Damn, Mama Z, my bad cholesterol jumped 100 points just reading that last post of yours!:eek:
You want to know how the cath went? So would I.
She had it, but other than the fact that there’s something wrong, I’m afraid that all we came away with is that her left ventricle is “stiff”, and that all the symptoms that D is having indicate hat further tests are necessary. I’m going to collar one of the friendlier nurses and ask her to look at the report for us, because what the guy who performed the procedure told us, isn’t worth a shit as far as a definitive diagnosis is concerned.
He DID say he wanted to do another echocardiogram on her as soon as she once again has a normal sinus rhythm. And he DID say he thought that all he symptoms presented (the swellling of the legs, the chest tightness and SOB and the atrial fib) are all indicative of PH (pulmonary hypertension). Duh.
Back to her primary care guy (the Nephrologist): he wants to cancel the cholecystectomy (gall bladded removal), because it isn’t an emergency. She has pain, yes. She has stones, yes, but he wants her to go home, make an appointment to see a surgeon and start all over.
No. Quasi, don’t play dat. She’s here. She’s been here a week tomorrow, and I’m not taking her home only to go through this again, and I’ll see an ombudsman before I allow her to be discharged in the same condition as she came in.
So as the day comes to a close Monday, that’s where we are, Mama Z and everyone.:rolleyes:
I can actually see the logic in not jumping to the gallbladder surgery if other stuff isn’t resolved yet - the other stuff makes the gallbladder surgery all that much riskier. But “other stuff isn’t resolved yet” is exactly why she’s THERE, dammit!
Have they decided that the pain is definitely from the gallbladder? And is it still going on? When mine flared, I was fortunate in that the pain went on for 3 evenings (and abated after a few hours each time) then stopped; the worst was it caused some liver involvement and that caused itching (cholestasis) and THAT was the intolerable part.
The pain she has is coming partially from her neck (the reason for the cervical fusuion which got postponed because of the heart issue-the pulmonary hypertension) and the pain she has when the gallbladder is palpated. Since I last posted, we found out that she has sludge combined with stones in her gallbladder.
She’s in normal sinus rhythm at the present time, and will have the echo in the am, just as a precaution, but right now, she’s signed the consent for the choly and it’s on. It just bothers me that no one can track down the cause for the pulmonary hypertension. She still has the quad lumen in place from the cath earlier today, so if they have to go back in with a cath, it will be quick and easy.
I agree that we have to be careful with the heart issues, but all vitals are good and they’re watching the cardiac labs, so if it has to be called off, so be it. But, if the heart issues do continue, I’d like her moved to ICU where she can get one on one care - even though she’s on telemetry.
I don’t like that the docs seem so indecisive, and her Nephrologist was on the verge of discharging her this morning, so I’m glad the cardiac docs are still on the case.
I try to listen really carefully to what is being said, but other than the “stiff ventricle”, I haven’t heard anything that sounds like a cause.
Bottom line is I’m confused as to why all this is happening with her and it scares me a little that the docs are unable to come up with a cause for the symptoms.
I thought for sure the cath would have showed something that could have been fixed, and based my insistence on the choly on that.
Those indefinite diagnoses (or non-diagnoses) are the effin’ WORST :(.
When’s the chole?
Be warned, she’ll be hating life for roughly 24 hours afterward (actually from about 12 to 36 hours afterward) because of the gas they use to blow up the stomach. It’ll basically feel like every shoulder and upper chest muscle got a hell of an unexpected workout. Then it goes away. As long as they’re good with the pain meds - a friend had hers yanked the same week I did and I got way better drugs than she did - and frankly recovered (and was off them) much sooner as a result.
Oh boy. I’ve been away, down to visit my grandfather for his 90th. I know Dondra means the world to you, Quasi, and I’m glad things seem… at least, stable now.
I once brushed my teeth, then used the toothpaste again for shaving cream. I want you to think about how that wound up. Oh GOD that stung.
I think what’s happening is that people are forgetting that both of us have a great deal of medical knowledge, even though it’s in the pulmonary field.
D is currently in surgery for gall bladder removal, and after that, we don’t know, going home tomorrow, or what?
I’ve been given a pager like the one you get in restaurants, and I’ll get signalled for updates, end of surgery and consultation. I’ll check in again later.
Kemi, I hope your Jayceson is doing better, and it sure was nice hearing from you earlier last week.
D is out of surgery and in the recovery room. Her surgeon will be by later to talk to us. Still waiting on her echocardiogram to be done. More than that (going home, etc.) I don’t know about yet.
I just spoke with D’s surgeon, Dr. Lighfoot, who told me the surgery went well, handed me a set of pictures that showed her gall bladder, whuich, he said, was five times normal size and filled with sludge and stones.
I can’t scan the picture for you (and you may not want me to, anyway), but you might want to google a normal sized one and imagine it 5 times that large. I don’t have anything to scale it to.
She’s still in recovery, but will be at home in bed for 14 days, I am told.
Can you imagine what might have happened, had we gone home and made an appointment to see a surgeon and THEN had the surgery???
