The problem with the stockings is I have dermatitis, tight coverings in those area exacerbate the issue. I don't wear socks due to this. Don't drink and I've killed off my coffee habit. I have one now and again just because I enjoy the flavor.
As difficult as it might be I think I agree with Dave, you need to find another Doc. When I was having my "issues" I went to the ER on 5 different occasions - each time they told my I wasn't having a heart attack - and I wasn't, fortunately. But I sure as hell had all the symptoms. Finally an *ahem* older Doc came in and talked to me - he said I needed to get scoped and right now - I agreed and he did it and found one occluded artery - the others were wide open and had no problems. - but that one was 95% and could have killed me. One stent later and I'm as good as new except for those miserable meds they had me on. But he worked with me on the meds too and eventually got me evened out. You need someone who will listen to you......
P.S. Lasix's should be taken in the morning not night time. You not going to move water out of you body all night while you lay asleep in bed...... unless you like getting up to pee every hour.
It is an interesting thing in working with a teaching hospital. Show up with a heart attack and you get some of the worlds best care. Highly talented and respected cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, nurses and staff take incredible care of you. All while one is a case study for students, fellows and interns. Then you are fixed up and out of their day to day care. Lots of education is proffered, followups with other specialists skill sets are made. Then you get back to your primary care doc in the university health care system. Because really, one does need to pick a system in one's region and work with them. At least it seems to me that is how health care is going to work for a while. This is where things get a little more iffy. My primary care doc was awesome, I saw him twice, he spent a lot of time with me learning all about me. Then, because he is an intern he rotated to another program for 3 months. Then he'll be back. Till then there is a revolving door of interns that are doing their 3 month here is what it is like to be PCP rotation. My regular doc has another two years as a PCP resident or intern or whatever it this stage is called. I get confused. I just know that long white coat = Doc, short white coat = student. Dealing with health care is its own little world, not one I've much experience in navigating. The curve is steep. It can be rather time consuming as well. So far it is better than the alternative.
You're right it shouldn't be taken before bed. Lasix got it's name because it Lasts Six hours, hence Lasix. But, what you can do, if you're not in CHF, is take it at 3 pm, then you get rid of water between 3-9pm, and get rid of less when you lay down at night. I use this on my patients all the time if they have significant nocturia. It doesn't always work but it does help many. Foot elevation during the middle of the day also helps, but it's hard to get 30-60 minutes for most people to get their feet higher than their chest (unless they have a very frisky significant other, but that's a story for another time.). You actually DO move water at night when you go to bed, especially if you have lower extremity edema. The water you take in during the day settles into your hands, feet and ankles due to gravity, it gets worse as you get older, or with any venous insufficiency. You lay down, and then it's reabsorbed into your system, gravity is no longer working against you, and you have pee like a racehorse at night. So the less water in your lower extremities before you go to bed, the less you'll get up. If you measure your ankles first thing in the morning, and then measure them right before you go to bed, you'll notice they're noticeably larger just before bed, even most healthy people can measure a difference.
^^^ thanks for backing me up doc. My mother had CHF for a long time before it took her from us a few years ago. I was her primary at home caregiver and took her to all her appointments. I learned all about her meds and Lasix and when she should and should not take them. She had to take a lot of them because she retained A LOT of water in her calfs and ankles to other point they opened and seeped water. I had to have this had to be addressed by taking her the hospital wound center to have her legs wrapped weekly.
Damn Gravity...it's pulling me down! Anyway, I find a bit of catharsis by writing these posts that share how things are going. This is very odd for me as I'm not usually this public with a lot of my life at all. 1 to 1 or small group conversation, sure, but golly jeepers. Google and the Way Back Machine will end up grabbing this. Someday it will probably come back to bite me in ass somehow. Maybe to show how I was once mentally screwed up so therefore I am not fit to run for Dog Catcher... This past week has been a little better than the last two. Yet there is always some oddities with the good. I forgot both my money clip and phone when going out one night this week. Then I drove home at like 80-85MPH on I 71. Realized the lunacy of that after i got home... Did have a nice evening conversating (as the kids say) with friends while not falling to the temptations of Sonic. Big projects are still very hard to accomplish. I seem to lack the ability right now to wrap my head around and see the big picture as a whole. Lots of little things are being done though. My indoor plants look great and the jam selections have umm..well gotten a bit out of hand. Sleep is still a bit of a problem. Maybe this lack of fitful and restful sleep is why I've been feeling light headed the past few days. My Dad was a pharmacist. I grew up with a negatively skewed view of Eastern Medicine, meditation, yoga and the like. Mostly due to the fact that meditation doesn't sell prescription drugs. Having suspended these beliefs and taken a yoga class I'm ready to try more. I'm starting a course called Mindfulness in Motion next week. I've signed up for a Zhineng Qigong course that starts in mid-October. I can't pronounce it either. I knew that was the next question some of you had. Some in the back of the room, you had a question...Yeah, How am I paying for all this... I'm not sure who I should be thanking here, but The Ohio State College of Medicine through The James Comprehensive Cancer Center offer, AT NO CHARGE, a wide range of courses, lectures and other activities through the JamesCare for Life program offered to cancer survivors and their care givers. For those of you coming to the party a little later and wondering how a heart attack and bypass surgery qualify me a cancer survivor or care giver. The cancer thing was last summer's fun. That's all I got for now. I'm mentally drained today.
What he needs is a good Mantra. And it's painfully obvious that it should be: MANA....MANA.....MANA....MANA....
Those were the inspiration! Just put one on your wall, fixate on it and read it over and over. All your troubles will go away, and I've read the good karma translates into better AFR's at least an increase of 10WHP, shorter braking distances, and a reduced chance of yeast infections.
I'm not against either discipline (eastern v western medicine) but I sure am anti-pills! I have a meeting Tues with my new cardiologist to see if I can get off the last few I'm taking.....nothing would please me more than to replace pills with a good mantra.
Another week has passed so a little status report on me... Started a course - Mindfulness in Motion. I'm keeping a very open mind with this, I want to work on things to help my re-find my center, so to speak. The Bad The drugs are taking their toll on me mentally. Sleep eludes me for the most part. Appetite is gone The Good Lost a little more weight. I'm thinking I will make my goal set at the beginning of Cardiac Rehab. 4 More of those session and I graduate from Rehab on the 22. Tried to line up TBDBITL to come and play. Unfortunately, they have to pass. Appetite is gone - Wasn't that also in The Bad section. Yep, we do need to eat to fuel our bodies. While it's great for weight loss it's not so great for ones health. To counter this I make sure I only eat good healthy things right now. The local Juice Bar has been my restaurant of choice lately. I've taken a liking to their mix of fennel, mint, parsley, celery, cucumber and apple. We'll see what my nutritionist says on Monday. She's been after me to eat more. Just writing that last sentence has me laughing. Clocked in at just of 40 miles of walking this past week too. The pace is getting better. I'm finally consistently under a 20 minute mile. I should chart the miles driven a week too, then compare. Berry jams are winding down, the season is over. Working on beets lately, some various pickling potions. These take time to age. The jury is very much still out on these. Apples are starting, time to start experimenting with Apple Butter variants. I'm thinking of a Chipotle Apple Pie Spice with some tart apples to start with. Been writing a whole lot in my journal too. That's the news this week from M/A World H/Q. Where we've yet to come up with a witty slogan.
You have got to get your meds under control. Don't stop taking them, just find someone who can get you on the right doses and the right meds, these are doing more harm than good. I went thru this with one of my employees quite a few years ago, they had to use the jumper cables on her three times in one session, after that she could hardly function as a human being - this went on for almost 6 months till one day she passed out at work from low blood pressure - so she finally went to another doctor who changed her meds considerably, she came right around after that and is still with us and doing fine.
Nathan I hope you can start to get some sleep. I know what its like to go long periods without it. It can wipe you out mentally and emotionally. It can be hard to keep your spirits up. MA is here for you!