INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours
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Yes, you really need to get it checked out. If he's having mini strokes they can give him meds to make a big one less likely.
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Kathy, I haven't got the whole picture of everything that is going on, That makes it real tough. A phone call does help, but I know some are reticent doing that. Always my first consideration is rule out heart. A three second delay in heart signal i.e. delay in conduction to cause a muscle contraction can cause enough of a decrease in output that leads to snycope---pass out.
Too often it's dx' as a TIA. b/c the physical presentation is the same. The number of times I've picked this up is significant. In each case it was a heart conduction problem. In each case they ended up with a pacemaker. In each case they were consider to be TIA's
In each case it was an intermittent conduction problem. What makes it difficult with that situation is--unless you catch it on a tracing device, you can't justify a pacer.
What is available now is a monitoring device that is doctor ordered and insurance approved(paid). that the patient wears for 30 days. It can catch events the patient isn't aware of, or patient has awareness they push a button.
My first exposure to the unit was with a homecare patient. He wasn't wearing it for what ever reason. Duh.;Yet he was concerned b/c he had events. Go figuire. But it was a good learning experience for me
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Kathy, it was Jill Hennesey. , in Crossing Jordan. It was on for 7 seasons, but was cancelled after the first season. When CSI was such a big hit ......pretty quick, they reactivated Crossing Jordan.
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Hi Ladies
Kathy
So sorry about your husband. That same thing happened to my mother almost four years ago. Same symptoms, had a friend with her, and fell in parking lot. Her friend noticed something was off, her face on her left was starting to droop, and speech was slurred. Got her to emergency room. A mini stroke. Thank god it wasn't worse. She's on blood thinners, and doing well. However, she smokes. Hate it!!!! She's 73, and will probably outlive me.
How is he feeling. Also, do you feel back to normal after your cataract surgery?
Sas, I love reading your posts. I learn more from you than my medical team. I do have a question. Like Kathy's husband, and my mom that had a mini stroke, does it mean if they have another mini stroke, it can be bad? Doesn't the blood thinners prevent any more strokes? My mother's coratid artery(not sure if spelled right) on her right side was completely blocked. In a nutshell, she should have been checked much earlier.
Kat, does your husband have any blockages? Saying prayers🙏🙏🙏🙏
Where is Loverly?
Sas, any updates on Mags??? Where is she?
Junie, where are you?
Miss you ladies.🙂🙂0 -
Goodevening Ladies,
jaymeb - I am right here! Really been under the weather with the diverticulitis and at times praying for death, I was in so much pain. But now I am coming up for air and can see the light again.
I hope you can decide which Kitty to adopt. Any chance of you getting both? I just watched a video about a German Shepard from somewhere in Calif. that had spent his first 5 years on a chain and returned to the shelter at least 3 times. But the video was to show his first experiences of seeing snow at Big Bear and the ocean in So Cal, then heading to northern Calif. to be picked up by his forever family and go live in Washington State. The dogs name is Herschel. A very beautiful & gentle dog.
Sas - Once again, Thank you for your willingness to share your wisdom & experience. I will see how I am feeling on Monday and decide on whether to postpone my surgery or not.
Kathindc - So sorry your DH is struggling right now. I hope his docs can figure out what is causing his symptoms.
As I am sure you know I have been dealing with a major case of Diverticulitis the past two weeks and this morning when talking with Sas she pointed out the risk I am at for an Ileus from the anesthesia for the back surgery if my colon is not in good working order by my surgery date. That was one thing that hadn't occurred to me. I've had an Ileus once before and it is extremely painful, not to mention the horror of having an Ng tube shoved up my nose then pushed past my gag reflex and down into my stomach. Please forgive the graphic image, but it is an experience I never want to experience again.
If I do end up postponing the surgery I'll have to restart the Ibrance, then stop it again when I am ready to do surgery. Also, I have an appt. with a colorectal surgeon on June 6th to see if I have to have colon surgery. Yay! So when do we get to stop having all this fun? :0(
Shep - So sorry to hear about your femur. Ellie is 50 lbs already? Wow! Now why did you try to kick her? Little itty bitty you! Also, you are soooo funny. I am gonna print out those lines to keep in case I ever get called for jury duty again. In this area they don't give excused absences for disability. The courts here will make accommodations for a disability to make sure you do your civil duty. Actually, the one time I did serve I found it very interesting, but it was a very long day.
Loverly - So sorry to hear about DD1. I hope she is feeling much better by now. Did the docs figure out what caused her symptoms?
I went to court myself last Wednesday (4/25) for the plea hearing of the young man who caused the wreck that caused my L5 fracture. He seemed rather bored with the whole situation. I did stand up and spoke to the judge to let him know what the defendants actions/choices had caused. The judge granted a continuance until June 25th, until I have time to recoup from the back surgery. On the way out of the courthouse annex building my friend & I spotted the young man sitting on the hood of a car laughing with his arm draped over a young woman as he watched us cross the parking lot. I feel like that young man will be seeing the inside of a courthouse many times in the future.
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Sas, he had a head up tilt table test on the 19th. Neurologist referred him for one thinking it could be syncope. Doctor there said everything looked ok but in his discharge papers the diagnosis read syncope with activity being as tolerated. Didn't notice that until we got home. He already had a follow-up with the neurologist to discuss this and an EEG that was done on the same day. He still needs to make an appointment with a cardiologist. I have seen him falter a tad when he gets up but he has never gone into a fall while I'm seeing this. Today was surreal in the fact that I know we were in real time but watching him was like seeing him in slow motion (if that makes sense). With every movement he was making I could see him deteriorate. When he was discharged his walking was back to his new normal. He is the proud owner of the "stubborn male gene."
Yes, Jill Hennessey. Totally forgot about her being on the show. I use to like it but I stopped because Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni started to irritate me. I thought they were getting overly melodramatic with their characters.
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Hi Wrenn
I admire you for volunteering at your local animal shelter. Daughter wants to do that, however, not sure if she's old enough.
Well, after much thought, we went back to the shelter, and adopted a male kitten. Daughter, and her best friend were jumping up and down like six year olds. Not sure how I was feeling. But I've always told her, when an animal is adopted, it's a commitment to take care of them for their lives, and not returnable.
Her dad gave her the 75.00 to adopt the kitty, and I told her she had to buy the supplies. She's responsible for his checkups and overall care. So, we paid, and I signed forms. We were ready to take our new friend when "oops", kitty wasn't neutered. Somehow, the sheets were mixed up. So, we had to wait two days. Off to PetSmart we went, and spent over $100.00🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️ Two days later, I picked up Reece, and we got him. Now his name is Sebastian.
So, this past week has been getting our other two cats used to the new addition of our little family. Mary, the fat 23 pounder, was the worst. Normally, she is very easygoing. She's very attached to Reece, so much jealously. Reece tried to comfort Mary, but she hissed, and hissed at her. So Reece is upset that Mary hates her, which of course is not the case. I told Reece she's just hurt, give her some time. Like people.
Now crazy Nicole, who is attached to me, was upset, but handled the situation better. She would still hiss. Well, Sebastian has been sleeping with me in my bed. I'm attached already. He's adorable with a fun personality. Now when I would leave, I would put the kitty in my room, so she would be safe. For the last few days, I've been letting the threesome be around each other. Still some growling, but getting better.
Well, my daughter has a friend over tonight, and I went to check, and to my surprise, ALL three were laying with my daughter on the chaise. Silence. I think I might try to take a pic. It's precious.
Sorry to keep going on and on, but I'm glad we added another kitty. Reece is already being called the "cat lady" from her friends. I'm the one who's the "old cat lady". Whew, what a week, but a great one.
Oh, Wrenn, you mentioned a Maine Coon. What kind of a cat is it? Are they naturally large? I know I need to get Mary's weight down. She's a tabby. Thanks for letting me know about the fatty liver while slowly trying to get the weight down. Didn't know that.
At some point, I'll join the cats forum, I do lurk, and enjoy the stories, and pics. I'll get daughter to show me how to post our pictures.
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Does anyone have updates on Patty?0
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Hi jaymeb, no updates on Patty. She's gone quiet, which always concerns me when it is for any length of time. Someone was going to text her but no word back yet.
We had two male cats when DD1, who was still living at home, got a male kitten. She kept him in her room for fear of hissy fits between the three as the two older ones initially did that "who has dared entered our territory" around Gizmo. We had just had plumbing work done so he could get in the wall and peek down at us. I was worried that he would venture further into the wall and we would need to knock out more of it. So I had her bring me Gizmo and was petting him. When our other two, Milo and Chloe (ok, not even the vet could figure out his sex when he was small hence the name) came up I would rub Gizmo's scent on them and then I rub him with their scent. Did this for a few minutes cross scenting them. When I put Gizmo down, they sniffed each other and got along very well. It worked well for us introducing them that way.
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Hi Owlies, I am here! Still recuperating, still trying to put the house together, this weekend is the estate sale and I’m nowhere near it thankfully. Things got so messed up with me being in the hospital and stuff getting moved that shouldn’t have. I know I should have stopped the process but I was a bit distracted at the time. But DC and I went over to the old house after Thursday’s chemo, and we’re pretty sure we had everything we really wanted or needed. Haven’t heard how the sale is going, but the weather is really nice and that’s usually good for these events. The next project is getting that house ready to sell. DH neglected maintenance the last couple of years, and I have a realtor whose hubby is a contractor which has been nice in some ways as he’s been really helpful around here, installing my shower bars as instructed by OT home health, and some other fixes we needed. There’s always something. The catch is that the realtor and her hubby want to basically remodel and update the other house, and the initial estimate was $30-40k, which would probably consume my entire equity in the house and probably not get any additional profit to boot. I’m going to put my foot down about it and stop it at necessary repairs and maybe replacing bathroom fixtures that have deteriorated. We put in a brand new HVAC unit last year, the roof is good, etc. I’ve gotten a bid on one of the outside projects that has to happen - the backyard is partly mud, because someone sodded a shady area with bermuda instead of fescue and it died.
The details are not helping my health at all, and I have to pay 2 mortgages in a couple of days. Ouch.
And DC had an MRI on her achy knee yesterday and they found a meniscus tear. She is adamant about not being able to take the time off to have surgery and recover, she can’t be out of commission, she just can’t! (Her words) I’m not exactly sure why, or what disaster she imagines will befall her - or us.
Son is on the phone.
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Jaymeb, Here's a couple of photos. The record holder for length was 48" long and they can weigh up to 38 lbs. That's the extreme. Most are around 18 lbs.
That's not the recommended way to hold a cat BTW. They're loving and playful.
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Mag! No more cardiac event, I hope. Just in case Ms. Sassy forgot to tell you.....make sure you mark the expiration date (6 months after opening) on the NTG bottle and keep those TNT in the original amber glass bottle....no they won’t explode, but just lose their potency.
Kath, I am sorry DH has the stubborn male gene. Very frustrating for you. How is his kidneys’ function? Thank goodness you have back up drivers to pick up your weary travelers who are probably jet-lagging now. I am sure you will enjoy your time with them. Thank you for praying for DD1. Two days after the ER visit, she fainted in the bathroom and hit her head on the tile floor ( and possibly the wall or the towel hanger on the way down. She woke up that morning with stomach pain and went to use the restroom. Couldn’t go so stood up, went to wash her hands, and that was all she could remember. I heard a thump and thought Mitzy was up to no good. Went out of my bedroom to check and found her on the flat on the floor. Scared the living daylights out of me because I thought she was gone. Lips were pale and no response from her for a few seconds while her eyes were wide open. She was confused and disoriented when I finally got her to move. She then complained that her stomach hurts and needed to use the restroom( I am thinking possibly over active vagus nerve just like her dad). I helped her to the toilet and the whole time she was so weak and couldn’t hold herself up. I think she fainted again on the toilet. She now has a concussion and has not been able to process new informations. Per doctor’s order she has to rest both physically and mentally. No phone, TV, or reading. She was so bored that she followed me around even while I was cleaning the house just to chat. Hah! Very frustrating for her because she has to keep up with her anatomy and physiology class. Reasoning somehow is not affected. She can wing the other three classes. She is feeling better today and will try to catch up with A and P notes. Will see what happens. Weirdest thing is that the only thing that came back off from her ER blood work was her CO2 and ANC/WBC. No infections. Her PCP ordered a echocardiogram and Holter monitor.
JNC- you didn’t get the cat! You softie you!
Junieb, fingers crossed for surgery.
Got to go. DD2 swim event is coming up.
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Kath best wishes for DH's health.
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Hi! I'm new here. SAS recommended I come hang out with y'all, so hello!
Just had my implant exchange surgery yesterday. It went well. I've been very impressed with Einstein here in Philly. They did my mastectomy, too. Dr. Zavitsanos (I call him Dr. Z) is my plastic surgeon. He's great!!!
I'm in a little pain, but it's honestly not too bad. I feel good enough that I have to remind myself to take it easy.
Nice to meet you all!
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Welcome swg. The more the merrier. I'm glad you're feeling well but DO NOT OVERDUE We all did it and were sorry.
Loverly, What happened to your DD sounds like what happened with my DH. He had a heart monitor for a month and nothing was found. I have the overactive vagus nerve and have learned not to get up when nauseated. I keep a discrete bucket by my bed but haven't needed to use it. Is her concussion from the fall? When DH fell, it was into the shower curtain which helped break it but he hit his head enough that it bled a lot. We've never really discovered what was going on.
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Loverly - That is so scary! I hope DD1 will be feeling better soon. I hope DD2's swim meet went well too.
swg - Welcome. Good to hear that your pain is manageable.
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swg welcom and best wishes with your healing. Wren is right. Time to do TLC not superwoman. Look after yourself.
Loverly how is DD?
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LOVERLY, OMD, poor DD! Wow, definitely in the vagal. realm. Some insurances require the holter monitor before the 30 day monitor. But as Wren pointed out even then an event may not be caught. just b/c an event doesn't happened during the 24 hr or 30 day test doesn't mean that it's not the vagus innervation.
Since it sounds like a number of folks have had experience with vagal events currently or by history. I would suggest in a fall like Loverly's DD!, if you are comfortable that there are no fractures, put the legs at 45-60 angle above the heart. That increases the blood return to the heart. The mechanism is Frank-Starling. It should be understood by the person, family, and roommates of the person that has over active vagus. Frank Starling--increased blood return stretches the cardiac muscle fibers, they contract more forcefully, It's a kick start for the heart. It's a whole system response to overcome the vagal signal. You could read chapters on the subject, but that is a very simple easy description. The long descriptions would be in the A& P of autonomic nervous system and and Cardiac vascular.A&P.
Avoidance of constipation is important as that may stimulate the vagus at the anus and cause syncope.Conversely, diarrhea that is explosive can also stimulate the vagus.
This is going to sound dumb, If something is known to cause a vagal response for that indiviual, avoid it.
Once ABC's are checked, decisions need to be made rapidly,
1.Activating EMS. In first time occurrences, I 'm of the mind that it should be done. The tough decision is when it's an established history of when EMS is activated.
2. Stabilizing the neck with towel rolls on either side and keeping the patient/ victim still until ems arrives, Legs up at 45-60 degrees.
3 if things are under control, vital signs can be very helpful The most important is to feel for the pulse. In a vagal event, the pulse maybe very weak and very slow. That would be very important info to help the doc key in on cause. What can happen in syncopal episode due to over stimulation of the vagus is: the mere act of falling so the patient is horizonal i.e flat can cause enough of a blood return to the heart that the heart is kick started. When that happens the heart rate/pulse increases. So, don't be surprised that by the time you get to the pulse it's normal.
Now what I'm going to write now may seem logical, and it is once you understand how Frank Starling and kick starting the heart works. When you or someone feels faint get them flat---now. Don't take time to get them to a bed. If it's you, practice sliding down a wall. Us oldsters need to practice b/c of knees and hip stuff.
This does two things:
1. Avoids the fall in an uncontrolled way. In the case of being on the commode. Learn to get to the floor without standing up.
2. Allows the Frank Starling mechanism to do it's magic in getting the heart and system kick started.
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He swg, glad you are here, Glad the surgery went well. Not easy.
Wren, interesting on the fatty liver with too fast of weight loss. Is it known why that happens? Anything comparable in humans?
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Poor Kirby was bored to pieces and looking so sad as he snoozed on the couch today, so I took him for a walk. I am paying for it now, but glad my boy got some mental stimulation and exercise. The Lilacs are in bloom and my favorite flower. I took the following pic to save the image since the blossoms only last a couple weeks. I wish I could share the aroma. Hmmm! Ahhh!
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Beautiful.
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Welcome Swg! Yes, the more the merrier ;0) Best wishes on your healing.
Ms. Sas, thank you!
I completely forgot about the Frank-Starling.
Junie, lovely flowers. I am jealous. DD2 did do well at the meet. She qualifies for 3 individual events (200 free, 100 breast stroke, and 500 free) for Section, but can only swims two max. She is hoping her coach will not put her in 500 free.
Feline, DD is better. She went to work yesterday. Came back looking a bit exhausted. Her cognitive function seems to improve with each day. Loud noises still bothers her though. Thank you for asking
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Gosh Lover she has had one rough dose but I am glad to hear she is improving and hope she will be back to full health soon.
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Lover, sounds like DD1 is rebounding. I chuckled at your comment about the 500 and DD2. As crazy as it may soundDS was always willing to do it!
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Swg where did you go? How are you doing?
Loverly How's DD1 doing? DD2 is doing very well with swimming YAY
I sent off a chair and a couch to the thrift and curb. Feeling less crowded. I put somethings on the couch to go to the thrift. As soon as I did it, Donnie packed them up and off it went. No chance to go through it again and pull stuff out. A bit of a mistake, but not a big one
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Bluebird hasn't posted since March 31st and last login was April27th with no posting............Prayers please
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Sas- although I do not post a lot, I do read this forum a lot. I value everyone's input, and look forward to hearing from everyone. I have been concerned as well when Bluebird had not posted in a while. I did pm her the other day to let her know how much I enjoyed reading her short stories (I was checking her page the other day and see that her website is now down). I am keeping all BCO members and Bluebird in my prayers.
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Feeling Blue
"Praying Bluebird" for our ever so missed Miss Blue ~ May she know we are all keeping her close in thought and prayer 💗
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Shep - Sorry your feeling down. :0(
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Just wishing you all a wonderful May Day!
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