Help me help Gina

[Marcia58]

I've been emailing with one of the students in my husband's adult college degree classes. Here's the message we got last night. I left it unedited so you can see how stressed out she is.

Spent all day toady at Lutheran Hospital. More, EKG stuff, lab work and chest xrays, the symptoms are worse, and now have increased to what i call chills and sweats,,, my heart will start that shakin thing for lack of a better way to describe it and then i get cold and then get clamy and then break into sweats like i will pass out....i have been there several times this last two weeks.
I cried a lot today I guess I am feeling the strain of what the heck is wrong with me an why cant they figure it out. They say they know its real and they just dont know what to do about it. I dont know who to ask anymore so I guess that doesnt help. I take enough meds to kill a person and i cant sleep. I am sure that doesnt help. They are going to let me have the surgery on the 6th for the precancer stuff and for now they say try not to worry and come in when u need us..... I know they are trying to help but to be honest I cant even think straight

I told her I'd ask you-all for anything you can offer--a guess at what's happening, recommendation for doctor, treatment, hospital. She lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, so Cleveland Clinic is an option.

Thanks, friends!

 

[catwoman]

Endocarditis??? I've never had it, but chills and sweats are what you'd get with infections.

Does Gina have any family or close friends with her who can piece together what's going on? She sounds so stressed that she may not be able to absorb/understand everything right now.

 

[Kathy McCain]

Whatever the problem is, (and I hope they find out soon) sounds like her high anxiety level is definitely NOT helping!

Hoping for the best outcome for her! Keep us posted.

 

[Lynlw]

Endocarditis??? I've never had it, but chills and sweats are what you'd get with infections.

Does Gina have any family or close friends with her who can piece together what's going on? She sounds so stressed that she may not be able to absorb/understand everything right now.

That was one of my thoughts, Altho it is hard to even guess without more info. has she had fevers with her chills and sweats? Do you know if they did Blood Cultures with all the lab work? How old is she? What kind of surgery is she having? For some reason I'm thinking female type, but don't know why)Also she is taking lots of meds do you know what they are or at least what they are for? Some of the problems could be worse because of all the meds she is taking, side effects, interactions. Honestly the heart shaking and cold sweats could even be at least partly nerves or panic attacks, they can be quite awful. since she seems pretty stressed and is probably worried about the precancer stuff.

I looked and here is a link to panic attacks,it might have nothing to do with nerves, panic ect, but if she has been having lotss of tests and they can't find out what is causing her symptons and she does have the pre cancer surgery coming up, it is a possibility.
http://www.medicinenet.com/panic_disorder/article.htm

As described above, the symptoms of a panic attack appear suddenly, without any apparent cause. They may include

racing or pounding heartbeat (palpitations);
chest pains;
stomach upset;
dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea;
difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered;
tingling or numbness in the hands;
hot flashes or chills;
dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions;
terror: a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it;
a need to escape;
fear of losing control and doing something embarrassing; and
fear of dying.
A panic attack typically lasts for several minutes, is one of the most distressing conditions that a person can experience, and its symptoms can closely mimic those of a heart attack. Typically, most people who have one attack will have others, and when someone has repeated attacks with no other apparent physical or emotional cause, or feels severe anxiety about having another attack, he or she is said to have panic disorder

 

[Superbob]

I was wondering about the possibility of a panic attack, too, or at least a high anxiety/stress level. I had something like that in the months before my OHS -- in my case, I was so dizzy one morning I couldn't stand up. Turned out to be nothing specific or heart-related. Ever since then, I have tried to relax more, though of course we all worry.

Not saying there isn't something else her doctors just aren't detecting. Hard to know from here, but I certainly send my best wishes and prayers it all will be resolved.

 

[Duff Man]

maybe a thyroid thing?

 

[Mileena46]

I can't even begin to guess at her problems, but I can offer my prayers for her anxiety and that they find out what her trouble is and fix it, so she can go on with her journey.

Mileena

 

[Marcia58]

The thing that causes me concern is that her doctors don't seem to be writing it off to anxiety. And Lutheran is a good hospital.

Right now, I'm waiting to hear from her with more details.

 

[Mark Wagner]

I had endocarditis in 2008. My sympotoms started out with an irregular heart beat, very much like I had before my heart valve was put in. A murmer that was literally causing me to cough. First, they threw me in the hospital for three days with what they thought was a bad case of bronchitis. I went home, and though my fever did not sky rocket and stayed relativley level, two days later I could hardly stand at the doctors office. I ended up with paramedics taking me from the doctors office to the hospital while my blood pressure was plummenting. Shortly there after the diagnosis of endorcarditis came to the forefront as the blood work came back. Everyone's symptoms I am sure are different, but this is how it affected me.

What very well maybe an issue is prescription drug use. In 2009 after a fall at work I bled internally. (great two years huh!) I was on so many drugs to fight the pain at one time, that coming off I fell into horrible depression and anxiety. It was a living hell. Of no fault of her own this could also be a problem with her current health issues.

Times like this you just have to be a friend, a listening ear, and put her in God's hands. I will say a prayer for her. ... Mark