Not The Last 3 Days

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CaptNoize
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Not The Last 3 Days

Post by CaptNoize »

During a small walk around my property line Saturday morning, I could not get my breath. I barely made it out of the 7 degree weather,and into the house. I grabbed a Pulseoximeter I've had since my father had COPD 20 years ago,and took a measurement. It was 83-85%.. Waaay bad ..!! It slowly went up as I sat,and did deep breathing exercises,but this was NOT right. I walked 35,000 steps a day, a little over a month ago,with not a problem. This was barely 300 steps. Like a fool, I thought it was bronchitis or walking pneumonia. Sunday morning began the same way,..but this time,it was worse. Hypoxeia is really scary..! Within an hour, my cousin rushed me to the hospital,where I spent the last 3 days with a "Saddle Embolism"in my right lung..which damaged the right side of my heart..! They ALSO found 2- clots behind each knee..! I told them what caused it,but the Dr.s' poo-pooed me. it was from the two separate cortisone shots I got,a week apart. This is not good... :shock: :x The echo cardiagrams and dopplers revealed a large clot in my lower right lung lobe,and one in each of my knees...! I was admitted to the ICU in one hospital,to be transferred to another ICU ,since they couldn't handle it at the previous one. Needless to say, I've been on Heparin for 3 days,and the main clot is breaking down. I'll be on Xarelto the rest of my life. I'll let you know how I feel tomorrow...
Last edited by CaptNoize on Sat Feb 16, 2019 4:41 am, edited 5 times in total.
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crosscourt
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Re: Not The Last 3 Days

Post by crosscourt »

Oh gees, very sorry to hear that but it is one of the possible issues with Cortisone. One of my tennis buddies years ago had shots in his right knee and ended up with an embolism in his lung as well. Will your heart recover from the injury?

Were they able to dissolve the clot in your lung enough to allow you to recover initially? Hypoxeia is scary as I had issues with my Asthma for many years when I was younger.

Stay in touch and let us know what happens but my prayers will be with you.

tlmiller has had heart issues so you may want to talk to him about his experience.
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Re: Not The Last 3 Days

Post by tlmiller »

Yup, I definitely know how you feel, and have been in the same boat myself. Assuming that the clots don't require surgery (mine did not) to take care of, you'll actually start to feel better fairly quickly once the medication takes hold. However, it will never be the same really. I to this day can't run like I could before. I can walk for MILES, but I run 1/4 mile and I'm absolutely beat. My BIGGEST problem has been the medication though. I grow resistant to it after 6-8 months...so they're constantly trying different meds and different mixes to keep me healthy. Some work great and I feel fantastic for months, others...don't, and I feel like at any moment I could have another heart attack.
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CaptNoize
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Re: Not Those Last 3 Days

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Well I feel good for now....but they did tell me, " I was very close to death" with this episode. The clot is dissolving,and being that i was in excellent health, i didn't need surgery. If I wouldn't have gone to the hospital when I did, I would have been dead 7 minutes later.... I hope that I don't end up with your situation TL( no offense) but if I go down that road, I'll be finished anyway. I need to be physical and functional,as far as running,at 58, I can,but not for long,my days of doing that are long over. I just need the quality of life to do the things I need to survive. I know we are all...living on "borrowed time",and I appreciate all your input and prayers !
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Re: Not The Last 3 Days

Post by crosscourt »

Glad to hear things are improving.
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Re: Not Those Last 3 Days

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I was back doing some work today. Just like nothing had happened..! However, I did get tired quick,but all things considered,I'm doing pretty well. I urge everyone reading this to use caution getting shots of corticosteroids. The doctors/residents/nurses at both ICU's were saying that there is "no correlation" between the use of these drugs and blood clots or embolisms. I say BUNK..!! I've had 2 separate episodes of blood clots forming'( this last almost proving FATAL)after getting these shots in my knee and heel. AND, after telling them my experiences and deductive reasoning,they agreed.....! More studies need to be done on this,...perhaps there has, but like many other things in medicine,it gets disregarded or "swept under the rug". Any info on this subject would be greatly appreciated. I TRULY want no one to go thru what I did.... :shock: :shock: :x :x :x :evil:
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Re: Not The Last 3 Days

Post by crosscourt »

Your doctors are sadly misinformed. Glucorticoids are a class of steroids that can definitely cause clots and thats been proven by many studies but there is data showing that corticosteroids can also cause them when specific conditions are present My friend was diagnosed as having a clot caused by corticosteroids thats used for injuries such as yours.

Going back to the 90s when I had issues, my doubles partner was a national known orthopedist Dr.Nirschel who treated me and told me to avoid steroids.

Im glad youre ok, but a bit mad at myself as I should have warned you more specifically. When I was coaching, my background was in Sports Medicine.

Whats the prognosis with your heart?
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Re: Not The Last 3 Days

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Right ventricle is dialated, partial damage from back pressure due to embolism. Ejection is normal. Prognosis is[ if clot dissolves entirely,and doesn't "wall" over]..then right ventricle should return to normal in 1-3 months.{And providing no more clots}. I'll probably be on Xarelto the rest of my life. My tests (45 in all) came back looking really well. I'm to resume normal work/exercise regime,next week. No heavy lifting(50 -100 lbs).
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Re: Not The Last 3 Days

Post by crosscourt »

Thats good news and Xarelto works very well but isnt perfect so be attentive. Staying well hydrated will also help the situation depending on how the heart reacts.
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Re: Not The Last 3 Days

Post by CaptNoize »

I'm drinking a lot. It also seems to curb my appetite. So hopefully I'll loose weight,also.
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