Bandit, This is a fairly frequent problem, and one I have posted on in the past. You might want to do a search here for pvcs and see what turns up....
Allen, We use Framingham here pretty often. The biggest complaint we have about it is that it is from Framingham Mass, which means the vast majority of the people are Caucasian, European, males --...
JH is one of the top training hospitals in the nation, but I do not know their experience with pericardectomies. However, that being said, I am sure they will have very capable people there to do...
Do not know anything about arginine. It has been well studied in rabbits, but the human data is very limited. Sorry. I think it would be safe to take with your other medicines, but that is just an...
UAB probably does have some of the best in the Southeast. Good luck at UAB....
Vincent, first off, I know they are uncomfortable and annoying, but be reassured, they are not life-threatening. Secondly, I agree with the beta-blocker, if you can tolerate it. Probably the best...
RJ, Sorry I did not respond before this. I am taking a cardiac MRI class in St. Louis during the week, so am traveling every weekend and did not see your postings until today. I do not know much...
Hurlbabe, I hope you have had an echocardiogram to look at your heart to determine if you have systolic dysfunction or diastolic dysfunction. Lupus can cause both types. Unfortunately, it is usually...
Dreamgirl, Not sure what mt lad is. Is that mid lad? Again, after stenting usually patients are fairly safe from sudden death from acute heart attack (as long as they continue their aspirin and/or...
Dreamgirl, Fish oils are wonderful. However, make sure you are buying a reputable brand and not some generic fish oil -- the way they extract the oil can concentrate any mercury/PCB's that is in the...
RJ, Data is very limited on the use of radiation in patients with drug eluting stents. In addition, radiation has fallen by the wayside pretty much in most interventional labs. It takes a certain...
Aldo, First, thank you for the compliments, but please remember, that I am making an educated guess/assumptions, and we all know what assume does. /community/emoticons/tongue.gif Seriously though,...
hearty, We know that even "high-normal" blood pressures increase your risk for heart attack and stroke. http://toronto.fashion-monitor.com/news.php/health/2006012302high-blood-pressure (Not a medical...
Aldo, First off, I do not accept payment here, as I am not seeing you as a patient, nor anyone else here--I am only offering advice. Secondly, your pictures are nice (and yes, this is the front left...
Aldo, 2.75 stent is one of those border zones. Again, I am not taking care of you, so your physician is who I would defer to in regards to this, but if your chest pain has become significant enough...
"The $415 million federal study involved almost 49,000 women between the ages of 50 to 79 who were followed for eight years." The one problem I have with this study is a to determine cancer...
Amiee, Not sure what you mean by a "sticky" heart valve--unless you mean stenosis of a valve. They should have been able to pick up some details about the heart valve on a transthoracic...
Dale, You will be getting a metallic valve, as you are 48. If you were a lot older (65 or older) you probably would get a tissue valve. The reason this is, is that the tissue valves deteriorate and...
Aldo, yes, the new 64-slice scanners are wonderful -- HOWEVER, the one thing they do not tell you is the radiation exposure, as well as the dye load. The new 64 slice scanner has a radiation exposure...
Aldo, Metformin does decrease the incidence of developing diabetes, but there are inherent risks in taking the medication--I do not know Allen's creatinine, or his liver status. Both of those could...
Allen, Perhaps your doctor has heard about metformin slowing progression of onset of diabetes, however, lifestyle changes were better than metformin itself--and judging by previous notes by you--you...
Allen, I see this frequently--especially in patients who have had a heart attack, or have had a stent--they are much more aware of their cardiac status, and hence "notice" chest pains more...
Elisha, It is difficult for a bubble study to show a ventricular septal defect, unless there is some significant right to left flow--that is easier to demonstrate in the atrium, as both chambers are...
Leonda, Was the diagnosis made by echocardiogram? If so, take a copy of the study (not just the report) to another cardiologist and have him look at the study -- if it was just made by clinical exam,...
Glenda, MVP in males is worse than in females, as the disease progresses quicker in males--so he will need to have regular follow-up, but the timing for surgery is not for MVP, but when there is a...
The Maze procedure is done by cardiothoracic surgeons who have to open the heart and burn parts of it to create "mazes" in the upper atrium to stop the atrial extra beats. This is not really a...
Hopeso, I do not believe you have SVT (supraventricular tachycardia). Your colon was taken out 3 months ago--and you probably still have an ileostomy with diarrhea--you are probably volume depleted...
Not sure how anyone could tell you Morgan David did not count. The data for wine and alcohol is poor (population trials--no randomized control trials) and show that alcohol (not just red wine) is...
Bill, Most people are not on plavix that long post stenting--the best trial for Plavix looked at at least 3 months, but up to a year was beneficial. One of the fears with these new drug eluting...
Elisha, I would go see the MS specialist--there is recent data that suggests that people CAN go into a MRI with a pacemaker. http://www.imrser.org/PDF/JACC.PACEMAKERS.MRI.pdf...
Allen, Best advice I can give you is lose weight--and keep in a cardiac rehab program--even if there is an extra cost (not sure how England does it--but in America, most rehab programs will let you...
Emma, First off, do not apologize for posting this question. It is important for family members to get support in addition to the patients of heart attacks. Especially someone so young having an...