I've been feeling weak and dizzy for about a month. Then my heart started pumping funny and I was short of breath. I saw my GP for a sinus infection and he put me on Doxycycilene (sp?) for 10 days. My BP was 120/80. Finished the antibiotic last week. Then on Monday I sort of fainted. Sort of, because I didn't go completely out - just saw black for a moment and fell down. On Wednesday I just felt so weak and weird I had my husband take me to the ER.
When I got there my BP was 186/89. They did a urinalysis, CBC, chest x-ray and EKG. Nothing. Everything normal. They gave me a bag of saline and when my BP got down to 161/83 they sent me home (after 7 hours). Then I slept all night and most of Thursday. They said "nothing strenuous, rest, lots of water and call your GP." I'm supposed to ask for some sort of monitor thingy you wear for 24-48 hours. Of course, I didn't call, but I haven't had any episodes since getting home.
I wonder if it could just be stress - the grandkids are driving me crazy - fighting, whining, can't wait for Christmas, etc. I've been crying a lot. I really hate this time of year. I miss my parents and my brother (all deceased) and my sister whom I haven't seen in 7 years. She's in NV and I'm in OK and neither has the money to make the trip. My husband is down too as he misses his parents this time of yr. His parents are gone too and his Mom was crazy about Christmas - family, baking, decorating, lights, tons of presents & so on.
What kind of doc should I see if it starts up again? The most pain I am having is my stupid neck. The GP said it was just swollen glands - par for the Sjogren's course. But it bothers me 24/7. It's not really swollen on the outside - it hurts on the INside.
Advice? Thanks in advance.
LeoLady (Melinda)
I am going to suggest at least a Chiropractor for your neck. There is a blood vessel that feeds your brain that can be pinched. For me the cold causes a splinting action in my neck muscles and that will cut off blood to my brain. It may be one side or both. I may or may not black out. I will use meditation to bring my heart rate down.
It could be you have a severe infection and may need a couple of doses of antibiotics.
My advice is that you get to a doctor--see your GP first I would think. When you have a blood pressure that is that high, no matter what the cause, you need to have it assessed. Blood pressure medication may be in order and since most of it is generic now that is a cheap way to help keep you healthier. And, it is possible that you have an infection that is not cleared up. I don't think you should let this one slide on by.
Now, ahhhh, Christmas!!! The happiest time of the year! Well, I am going to be 68 and I have found that Christmas is the time of the year that I feel quite sad. All our parents are gone and hubby and I don't have hardly any realtives left. We have our 3 kids and wives and the 5 grandchildren and love them all. But they come and then they go home. It can be very lonely sitting, just the 2 of you, thinking of days gone by.
I loved Christmas when the kids were little and I baked and fixed the tree, etc. Now, some years no tree cause we don't feel well enough. All I can say is that I understand your stress and your heartache. I don't blame you at all for feeling sad and alone. The only thing I can suggest is to try going to the senior center to volunteer if you are able. Any place to get out of the house and talk with people.
I just love talking with people in my age group and talking about years gone by. I can be such an uplifting experience as we are all able to talk the same language it brings back those old happy feelings. This world we live in now is too fast and even if we are hard up there are too many things that we think we should have or that we think we need. It makes for more stress.
Turn the radio on some Christmas music and just sit and let it flow through your body. We have all those good memories and sometimes we do just need to sit and remember---and if we cry so what. Then we just get up and keep on keeping on. Just like they did when they were here on earth with us.
I hope that you can get to feeling better and get that blood pressure down. I know that you and a lot of other people will be happy to have Christmas over with. Too much stress on all us at times. For some reason some years are worse than others and I don't understand that at all. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this holiday season. Irish ;D
Sending you some soft and gentle
( ( ( ( ( H U G S ) ) ) ) )
my friend and I sure hope things can settle down for you soon.
Take extra special care of yourself -
Patze
Oh Sweetest LeoLady (aka Melinda)
My joking side wants to say it's that Partridge in a Pear Tree you take every day! They're all upset about the holidays, too.
Seriously however.
Sinus Infection:
Sinus infections are very serious things, especially for people with Sjogren's.
AND antibiotics can play havoc with your entire system.
I have had sinus infections that have been the beginning of two or three months of agony.
Cascade Effect:
Once one system goes wonky, I have found, other delicate systems start going down to one degree or another.
We are really a very complex balance, and even the antibiotic which helps one system can throw another one off.
Do follow up with the appropriate medical attention. Erratic heart beat and blood pressure may be the result of autonomic neuropathy, or a host of other things.
THE CHRISTMAS SHOW:
The Christmas Show is an enormous stress for the producer/director, namely YOU.
Most of us are trying to recreate or create the ''perfect" Christmas experience for our loved ones.
Extra shopping, staying up late to cook, cleaning, writing cards, going to parties, spending too much money no matter what, PEOPLE and their demands, desires, and their own stress.
Just when it keeps getting darker and colder every day.
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST
My father was killed in WWII, when I was two years old.
Christmas IS about the intact nuclear family. The Iconic scene is father, mother and baby.
For me Christmas carried enormous pain, as it was yet another reminder that my Daddy was gone.
My mother and father were both only children, and both grandfathers died by the time I was 5.
My mother did not remarry until I was 25.
For me Christmas carries a terrible grief inside, which has only increased with more and more deaths, and all of the changes and moves I have made in my 68 years.
For years I threw myself into Christmas as a way of distracting myself from the pain.
Now I let it be, do what I can and try to keep it simple, and focus my mind beyond Christmas. With three moves this year and a series of unfortunate incidents, I'm having trouble doing this, but I try not to beat myself up about that, either.
HAIL THE NEW YEAR
OK, for me the end of one year and the beginning of another feels like hitting a stone wall. Lots of looking back and evaluating my progress or lack thereof, a feeling that time is slipping away (which it IS. of course. in one sense), and a sense of pressure about making the new year better.
I know they are just days on a calendar. Artificial markings of time. In truth, this moment here, that I am sharing with you, is all there ever is. But we are all very geared to making time work for us, using time, owning time, managing time. And at this pinnacle of the calendar, this major junction, I feel like I'm rushing towards a huge wall, smashing into it and through it.
And it makes me tired, sad, lonely, depressed. I call it my Christmas Pain. But it includes the New Year.
I don't know if you have this, too, or a piece of it. But this is such a difficult time of year, over blown in most ways, a product of too much advertising, and too many expectations, IMHO.
Keep us posted Melinda, on what develops.
Kisses
Elaine
Elaine--thank you for sharing your Christmas experience---good to talk/hear about these things so we can keep things in perspective.
As for me, I gave up celebrating Christmas when I left home at 18---wasn't into it anymore and was mixed up and unhappy. My two husbands (successive, that is) are Jewish----and non holiday celebrators---so Xmas is just another day for us. I don't have the pressure to "perform" at Christmas time. I haven't done the Christmas thing for so long that it doesn't have much emotional power over me, and the attachment I do have is based on memories from when I was in elementary school.
Back then, the excitement was centered around having a whole bunch of vacation time off from school and doing big "craft" projects with my sister. Our dining room table was the staging area for casting and painting plaster nativity figures, for drawing, for folding origami, etc. Kind of a slowed-down time characteristic of the 1950-60's---not as demanding for kids and for parents, I think.
Yesterday I was talking about this with the assistant in my endocrinologist's office---a woman with two young daughters. She said she was amazed when her girls told her that what they wanted for Christmas was to learn how to crochet! So I guess not every kid is having to get the latest electronic toy.
C
Don't wait, please. you may be having intermittant cardiac arrhythmia's. Irregular heart beats. Some can be deadly. I know it's hard during the Holidays but depending on the type of arrhythmia the next one could be near fatal or worse. There's plenty of time to get tested before The Holidays. The tests usually run 24-48 hrs. The equipment is not at all uncomfortable. It did not even disturb my sleep. My problems were minor but I once had a patient who was young & healthy. Passed out while at work doing construction. Initial screening showed no cause. MD was very through but wanted him monitored for 48 hours. This was before we had the portable home monitors. So he was in ICU. Christmas eve was the end of the 48 hrs. As the doctor was driving in to discharge him, I caught a episode of complete heart block. I only lasted for a few seconds. The next one could be fatal. So we had his Christmas in ICU. Whole family & Tree & family brought their feast in too. He was Our only Patient, so we bent the rules. The day after Christmas we transfered him to a larger regional center for a pacemaker. At the worse, there's still time to be monitored & even get a pacemaker before Christmas week.
Leolady~
I hope you get some answers! I have not experienced what you have with the blood pressure and heart things, but I think the others are right...you need to get to the bottom of it asap! It could be very serious! Remember a lot of people on the forum test negative across the board...doesn't mean that something is not going on that could be critical to your health!
You have family here for the holidays! Im sorry you have lost so many people in your life, but you're far from alone on this caring site! Keep us posted!
Sha~ who is sending you good ~vibes~!:)
Oh:( , poor LeoLady.
I just wanted to send you some big hugs and let you know that I am thinking of you.
leo lady~me too...all the good thoughts i can muster are comin' ur way sweets! (((hugs))) & of course a smooch! :-*
me & sha lost our mama in 2004!i TOTALY understand hon! we all feel it just isn't x~mas w/out her! (she was & is our angel) she passed away on my papas b~day & me & hubbys anniversary...her way of gettin' a party each year is what we think!
i am sorry 4 ur loss hon...the absence of sum1 so dear ta our heart cums crashin' back hard this time of year! i almost wanna skip the holidays all tagether but since she's past i do gobble day spread & x~mas...papa & sha's kiddos wouln't put up w/ that!
is there a reason u didn't go in? just cause u haven't had an episode since doesn't mean u don't have sumthin' serious goin' on! if u can afford it
(like any of us can) what would it hurt? they could send u home the same way OR they could actually find the root of the problem!
good luck & good thoughts comin' atcha!
~*flutterfly*~
Melinda, a/k/a/ LeoLady -
What jumped out at me was the "thingy" you mention that you did not call about.
It's a Holter monitor, and I'd strongly suggest that you do that.
Do you have a cardiologist, or did one see you in the ER?
It could be something other than cardiovascular, but why take the chance.
Did they check your carotid arteries by ultrasound?
Did they do MRI or MRA with contrast?
Reason I mention these things is because my husband has been dealing with cardiovascular issues since 2001, and just recently found out he has a rather serious blockage that's going to be surgeried a little later this month. He had no symptoms of his only heart attack back then, just a little nausea. His blockage was better than 90%.
Really sorry to hear that you're feeling so down in the dumps - hopefully that will pass after the Holidays. Won't go into my saga - this is your topic.
Good luck from,
Lily
Thanks for the responses, advice and good wishes everyone. I think I will call my GP in the morning and get in to see him. He'll let me know if I should see a cardiologist.
My Dad had a pacemaker for irregular heartbeat, so maybe I inherited that. I'll find out. I don't like the uncertainty as I know something is wrong/different. I'll update everyone when I learn something.
Thanks again for caring.
Hugs,
LeoLady
Good luck LeoLady! And don't forget to keep us updated, okay?
Take care of yourself -
Patze