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Sangye
01-19-2010, 03:12 AM
I woke up last night in a total sweat with a very irregular heartbeat. It was all over the place. I took some supplements that can often stop arrythmias and within 2 hours it did quiet down enough that I could sleep well for 6 more hours. (Much needed-- I've been in bad shape the past few days) This morning it's back. My stethoscope says to get it checked out :D. I'll be headed to the ER sometime this morning. I'm doing okay--not even that stressed about it.

I just wanted to let you know in case I'm not back on for a few days.

Jack
01-19-2010, 03:22 AM
Best of luck getting it checked out Sangye, I hope it turns out to be nothing serious. You could do with a break.

Nice to see you taking your own advice so we don't need to nag you! ;)

elephant
01-19-2010, 03:26 AM
Glad you are going to the ER. Looking forward to your return soon. Hang in there, your a strong woman with a big heart!

Barbara1966
01-19-2010, 04:09 AM
Take care of yourself, my prayers are with you. Get back soon.

GARYfromBOSTON
01-19-2010, 04:18 AM
Sangye, good luck and hope things improve soon for you.

pberggren1
01-19-2010, 05:07 AM
I hope it is nothing serious Sangye and you are back home soon feeling better in no time.

katwoman
01-19-2010, 07:34 AM
Sangye, I am glad you follow your own advice (some may call it nagging). I hope everything is ok and you are back online very soon...

onatreetop
01-19-2010, 09:57 AM
Hope its a drive through window visit with the fries !!!! Will be think of you and hope it all goes well. Feel better soon!!!!! I will think of you while I sleep in the hospital tonight fort the sleep study. Hey we are both there tonight? Different states of coarse. In spirit lets say!!! Be good to yourself!!!!!!

Sangye
01-19-2010, 01:29 PM
Thanks, everyone for your kind words and good wishes!

As it turns out I never did go to the ER. I got up and decided to see how things went. It gradually got better over the course of the morning, and by mid-afternoon my heart was beating as it should.

I think it may have been caused by a spinal misalignment in my upper back--those nerves supply the heart. The area has felt out of alignment for several days. When I got into bed last night I realized I'd forgotten to take my coumadin. I sat up in an odd way that put too much stress on my chest, and immediately felt a sharp pain under my sternum. The arrythmias started a few hours later. I can't adjust my own spine, but as I was sitting today I stretched a bit and felt some relief in that area. The irregular heart beats started to normalize soon after.

My plan is if it comes back I'll get it checked out. I'll try to get a chiropractic adjustment meanwhile to remove that factor and maybe resolve the whole thing. I'll also email my Wegs doc tomorrow to let him know what happened, in case he wants me to do something about it.

It was all so weird. Something like this would usually have me freaked out or at least out the door to the ER. But I remained calm and felt equanimity about staying home or going to the hospital. Hopefully tonight will be fine!

snooz23
01-19-2010, 01:46 PM
Glad all is okay Sangye. I hope it does not return. Rest well.

Lila
01-19-2010, 01:55 PM
Glad your feeling better Sangye!
Take care!

renidrag
01-19-2010, 08:11 PM
Take care Sangye. sometimes you just have to follow your gut!
Dale

elephant
01-19-2010, 11:17 PM
I am glad you doing great Sangye. I am sure your WG specialist will say get it checked out. Oh no, I am being a big nagger....I would get a ECG just to ckeck it out. I know you know your body, but you being on coumadin and slowly getting off prednisone.... just saying....

Sangye
01-20-2010, 03:25 AM
Listening to my heart (via stethoscope) last night and today, it sounds normal. No problems during the night, and I slept well. But yes, my Wegs doc will probably want an echocardiogram to check for Wegs issues there. I had one a few months ago but with the current flare anything can happen. And yeah, no problem getting an ECG if he wants one.

I'm seeing my chiropractor this afternoon and am looking forward to that!

elephant
01-20-2010, 04:10 AM
Good, hope you have a great visit with the chiropractor.

Sangye
01-20-2010, 05:50 AM
Just heard back from my Wegs doc. He said it'd be good to get an ECG and if it happens again to see a cardiologist for a holter. He didn't sound alarmed. I made an appt with my PCP for tomorrow and will get the ECG done in her office.

Geraldine 1
01-20-2010, 07:26 AM
Hope you are feeling better.

GARYfromBOSTON
01-20-2010, 09:41 AM
Sangye, they will find you have a very big heart ;) Good luck tomorrow.

Sangye
01-20-2010, 10:12 AM
LOL-- thank you! Let's just hope it ain't pathologically big...

moyan
01-20-2010, 10:32 AM
Thumbs up for Sangye, whatever cause, it is well taken care of.

elephant
01-20-2010, 11:33 AM
Sangye good luck and you will be fine. From one nagger to the other glad you are getting it checked out.

onatreetop
01-22-2010, 12:03 PM
Glad you are feweling better. Hope everything checks out well.

moyan
01-24-2010, 03:45 AM
Hi. I hope you all have more selfconfidence than I do: For more than a month I have had a swollen, red and sore foot. Had antibiotic pills, IV every morning for 6 days and then the doc said "if it is not getting better and not worse, it's not an infection". Gave me more pills that I never took, enuff is enuff, went home and waited for it to go away. Had an app with gp for other reasons and he swabbed it and yesterday pharmacy called and said I have meds to pick up. Obviously he found something in the culture. Will I ever learn to stand up for myself? :)

Jack
01-24-2010, 03:49 AM
We all tend to suffer from the sin of Denial, but you need to keep on top of this Moyan! I don't want to alarm you, but amputations are not uncommon amongst Wegener's patients. :(

renidrag
01-24-2010, 10:38 PM
Don't want to alarm you either
Swelling in my foot moved up my leg and somehow became (or was) a blood clot. Next came the pulmonary embolism.
I would get that swelling checked pretty quick. I think Sangye once said we (weggies) are more prone to clots than others.

Lightwarrior
01-26-2010, 03:58 AM
Okay Sangye, the nurse in me is really nervous with the sharp pain you felt under your sternum. I know that the literature says that cardiac involvement is not usually a part of WG, but...you are still high risk for a heart attack and some of the symptoms you described are classic. Is there a doc in the box where you could stop and just get an EKG and some cardiac enzymes run??

Sangye
01-26-2010, 04:47 AM
LOL-- it's great to have you in the group, Lightwarrior.

I do think the sharp substernal pain was musculoskeletal, since it came on acutely as I twisted my chest. I can reproduce some of it with palpation around the costochondral region and sternum, which makes it more likely that the aberrant heart function was a somatovisceral reflex. The heart symptoms abated after about 12 hrs and haven't returned like that. I had an EKG 2 days after--totally normal. My PCP is being cautious, though, and I'm on an event monitor for 3 weeks. For many years (long before Wegs) I've noticed occasional irregular beats, so I'm happy to be doing the test.

Cardiac involvement due to Wegs is common enough that every Weggie should have an echocardiogram annually. Weggies are also at a higher risk for cardiovascular problems (eg heart attack), though it's unknown whether that's due to the pred, changes in the blood vessels due to Wegs or a result of our limited activity. Probably a combination of all.

elephant
01-26-2010, 01:28 PM
For over 20 years I suffered chest pain on/off and had ECG's and recently had a echo cardiogram and stress test. So I highly recommend it. I think it is related to the WG.

Sangye
01-26-2010, 01:34 PM
My echos are always okay. Very important to get them done annually, since Wegs affects the heart silently.