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Literally about ten minutes ago, Donna's doctor called a second time to tell us what would not be good news at all unless the alternative was that she had indeed had a heart attack: she has a bad hiatal (sp?) hernia. Now, lack of chocolates, caffeine, tomatoes and spicy foods _might_ kill her, but at least it will be a slow, enjoyable ride. (sorry, it's time I got to make some joke out of what has truly been a nightmare for both of us!)

Sorry to hear what she (and you) are going through, Mike. My prayers are with you for a speedy recovery.

From what I understand that's a much better outcome than the fear and something that can be managed. We had a similar scare here that ended up being very serious, but moving forward should be manageable and a fairly normal life for the family member involved. I hope you two take some time when things settle down and relax now that you know what you are dealing with, it's a critical step!

ecNate wrote:From what I understand that's a much better outcome than the fear and something that can be managed. We had a similar scare here that ended up being very serious, but moving forward should be manageable and a fairly normal life for the family member involved. I hope you two take some time when things settle down and relax now that you know what you are dealing with, it's a critical step!

Yep, both good and bad, really. The hiatal hernia explains all the pain, but not the bad EKG. There's definitely something else wrong with her ticker, and like most women, it was a 'silent' heart attack. She just woke up (thankfully) one morning exhausted, out of breath and couldn't walk up and down the stairs without sitting down. Our physician, who we've both been with for 25 years immediately did an EKG, which didn't "look right" for lack of better words, which is how it all started. Radiology is required because Medicare (Donna's 65 as of October, I'm 61 back just before Christmas) won't let you see a cardiology specialist until you exhaust all other possibilities. Glad she did it, clearly not aware that she had torn her diaphragm - which is what a hiatal hernia is - basically not pretty - part of the stomach is poking through that hole and causing severe gastric distress.

The fact is it does not explain the anomalies in the EKG, though. Cardiologist this morning at 9:30 already done, with a follow-up scheduled next Monday at the same time. I suppose we'll hear more Wednesday or Thursday. He's got to know what he's up against before he can proceed with treatment. She's already on a special diet - which of course eliminates all the foods she loves: spicy tomato-based stuff, chocolates, fatty foods, caffeine and for some reason peppermint, which of course turns out to be her favorite - those old "Altoid" mints.

I'm so sorry to hear about this. My best wishes and good vibes for a quick return to vitality

So have had you had any updates lately? Here's hoping for some good news.

jerichoholic wrote:So have had you had any updates lately? Here's hoping for some good news.

Cardiologist Tuesday afternoon, mostly good news. He's not too worried, wants to do a standard EchoGram and stress test, but let them be scheduled three weeks off, so obviously she's not as bad as our GP thought heart-wise. He said the EKG wasn't exactly right, but it wasn't exactly strange for a retired women, either.

We're both suffering from terrible lung infections, which of course doesn't help her hiatal hernia at all, but for me it's just a PITA as my allergies usually are this time of year. Diet has to be changed radically for her, for me it's mostly keeping her on course. We have her back at our GP on Monday for a follow-up and blood-work that afternoon, so by the time we see the cardiologist for his 1-month follow-up he should have a much better handle on her heart with both blood-work and the EchoGram & stress test results from next week.

Definitely not out of the woods yet, especially since the second opinion on the hiatal hernia was that it would require surgery since her diaphragm is torn laterally instead of side-to-side, but - we're taking things one day at a time.

Best wishes Mike, We all hope for a good recovery! I know how stressful is to live in these conditions!
You know what? You both gotta be strong! It's in difficult situations that you understand the true value of a man. I repeat this sentence in my head every time i go through a bad period, it helps for me, hope it will be the same for you!