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Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Postive Thinking & the Next Hurdle

It is time to again work on my skills of patience! My doctors appointment is next Thursday, January 20th with the Heart Group. And my Cardiac Rehab is on hold! Of course, I am terrible at waiting & frustrated with the set back, but things happen for a reason!

Cardiac Rehab monitors each patient as they exercise. The irregular(or extra) heart beats were noticed and my rehab was shut down till after my visit with my cardiologist. Because of my lovely(and nagging sister) I have been keeping daily track of my blood pressure. My morning reading was 100/63 and my afternoon reading was 110/68. Part of the concern is the heart medicines I am taking -
Metoprolol
(me toe' proe lole) Still taking one a day - 25 mg

Amlodipine
(am loe' di peen) Still taking one a day - 5 mg

Clopidogrel - Plavix
(kloh pid' oh grel) Still taking one a day - 75 mg

The biggest concern is the Metoprolol and Amlodipine, that lower my blood pressure. Before my surgery my blood pressure was always in the 120/80 range & now with the meds it is lower. The plan is to monitor my blood pressure for the next 7 days & share with the cardiologist next week.

I found this at heartbeat.com:

Other causes include:

  • A variety of underlying cardiac conditions, including coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, mitral valve prolapse, etc.
  • Abnormal levels of "electrolytes" (minerals) in the blood. Decreased potassium and/or magnesium are the most common associated abnormalities of electrolytes. Both may be caused by the use of diuretics (water pills), among other reasons.
  • There are unusual congenital (familial) causes of ventricular arrhythmias.
  • Abnormal conditions such as increased thyroid hormones, and others.
  • Toxins, including alcohol.
  • Stimulants
        • Caffeine
      • Nicotine
      • Cocaine can cause serious ventricular arrhythmias.
      • Some over-the-counter medications and herbal/natural formulations contain important stimulants
        •
  • Infection, inflammation or degeneration of the heart muscle.
  • Infections at other sites in the body.
  • They are often worse with lack of sleep, or stress.
  • There are also other causes.
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    1 comment:

    1. GinnyJanuary 12, 2011 at 8:23 PM

      VERY GOOD JIM!!! When you have to deal with a health problem, the biggest issue has to deal with a feeling of a loss of control in your life and your routine.

      But, there are ways of getting control back in your life by doing all of these things that you are doing - for example, gaining knowledge of the medical condition through research and/or interacting with people, keeping a daily blog, also documenting on hard copy to share with your physicians, monitoring your medications, knowledge of any lab work that you had done, etc.

      You are the most qualified person in taking care of Jim Albright - because this is your body enduring all of this.

      One day at a time - I promise you will look back on these days.

      Keep your eyes on your goals and the finish line.

      Maintain your daily moments of meditation and prayer and develop your patience.

      One day at a time...

      Love ya - Ginny

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