Update on my husband

[mercyriver]

While it isn't much of an update, because we have no new answers yet, I just needed write it all out. It is driving me crazy keeping it all in my head and my husband has no real disire to talk about any of it.

He has been on a blood thinner and a beta-blocker for 2 weeks now. It has decreased the amount of atrial fibrillation episodes he is having, it is down to about 1 every other day. Still quite frequent though. They increased the amount of beta-blocker last week and my husband now has insomina. Poor guy.

All of his blood work for common things that could cause the atrial fibrillation, came back normal. His echocardiogram also came back normal.

He doesn't see the cardiologist until the first week in June. No word so far on any other tests that they want to run. As far as I can tell from what I have read, the only things left to rule out are pulmonary/lung causes and inflammatory diseases. After BEP it could EASILY be pulmonary. I still don't know why the oncologist didn't do a follow up pulmonary function test after chemo.

Thankfully my husband did say that if this cardiologist tells him it is idopathic and can't find a cause he will be finding a different cardiologist.

I did find some information about cardiotoxicity from chemo, but not much in relation to BEP or what they do to treat it.

My biggest fear is it is caused by the return of cancer, or worse, heart failure. I have no idea if they can see heart failure on an echocardiogram, I would think they could, but I am sure it isn't always true if the heart is just wearing down....I have no idea.

What I do know is that my husbands dark circles started going away a month ago and they have now come back with a vengance...even someone at his work pointed out to him the other day they were getting worse. I tried to reassure my husband maybe his skin was just permantly tinted from chemo...yet I can't convince myself of that one, because they have gotten worse over the last few weeks. And of course heart failure and the return of cancer can both cause the dark circles. On top of that he seems to have very shallow fast breathing even when resting. He gets in 2-3 breaths to my one.

I know I need to stop fretting over it, but it is darn hard when I feel like the oncologist and the cardiologist find NO urgancy in anything they ever do. It is so frustrating. And all I can do is look up information, research and then share what I find with my husband. He just shrugs his shoulders and doesn't really seem to want me bothering him with information.

First week of June we should have at least some sort of answers, we have a cardiology appointment, a new CT from the oncologist, blood tests and an appointment with the oncologist. I don't anything to be wrong in any sense, but I would just love to know what is wrong so it can be fixed!

I am starting to think us ladies need our own spot on the forum, a ladies area for us wives and mothers....at least then we wouldn't drive the guys crazy with our need to get things out!

Becki

[Already Bald]

Becki,
No need to feel that you need a "Ladies Room" on this site, (unless of course you want it). I read your posts intently, just don't always respond. Your worrries are our worries. I'm wishing you the best for June.
I would suggest that you stress the shortness of breath with all caregivers.

[Karen]

Becki,
I'm glad you posted....you need to get this out. Maybe the dark cirlcles are from insomnia too. Not getting answeres is frustrating and I can't imagine not doing a pulmonary function test with shortness of breath.
While us ladies do tend to group together on some threads and look at this from a different perspective, we all help each other. Heck, I've descibed a testicular ultrasound to a guy more than once !
Stay strong...your research and questions are helping your husband, and I'm sure he knows it even if he may not say so.
Hugs,
Karen

[mercyriver]

Thanks Joe, Robert and Karen.

I don't really want a ladies room...I just always worry about annoying people...just the way I am!

Robert, no angiogram...I had to look that one up and boy does make me squirm to read about it. I am sure it is simple. My husband seems to think that because his cholesterol wasn't elevated they won't do anything like that. I honestly don't know. I am just annoyed how slow all of this is moving. I really thought that the cardiologist would have sent him in for more testing before his appointment in June. But I have this fear he won't and we will go in in June and he will say, well it looks like it is idopathic and we'll just keep treating it with the med's until something else shows up. Thankfully I don't think my husband will stand for it and move on...but Oh the WASTED time.....

Thanks again all of you, it really does help to just type things out sometimes, it helps you see more then just one side of things as well. Helps to organize your thoughts!

Becki

[Scott]

I don't really want a ladies room...I just always worry about annoying people...just the way I am!

Please don't let that be a concern. Post away!

[drom]

Becki,

While my son was going through his fight with TC I vented here very often. It is not exclusive to women, it is a caregivers frustrations. While my wife and I were very strong during the fight we each had issues with our health at certain points.

The true toll is not the physical effect on the body but rather the mental anguish of watching someone you love suffer.

Hang in there and I pray you get some answers soon.


Domenic

[mstlyn]

Hey Becki, I haven't the faintest idea about what is going on with your husband.
But I do understand the need to say what you are feeling, and
sometimes, someone comes along and offers something that helps you see the light again.


Robert, what you describe sounds like panic attacks. Is that what you are talking about when you say "attacks" ? I know that these attacks can be very severe; and enough so that it can make people think they are literally having a heart attack.

My girlfriends husband has panic attacks so severe that one day when he was at work, someone from his job called her to tell her something was wrong with him. She told them not to worry and that she would come and get him. They were not convinced. They asked her ARE YOU SURE? HE ACTS LIKE HE IS HAVING A HEART ATTACK AND WE WANT TO CALL AN AMBULANCE!
She assured them that it was not a heart attack. They were nervous about not calling an ambulance, and waiting for her to get there, but sure enough he was having one of his attacks.

Becki, whatever is going on with your husband, I hope and pray they get to the bottom of it soon. I know how terribly stressful, and draining (mentally and physically) it is to stand by and be able to do nothing, and not even know what is going on with your loved one. It's pure hell.

Hugs and prayers. Keep writing!
Tammy

[mercyriver]

Thanks for all the engouragment everyone.

And Robert, they have only done blood work, an EKG and an Echocardiogram, so it looks like they have barely scratched the surface. I know they have many more tests to run. It just annoys me they are taking their own sweet time with it.

Becki