact he does have constrictive pericarditis. i forgot to ask, do you seem to be getting more bloated in the tummy area? or feet/leg? some of your symptoms suggest heart failure, which is not uncommon with some of this stuff we are talking about, my husband has this as well, due to constriction,i am gonna have to call his docs, since he has been sick for 4 days.. again, starting off with sore throat moving to congestion along with fevers... could be a bug, but with this stuff idk, odd stuff! so i will call just to make sure, myself or our child has not had this so its better to be safe. yes with your new symptoms i would get to the docs to make sure its nothing advancing or changing for the worst, keep me posted on how you are feeling.. ill do the same.. till then take care, your friend , lisa
Posted 10/13/2012 1:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Lisa,
Thankyou for doing some reading, I will be ringing NHS direct hopefully tomorrow to see whether the new symptoms are anything to worry about. It's a good service because they can advise you what to do, like going to A&E or the GP. If I am admitted into hospital again for the new symptoms, I will have to ask for this heart cath and whatever else is needed, because from what I had done before, nothing seems to show up clear enough for them to be able to properly diagnose the condition or how serious it is. I'm not getting bloated anywhere, I'm actually losing weight. I'm sorry to hear your husband is getting sick :( That's how I felt before I even went to hospital, I had a slight fever and I was feeling sick and had achey limbs, just like I had the flu. Mine started with a sore throat as well. I think calling the doctors is a good idea. Even if it is just a bug, it's best to be on guard because the heart is so important, and any change needs to be looked into, which is why I should probably be going back to hospital soon, I just want to have a weekend where I don't have to worry about it, and actually have fun. I hope your husband feels better soon and you and your child stay healthy :) Your friend, Melina
Posted 10/14/2012 12:17 AM (GMT 0)
hi melina,
what you have is hard to diagnose unless there is a lot of swelling in the pericardium or calcium, i hope you get some answers, i know for me, this is hard, i called the docs for him, since he had been sick, just to make sure its not a flare up, of pericarditis, docs had nurse tell me it sounded like a cold, hmm, seemed a lil dramatic for a cold but ok... also, this really threw me, the nurse told me not to let him take ibroprophen for fever... it causes inflamation in the heart area... hmmmm totally different then what i read......now unless for fever it changes things.. idk, but once again,as with every call or trip we make, i get more confused with no resolution to my questions, all i can do is hope this changes... it makes a hard thing harder........i hope you get some answers as well soon, this is not a easy thing ot have, since its not so clear ...... or for me its not clear. hubby seems to be getting better even with the iboprophen, (motrin) (puzzling) well keep me posted on how are doing.... stay healthy.. till then take care , lisa
Posted 10/15/2012 3:29 AM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

My husband (44 y/o) was diagnosed with constrictive pericadartisis mid-summer 2012. Symptoms: unable to carry on his normal sports activities, such as softball, bike-riding, hiking, mountain climbing. He was and had been very fit, and, over the course of a half-year, noticed severe "exercise intolerance."

Our primary physician, then the cardiologist, nailed the diagnosis--something wrong with his heart--but not the heart itself--the sac around it.

He went in for a pericardecotomy mid-August at Presbyterian Hospital with Dr. Carl Lagerstrom as his surgeon. We couldn't have been happier with the team. And Pres Hospital was great--the nurses, the other care-givers, just excellent.

The day of surgery was tough to see, but they had him up and walking the day after surgery. Overall, the first four days after surgery were tough--he was miserable, mainly due to the drainage tubes. Most of his other tubes (breathing, etc., came out in the first day or two or three.)

about Day 5, he was feeling well, except for those drainage tubes (they are between the ribs and organs, and he says that they felt like rebar in there).

He was in the CCC for about 10 days, mostly so they could keep an eye on his drainage. He was feeling well and up and about about Day 5. On Day 10 I picked him up and we drove 4 hours home (he was in the back seat).

We thought he'd be sickly and in bed when he got home, but, although weak, the hardest part of the recovery was keeping him from lifting too much weight (he's a tradesman). We are now at about Week 9, and he's been camping (but friends and family do the lifting), walking/hiking, per cardiologist's orders, and back to work.

Anyway, I know this thread and other support groups really helped me and hubby get a sense of what was in store for us. So, if you need insight, I can try to provide it at [email protected].
Posted 10/16/2012 3:45 PM (GMT 0)
Hi again Lisa,

I have just been back to the hospital again yesterday afternoon, as the pain got a lot worse, and it's difficult to keep on doing normal things with that level of pain, so I went back the hospital by Ambulance at 1pm and at about 3pm I was finally seen by a doctor in A&E who did a blood test and gave me what I think was Codine (strong pain killer), Diclofenac (strong anti-inflammatory), and Diazepam (another painkiller). The blood test showed that the Troponin levels (the enzyme secreted by the heart when it's damaged) were at a level 3, and 15 is considered normal, whereas the first time I went into hospital the level was 370, so a major drop.

After about half an hour, the pain had reduced and then changed to a stabbing sort of painand then about an hour or so later, the pain came back again. Then I was seen by another doctor in the Clinical Decision Unit, where they were deciding whether to keep me in overnight, or whatever. While I was in there, I was given Morphine and Paracetamol, MORE painkillers. After about an hour from then, I got to eat something, for the first time (at about 5pm), then at about 9pm the doctor came back with Corticosteriods and Omeprazole and at this point I was already feeling nauseoous, so I was fighting the urge to be sick, but managed to keep it down, becuase I knew it wouldn't help, and I'd probably have tp stay overnight so they can try again in the morning.

At about 11pm the nurse came and repeated the blood test and when the doctor came back with the results at 1am, and woke me up, the pain had gone, and he said that the troponin level was a 4 this time. I'm not sure if this should be worrying but the doctor didn't want to answer that question, and he sent us on our way, and said that he will prescribe 5 days of the corticosteriods for the "Residual Pain" which they think it was, as well as the Omeprazole to settle my stomach.

Hopefully this is now resolved. Even though I never got to the bottom of what happen. The doctors were confused as to why I still had pain, and the new symptoms I had been experiencing (Headaches, nausea, clammy hands, dizzyness and fatigue) did not phase them, they simply shrugged them off. So I will never know the answer to that, but as long as these drugs keep the pain away, then I can live with that, as long as it doesn't flare up again.

I hope your husband is still doing okay and I hope to hear from you shortly :) Best wishes, Melina
Posted 10/16/2012 4:48 PM (GMT 0)
hi melina,
the troponin levels, are the bnp here, it is a test to show heart failure. people who get this has symptoms of heart failure...did they do a MRI of the heart again? this may need to be done.... i hope your other symptoms have improved as well, dizzy ect..... oh and on the heart failure test, my hubbys was , 444 to 197 to 154, here the norms are 0 to 125,but yet he is getting worse.. but its a progessive disease...as far as what he has...i sure hope you get to feeling better.. its a stress in it self... i know for us here its like living on pins and needles. i noticed that docs when they dont have the answers to something they do shrug them off...id rather hear idk and lets look, but its not the case with some. keep me posted on how your feeling, hubby is doing ok very tired but still working so far so good..... but i worry since he wont tell docs that he feels as bad as he really does..... this will cause more problems later.... but i understand fear.... oh to well.... hope to hear from you... lisa
Posted 10/17/2012 10:46 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Lisa,
That's why I was confused about the levels because the heart may not be being damaged anymore but I can still have the condition/disease. They didn't do anything else except for another chest x-ray which they KNEW would come back with nothing. It's almost as if they want to prove every thing is ok by repeating the tests which come back normal. The pain has come back slightly, before it was constant and then spiked every so often, but now its gone and then occassionally spikes, but no where near as bad as earlier. There's so much going on at the moment, I feel like I just need to get by with the pain, because there is no one else I can see, apart from my Cardiologist on the 30th. That will be the last attempt at trying to resolve this I think.  After that, I will have to accept the pain, which I shouldn't really, because I'm young and fit and healthy, I shouldn't be having chest pains but I can't put  my parents through anymore sleepless nights, and staying in hospital until 2am. I hope this all gets resolved at the end of october, but until then, I'm just going to take all the drugs ive been prescribed and then wait, or put up with the  pain. I tend to wait until the last minute really, the same as your hubby, it sounds, because I don't want to have to go through all this mess again. I wish you both well, Melina
Posted 10/17/2012 4:51 PM (GMT 0)
hi melina,
the levels for heart failure/stress on the heart, is a symtoms of the disease, this is what im told, there is nothing wrong with the heart in this case other then constriction due to a swollen pericardium, in my hubbys case a constricted one which is the same for what you have but i understand it as acute and not chronic, the layers of the lining become inflamed which rubs/constricts the heart causing a rise n the brains hormone that the heart is in stress, now after a tough week last week, i learned, that when you have elevated numbers on that test.. we call bnp, DO NOT TAKE MOTRIN, IBUPRPHEN, it causes heart failure on people with cardiovascular diseases, after a week of him being sick with a flu bug he took, high does of motrin, to keep fever and body aches away.... only to learn that the motrin will make him retain more water causing heart failure worse. he hardly urinated yesterday but legs swollen, chest pressure, ect along with winded and dizzy... and extremely tired as well.. he did take a water pill but did not seem to help. i have call into the heart doc. now for my opinion and im not a doctor but these docs need to take this back to the study and figure out if these ANTI- INFLAM. are really the answer to this condition, i read all the ones that have pericarditis to constrictive types take this drug, well his cardio says NO, after he took may doses, now he is in trouble. of course this was also after i looked him in the eye and asked.... are there anything i need to look for or do or not do, his reply was no.......... OMG HOW FRUSTRATING....
Posted 10/19/2012 5:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hey everyone,

I've never really posted in a forum before. If I did it was a long time ago. I am 23 years old and possibly have pericarditis. I saw a specialist yesterday, and I am going back to have an MRI done next wed. Boy oh boy is it scary! Some things in here made me feel better, others made me even more scared. Lol. The specialist was pretty avid on surgery.... My regular cardio diagnosed me with pericarditis because of what he saw on an echo. He referred me to the specialist for a second opinion, , and to my surprise he is already talking about surgery with out my doctors copy of the echo & I get an MRI next week. Obviously he's going to wait to see the results and what not, but I suppose my symptoms are pretty extreme. I'm dizzy, shortness of breath all day and when laying down its horrible, I feel tired and weak all the time, I can feel my heart beating in my chest randomly, and slight chest pains. I have MVP so I never really thought anything of the slight chest pains I've been having until a regular check up turned into this.

The the specialist is amazed that I could have developed this at a young age... Said I was delt a bad deck of cards. Ha. I'm definitely quitting smoking ASAP. So stupid i ever began but there isnt anything to do about it now but quit.

I'd like to know a couple of things from your experiences.

It sounds like he just wants to do an MRI, a heart catheter (he even hinted skipping this step if the MRI shows obvious signs), and then surgery.... Should I ask for more then this? Blood work of some type? I read in here that the surgeryitself is invasive, I really don't want to know more on that yet, but the heart catheter to measure the pressure in the chamber how is that? Is there certain things I should be doing right now that your doctors have suggested to you? He told me to limit my exercises and that's about it.


I really hope that everything you & your loved ones are going through look up! Thank-you for making this thread, I feel as though I am not alone.
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