So Sad, Thanks for sharing your story, I am sorry you had to go through that medical hell. You are right on the money with your statements. Complicated pericarditis is life altering as I went through...
Ken... I am sorry to hear that Elvina has had to endure so much in such a short time. It is a tremendous test of strength for the whole family, I am sure. I will continue to pray for Elvina and a...
Elisha... Thank you for starting the new thread. Michael... I know what you are going thru with the pain that seems to have no end. The cardiologists that I have consulted all feel that the pain is...
Mike... Sorry to hear of your pericarditis. Your doctors are correct. If you have active acute pericarditis, you should not aggravate it. Did your blood work come out positive for current active...
Louise, Did the doctors try to drain the fluid such as perform a pericardial window? I know what you mean by the pain is different. The pain I have now have appears to be chronic somewhat dull and...
Welcome Louise, I am sorry to hear you have gone through so much. Abnormal pericardial fluid buildup can lead to cardiac tamponade or constrictive pericarditis, so ask your MD. Last summer I had...
Ken... I am glad to hear Dr Nishimura was able to comfort Elvina with his updated assessment. I can only imagine how low she feels as I felt weakness, lightheadedness, etc. in addition to pain last...
Ken... It was a pleasure to meet you and Elvina. Knowing that she has such strong family and friends support is comforting to Elvina I am sure. I am glad the doctors took the last tube out, it was...
Tea... I have had so many echocardiograms done I have lost count but none of them were able to detect the fluid. Only the CT scan was able to reveal it but I could feel it last year wheras I cannot...
Welcome AmyDB... Sorry to hear of Williams's struggle with recurrent pericarditis. I found and read your independent thread, maybe the modurator Elisha can bring it over to this thread. I can...
Hi Ken... Sounds like Elvina is getting the best care possible right now in ICU. I plan to be in Minneapolis this Friday and I would like to meet you and see how Elvina is doing since I think...
Ken... I am going to pray that Elvina gets through these difficulties soon. Please try to stay positive. John...
Ken... I am happy to hear that surgery was successful for Elvina with no complications. How long was the actual procedure? It was brilliant that the surgeon was able to catch another problem and fix...
Ken... Mayo clinic has the world's most advanced techniques and if you have traveled this far you know Elvina has the best chance here. I will pray for her to do well with the pericardiectomy. Keep...
Hi Kenneth... Appreciate the updates, glad to hear things are moving along smoothly. You stated Elvina has had cardiac catherization performed previously but were they not diagnostic of constriction?...
Tea... My diagnosis was recurrent pericarditis last year but this year I saw Dr Oh at Mayo in Minnesota. He acknowledges my pain but my blood work, CT scans, MRI's, and echos are normal. Only my EKG...
Tea1234... Sorry to hear of your recurrent pericarditis. It sounds like doctors have tried almost everything. This is the first time I have heard of using azothiaprine which I believe is an...
Elvina, I am happy for you that there can be resolution to your heart conditions now. Actually I will be seeing Dr Oh at Mayo in 2 weeks. I plan to stay at the Hampton Inn which had good reviews from...
Mrozek... How are you feeling? Always good to hear from you and the good information you provide. Interesting link, you must do plenty of research. However I intepreted the article as 250...
Christine, Thanks for sharing your surgical experience with us, it is helpful to all of us who read the posts. I believe this pericardial rub should resolve itself once the inflammation goes down,...
Thanks Cathy for your reply. I do not think I can get a doctor to write for morphine. Getting a prescript ion for Motrin 600 was the strongest my doctor would write for since he was concerned with GI...
Christine... Good to hear you have survived and on the road to recovery. Sounds like Mayo discharged you after the minimum 5 days. When you feel up to it, please give us an idea of what the surgery...
Wayne... I think your family's strategy of getting your sister well and then getting treated at one of the experienced centers is a good strategy. Even the open heart surgeons locally would rather...
Cathy... Always fascinating reading your posts. Seven months but feels like seven years that tells a lot. I happy to hear that you are feeling so well as if you never had the CP. Are you sleeping...
Hi Nan... How is everything with your business? I think in regard to getting emails from HW, you almost have to indicate after each time you post that you want to be notified of a new subsequent...
CAthy... It is frustrating to me as I have seen Dr Klein and Dr Shabetai probaly the top two pericardial experts in the country. I also saw Dr Mookhadam who is now in Arizona's Mayo Clinic. I have...
Gerry... It is great news that you are on the road to recovery. I was a little concerned when we did not hear from you. My appointment in Cleveland was rescheduled but I did finally see Dr Klein and...
Christine... Sorry to hear about your sleepless nights. Last summer I had trouble sleeping when my heart rate was abnormally increased due to the pericarditis. I tried 2 pillows and sleeping in a...
Scott... Good to hear from you, was wondering how you were doing. You are so right about CP sometimes being a waiting game because that is the way I feel. I went to Mayo and to Cleveland but since my...
Les... Sorry to hear that your decision to visit Cleveland, is subject to budget cuts. In a perfect world this would not be the case. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a favorable decision....
Les... I read that there are patients who are able to have a pericardiectomy after having a bypass surgery. Was your bypass performed differently? Mrozek... Nice of you to keep us updated after all...
Yes Nan, thanks for your input. You may also find this link interesting regarding Toni Braxton who developed acute pericarditis around the time she was pregnant but the doctors were fortunate enough...
One additional note Cathy, I believe the common denominator is not necessarily the fever, but anything that even can cause damage to the pericardium whether it be physical or infective. Because when...
Hi Folks, hope everyone had a good thanksgiving weekend, we probaly shopped more than we ate. Cathy, I believe my pericardium problem can be traced back to a major trauma to the chest area from a...
If anyone else is interested, I believe this is the appropriate link. http://www.wellnessbooks.com/cgi-bin/search.pl?Operation=ItemSearch&Keywords=David+Spodick&SearchIndex=Books&templates=search John...
Jennifer... The doctor's name is David Spodick and his books are available from healingwell.com's bookstore. I am actually in Chicago but Dr Saad recommended Dr Spodick and his books so I thought...
Gerry, I am not sure where you are located but if you are in Massachusetts, I just found out that Dr David Spodick from St Vincent Hospital in Worchester has written books on the pericardium and...
Gerry, Sorry to hear that you have suffered with this condition for so long. How frequently did your doctors perform heart echos on you during this time? Do you feel any pain/pressure or heart...
Hello Everyone Old And New, Nice to hear that your recoveries are going well. My visit with Dr Shabetai in San Diego went well as the heart echo did not reveal constriction. However I do feel changes...
Hey Mister S. Thanks for your reply to my question. Weight loss in the face or sunken cheeks is what people are telling me and I was already thin up there to begin with. I do not seem to feel the...
Specky...good luck, thoughts will be with you but I know you will emerge from the surgery felling better than ever and be enthusiastically telling us all about it. Also has anyone experienced only...
Mrozek, Boy you sure have gathered a great deal of information, I am especially impressed with your knowledge of the details. Like yourself, I do not think I fit the typical CP profile either. I am...
Brenda...congrats on making it home. Am glad the ER scare was not serious. Sounds like you were treated well at Mayo. How severe were your symptoms prior to surgery? Mrozek...you were at 5-7mm 2...
Mrozek...when you were given the "wait and see approach" last year what symptoms were you experiencing and how has the condition progressed in the year's time? My doctor says to try to function as...
Hi everyone and welcome Specky, Well I have returned from Mayo. They put me thru the usual series of tests blood labs including sedimentation rate, EKG, chest X-ray, echo, and Ct scan. Only the CT...
Mrozek...good link with some sobering photos. I know you looked into several hospitals, what made you decide on Cleveland? When you were diagnosed with pericardial effusion, is it better to drain it...
Cathy...I read your posts with admiration because I believe you are a survivor and will always find a way! Teri...our society places a great deal of attention to superstar athletes and famous...
Thanks for your insight Henk, I've had 2 stress echoes and 2 regular echoes since last Feb but nothing showing up only trivial mitral regurgitation. Yes, a CT scan is my next step. Well Teri, back in...
Hello ladies and gents, Although I have been following this thread for about a month now and have read thru all 5 parts, this is my first post. I have found the posts informative and inspirational. I...