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Heart Tests: Your's and Mine

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Posted 6/16/2005 2:28 PM (GMT 0)
Kathlyn - I always just about fall out of my chair when you mention your aneurism. I didn't realize that they weren't always an emergency! (?) Where is yours located?

I have a bicuspid aortic valve which I think about 1% of us are born with, and aortic stenosis - and one of the things that can happen is aortic aneurism and/or a spontaneous aortic dissection, in which case I would not be posting anywhere anymore.

Watch out for muscle pain on lipitor, especially at such a high dose. (remember), the heart is a muscle! - jeepers, could it be that's why they say to discontinue & call doc if you have muscle pain!?!?! Hope the fatigue eases up for you. Your EF sounds great, tho... but then sometimes numbers and symptoms don't necessarily correlate. I hope its just the drugs - maybe something needs tweaking?

hugs & take care!
Oona
Posted 6/16/2005 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Oona, mine is located at the apex!!! I got it during the heart attack because I did not go for four days from having it. I am not very knowledgable about them, but have read that they don't always band them. And sometimes because of the location they can't band them.

BTW, my sister in law recommended (and she is NOT a doctor) not to increase my Lipitor because of the very same thing you said. Her husband had to be taken off of it because he got so weak and was in so much muscle pain. I feel like i need to follow my dr.'s orders, but on the other hand I guess I'm still thinking about it. I took my 20 mg last night. I'm sure something needs tweaking!
Posted 6/16/2005 5:34 PM (GMT 0)
Kathlyn - I'm not so sure I'd trust what doctors and manufacturers say about Lipitor. I am on two other heart boards and this is not an isolated problem - and people are coming off of it right & left and flushing it down their toilets - I did! I think alot of them switched to Zocor, which seems to have fewer or no side effects for most people. I had to quit lipitor after 3 wks (20mg) due to muscle aches. I also got psoriasis on my hands from lipitor (which I'd never had before in my life) but it ended a few weeks after I stopped it.

Back to the aneurism - you meant the apex of your heart? I'll have to read up on this....has Teri put up any links on it yet? Do they go away over time?
Posted 6/16/2005 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
I just want you to know, Kathlyn, that I think you are doing excellent!!  The HDL and LDL are both in okay positions, but could use a little work-the statin will help you out a lot!!  Right after an MI your heart muscle and EF do tend to be lower, but with time and healing, diet and exericise it truly helps!

I'm so glad to hear where you are now!! tongue  By the way "L" stands for low. 

 

I read a lot and do a lot of research-throwing out or discontinuing Dr.'s advice re Lipitor or any statin is wrong!  There are studies out there that have shown by discontinuing a statin, you could be causing yourself more injury!!  Do not ever stop these med.'s without the advice from your Dr.-I cannot emphasize this more!

 

Many people walk around every day with aneurysms and what they watch for is growth and how fast it is growing.  Any invasive procedure can cause harm, and if they are not growing, there is no immediate threat.  My father had an abdominal aortic aneurysm for years and when he passed away last March, it was from a massive MI, not his aneurysm-that was intact and he lived to be 79.

 

Hugs, Teri tongue

 

Please be careful of advice that you hear and what you give, none of us are Dr.'s and none of us know the specifics of the other member's health here on the board.  I would never want to lead anyone astray and always encourage talking to your Dr.'s and asking them the questions.

Posted 6/16/2005 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
PS I'm on Zocor-my Dr. just took me off of it to show me that even though my CPK was normal, he felt that the Zocor was causing me my problems! I've been off of it a week and feel every single ache that I did before, so I don't believe for one moment that it's from the Zocor. Just as many people have problems with other statins-the only study to suggest otherwise, I reported on the board here, and they said that Crestor causes more problems.
Teri
Posted 6/16/2005 6:55 PM (GMT 0)

Wanted to share that Lipitor really did  a number on me. Thought I was going to die. sad   Zorcor was a lil better but not much.  Pravachol a lil better but still felt bad.

Crestor is the only med that I have not suffered from. (yet)  I tweek between 10mg and 5 mg (cutting them in half) and my LDL is finally under 90 where doctor wanted it.  Crestor brought the LDL down from 130 to 87 in about 6-7 weeks time where it remains today. T. Cholesterol is 185 which never got that low on the other meds.

Good Luck to all.

Posted 6/17/2005 12:33 AM (GMT 0)
I would never stop my statin. I was questioning the increase. He doubled the amount.
Posted 6/17/2005 2:01 AM (GMT 0)
I was on Lipitor last winter and had the same problem...muscle weakness...I went off it as well...I did tell my doctor...I would never put my complete faith in any person with out research first (myself)...Doctors are not Gods...you'd have to be crazy...you as well as your doctor should make decisions together...But that's just my opinion!!!

Posted 6/17/2005 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
I trust my doctor, but I am not assertive enough when I talk to him. I feel intimidated at times. I don't think he intends to do that, but it's my issue. I was glad I had the list of questions that Teri helped me create, but I forgot to ask a couple of them, and then when he changed things the reasons he gave seemed logical (i.e., the increase in lipitor). It was afterwards that I wished I had asked if I lost weight if that would be as effective as adding more lipitor.
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