I know this is a tiny bit off topic, but since a bunch of us are hypothyroid, I figured I would add in what I've learned. The "levels" that are measured when you go in for a thyroid panel are:...
Boy, has it ever been a long time... /community/emoticons/tongue.gif Nan, Cathy, Mrozek, and all the other old timers: good to see you're still around and kicking! To all the newcomers: welcome, and...
Hey, Nan. Yes---it was me who saw a hematologist. In my case, my red blood cell count was higher than it should have been. (This was happening b/c my body thought it wasn't getting enough oxygen, and...
Hey, everybody. Thanks, Teri, for looking that stuff up for me. I figure that the feeling hot thing has got to do with the pleural effusion/scarring thing. Or the fact that I am on lasix. Or some...
Hey, Teri! Thanks for helping to hold this whole thing together. I'm interested to hear from Cathy, too.... As for me, I'm doing fine. Have been working out again. Occasional SOB, such as when going...
Scott, Glad to be of help, and I do definitely recommend that you call Starnes. He really is one of the very best, and I know that doctors from all over the west (i.e., all around Souther Cal,...
Hey, Scott. Sorry to hear that you've come down with this, but I'm glad you found your way to the board. Cathy did say at one point that Cedars turned her away, or something along those lines, but as...
Mrozek! Here's to you, and to a swift and speedy recovery! Get well soon! Bonedoc--- Welcome (as it were) to the board, but I'm sorry that you've come down with this nasty syndrome. Given my...
Hey, Cathy. Good to hear from you, even if you're not feeling so well. RE: your question about the scar, I know that some people try vitamin E, and then of course there are all those scar-specific...
Shay, I'm very sorry to hear that you've been afflicted with this nasty syndrome, but I'm glad that you found us. Teri is entirely right re: age and heart trouble. I had a pericardiectomy (or "Heart...
Hi, everybody. Re: the scarring. I think I'm with Nan on this one---I kind of like my scar! But then again, one of my colleagues told me that "Real men have scars," which is *exactly* what I wanted...
Hey, Maya. Glad to hear from you again, even though that's bum news about your BF. RE: your question, it's worth keeping in mind that Constrictive Pericarditis has a clear, physiological set of...
Hi, everyone. Sorry to hear you've been having so much pain, Cathy! Hope you feel better soon. Nan--- So nice to hear that you had a good time. It does feel good to walk, doesn't it? RE: your...
Hi, Teri. Thanks for checking in on me. I am doing fine, and I did call my dr. He had me get a chest x-ray and and EKG. My heart rhythm appears normal, and so I can't really explain the palpitations....
Hi, everybody. I had a quick question. For anyone who's ever experienced shortness of breath---What does it feel like? Are you breathing harder, like you just sprinted 50 yards? Or does it simply...
Hey, love. Sorry to hear that you're in for a TEE. I had to undergo one of those a little while back while my docs were trying to confirm a diagnosis of constrictive pericarditis. Of course I did not...
Hi, everyone. RE: the metal detector. My doc told me that it totally depends. Some airports use equipment that's more sensitive, and so there's a chance that you *will* set off the alarm. The wire...
Hey, John. I definitely had weightloss in my face. People kept telling me that I looked like I had lost weight, even though, according to the scale, I had actually gained weight. And, just like...
Specky, Don't worry about it at all! That's at least one of the reasons that a message board like this exists. RE: the Prednisone. My cardiologists put me on it 8 weeks prior to surgery on the basis...
Hi, everyone. Specky---best of luck to you on your upcoming 'big day.' I can answer a couple of your questions. Today is exactly eight weeks after my surgery, so my sternum is "officially" healed,...
/community/emoticons/confused.gif Ayeshh! Didn't mean to confuse anyone. I actually didn't *read* the surgical report or anything; I just saw that time written down on one of the pages in my chart...
Teri, Yeah, I think it is a ventricle that they cut into. This is for anybody who goes on the bypass machine. The surgeon has to make incisions in the aorta (so they can put blood back into the body)...
Teri--- Yes, I was on the bypass machine for the surgery. I guess sometimes they can do the operation w/o the machine, but usually not, since it's tough to peel the pericardium off of a pulsating...
Teri, Cathy is absolutely right: you are the best. You rock, and I think I speak for everybody when I say that what you do is just plain great. You are a saint. And poor Cathy! I hope your sore...
Hang in there, Cathy! /community/emoticons/cool.gif I guess I can relate a little bit... When I first awakened from surgery, I had horrible cotton mouth, and pretty nasty chapped lips. (I guess they...
Cathy! So glad to hear that you're back among us. Good to hear that you're surgery went well, and that you're now on the mend. Strange, though, that your nurse was so evil... There's a special place...
Hi, everyone. Cathy---hope all is well. I would imagine that you are out of the ICU by now, and that they'll be discharging you sometime in the next few days! Fran and Maya.... Yes... the sac that...
Hi, everybody. Best of luck, Cathy! You'll get through this just fine, and as soon as you wake up from surgery, you will, I believe, feel a great deal better---mentally, at any rate. Nan---great to...
Hi, all---and hello to Mrozek. Glad you enjoyed those earlier posts, and in response to your earlier question: there was a guy who had his operation done in San Francisco some time ago. You can find...
Hi, everybody! Sorry I haven't posted sooner, but I just haven't felt up to it until now. I've been taking quite a bit of Vicodin, and it takes a big toll on my ability to concentrate. I was released...
Nan! I was hoping you'd drop in. I really enjoyed (I know that 'enjoyed' isn't really the right word...) reading your posts, because you've got a gift for describing things clearly. And yeah---what,...
Thanks, Teri---you are the absolute best. Honestly, how would this site even be possible without you? You are a rock! Cathy, Yes---my surgery is Tuesday morning, at 7:30. I'm having it done at...
Cathy, Sorry to hear that you're so worn out / stressed. I would imagine that the sheer length of time that you've had to deal with all this stuff really doesn't help. You've mentioned your atrial...
Hey again, Les. That's interesting. I was always troubled by the nausea early in the morning too. At first I figured that it was related to the medication (i.e., the furosemide/lasix), but then,...
Hey, Les. It sounds like you're getting good care. Oddly enough, I was also told the exact same thing by my GP: that I was an "enigma." Most of the articles I've read say that CP "represents a...
Pat, Betsy, Teri, Cathy--- Thanks! You all are terrific. Re: the liver---it doesn't feel like a balloon or anything like that, it's just that I'm more *aware* of that area, if that makes sense. It...
Hi, everyone. I only just discovered this forum a few days ago, and I'm glad I did. I'm a 26 yr. old male w/ constrictive pericarditis, and I'm heading into surgery on Tuesday, May 31st. The...