I spoke too soon when I posted for Day 58. Later that night I became more nauseated than I've ever been and lost not only my dinner but all my evening meds. All the meds I'm taking have a side effect of nausea, but I think the main culprit is the diuretic. I stopped taking it the next day and so far no problems with nausea, although my blood pressure continues to climb.
The 30-day heart monitor was installed last Thursday. I have to wear it 24/7 until June 2. They do allow me to disconnect the 4 electrodes attached to my chest when I take a bath or shower. Thanks to more modern technology the sensor is only about 2x3 inches, not nearly as large and heavy as previous ones. I can wear it on a lanyard around my neck or in a pocket. With four wires attached, it is a bit conspicuous. I must also carry a dedicated cell phone that constantly transmits information to the heart gods wherever they might be, I think it's Chicago. If my heart behaves during this time, I'll be able to discontinue the heart medicine.
I wish I could say that I'm really feeling great, but alas these past four days have been a challenge. I've had a killer headache in the area of my right temple that today moved to the base of my neck. No matter how badly I feel I still drag myself to cardio rehab. I pushed a little too hard doing the arm portion of one of the machines and I'm paying for it with a very sore shoulder that is doing its best to keep me awake at night.
I'm being weaned off the anti-depressant buproprion. My last dose will be Tuesday. Being a stimulant it can cause weight loss in some people. Unfortunately I must be one of those people and I sure don't need any more weight loss.
I started having difficulty taking deep breaths yesterday afternoon and it continues today with a pain each time I inhale. This scares me because that's one of the reasons I ended up back in the ICU because fluid had built up around my right lung not giving it enough room to expand. The last thing I wanted to do today was walk the quarter mile track, but I did it anyway and made it to a mile. Walking is supposed to help reduce fluid. I have cardio rehab tomorrow morning so I'll share this info with the doc and nurses there to see if it needs attention.
I'm scheduled for jury duty this week beginning tomorrow afternoon. If I had any idea back when I received the notice that I'd be feeling this terrible, I would have applied for a medical exemption. They may excuse me anyway since I must keep the cell phone for the monitor on at all times. That could be a bit distracting in a courtroom.
I look forward to the day when I can say how great and wonderful I feel. I do hope that day comes soon.
Meds: Coumadin, Bupropion, Multaq, Vayacog, L-Carnitine, Vitamin D,
I-Caps, Flax seed oil
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