I thought I was having asthma attacks

[2youngtodie1973]

I am very freaked out I am 39 female and I was just laid off in December so no insurance. Do I apply for SSI? I thought I was having bad asthma for about a year no doctors looked at my heart even though I had told them my mom and grandfather have heart problems. So last Monday I went to the er thinking I was having an asthma attack waiting for prednisone instead I stayed in the hospital for a week. I had two procedures where they put radioactive stuff in my veins. Then, the gave me a heart cath which showed I have 30 squeeze of my left ventricle and 30 blockage in my rt coronary artery and guess what you can only have two liters of water a day and 2,000 mgs of sodium a day and if the meds don't work after three months we have to put a defib in your chest. I feel totally overwhelmed and I don't know what all this really means. Am I going to die? What can I eat? Should I even bother finishing my BA?

 

[AgilityDog]

Oh, yeah, I got the "it's just leftover bronchitis" and "you couldn't run agility and have a heart problem" lines, too. Wrong-o.

Yes, finish your BA. 2000 mg of sodium a day??? I'd love to eat that much! I keep mine down around 1200.
Weight watchers encourages us to drink 8 8 oz glasses of water/fluid per day, and I find I usually top out at 6 unless I'm outside working, so 2 liters is no issue.

Yes, you will probably live, especially now that they are figuring out what's wrong.
No, you won't likely qualify for social security disability. SSI is based on needs - poverty level/welfare supplement. Social security disability is based upon medical condition.
Yes, plan on finishing your BA 'cause you'll need a job with good insurance.

the blockage in your artery may require a bypass or stent - I dunno, not my field. I'm not sure what you mean about 30 squeeze of your left ventricle. Do you mean you have an ejection fraction of 30? If so, why? valve issue? heart failure? An ejection fraction of 30 would be fairly serious, but not terminal, and could improve with prompt and proper treatment. 30% EF would mean only a 50% function (normal ejection fraction being 55 to 60% of the blood volume).

What can you eat??? Learn to cook for yourself, from scratch, if you don't already. lean meat, vegetables, whole grains. A healthy diet. Check the sodium content of all packaged foods. Most frozen veggies are fine, but not in sauces. Watch out for salad dressings. Use only no-salt-added canned goods. Watch out for soups and broths: most have 400 to 1200 mg per serving. No frozen dinners, no fast food, and don't eat a restaurant meal more than once per week to control the sodium. That's a start.

 

[Greg a]

A heart felt WELCOME to our OHS family glad you found the site most of the community are OHS brothers and sisters,(read no medical professionals) there are some minimally invasive surgeries as well so ask away, there is a wealth of knowledge here for the future .....


Bob/tobagotwo has up dated a list of acronyms and short forms http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=8494&d=1276042314

what to ask pre surgery http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...68-Pre-surgery-consultation-list-of-questions

what to take with you to the hospital http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?13283-what-to-take-to-the-hospital-a-checklist

Preparing the house for post surgical patients http://www.valvereplacement.org/for...Getting-Comfortable-Around-the-House&p=218802

These are from various forum stickies and there is plenty more to read as well


And Lynw added this PDF on what to expect post op
http://www.sts.org/documents/pdf/whattoexpect.pdf

 

[Greg a]

I too had bypass and a mitral repair (ring) and now an ICD ....I post on the ICD site as well http://www.icdsupportgroup.org/