Type II Diabetes

[Sam Colt]

<>

…you always have the option to refuse and let nature take its course.

Your choice. . . . . . .

leVieux
.

That’s exactly what I’ve done.

And now we wait.

 

[SARGE67]

Yes indeed.

I have markers for atheroschlerosis (sp) according the a current EKG. In the past, same thing plus a chem stress test indication. They sent me in for an angiogram, which was a goat rope but that is another story, and the angiogram was perfectly clean.

Now they want another stress test. So it would seem I am going down the same road again with markers but not the disease. Maybe. I guess we'll see.

As a survivor of a triple bypass, pacemaker, heart attack after all that then a stent, I'll try and condense. I had a treadmill stress test each year for many years then one year my chest began hurting only a few minutes into the test, told the doc but he said "you're looking good". He shut it off and actually saved my life. He looked at the print out of the graph saying I was "looking good". Sent me across the street to the hospital for an angiogram next day with my wife, I was woozy during the procedure but heard them telling wife I had 3 arteries seriously clogged, showing on a large TV screen. My LAD (widow maker) was 99% clogged, another artery was 100% and another 70%. Next day they did a triple bypass and life changed forever. I was "looking good" on treadmill but only a few steps away from dying.

If your angiogram was clean, it means your arteries are clear as understsand it. I had two follow-up angiograms in past 3 years and all 3 bypasses are still clear. An angiogram is an invasive procedure and they must have a good reason for doing it on you. I assume you've had an Echo Cardiogram right before and after your stress test? It looks at the mechanics of your heart relaxed and under stress.

 

[leVieux]

Yes indeed.

I have markers for atheroschlerosis (sp) according the a current EKG. In the past, same thing plus a chem stress test indication. They sent me in for an angiogram, which was a goat rope but that is another story, and the angiogram was perfectly clean.

Now they want another stress test. So it would seem I am going down the same road again with markers but not the disease. Maybe. I guess we'll see.

<>
Sounds that you misunderstood something; or, that your health care folks are less than honest.

An “EKG” is not a test for atherosclerosis per-se.

Some hospital-driven medical practices intentionally over-test. Find a Doc who is interested in your personal & family History, especially recent symptoms.

leVieux
.

 

[dsgrey]

As a survivor of a triple bypass, pacemaker, heart attack after all that then a stent, I'll try and condense. I had a treadmill stress test each year for many years then one year my chest began hurting only a few minutes into the test, told the doc but he said "you're looking good". He shut it off and actually saved my life. He looked at the print out of the graph saying I was "looking good". Sent me across the street to the hospital for an angiogram next day with my wife, I was woozy during the procedure but heard them telling wife I had 3 arteries seriously clogged, showing on a large TV screen. My LAD (widow maker) was 99% clogged, another artery was 100% and another 70%. Next day they did a triple bypass and life changed forever. I was "looking good" on treadmill but only a few steps away from dying.

If your angiogram was clean, it means your arteries are clear as understsand it. I had two follow-up angiograms in past 3 years and all 3 bypasses are still clear. An angiogram is an invasive procedure and they must have a good reason for doing it on you. I assume you've had an Echo Cardiogram right before and after your stress test? It looks at the mechanics of your heart relaxed and under stress.

Similar issue in 2009 where ALL tests showed clear but I was having angina when walking uphill. They stated an angio was the gold standard but didn't recommend. I pushed for it and they found a 95% blockage that was stented.

3 weeks ago I had a thrombectomy due to a long blockage in my upper left leg that caused it to swell. Doctor seemed surprised since he normally sees those in patients 20 years older. I've had an abdominal aorta stenosis for many years but it's now reached the point where they will stent it around the end of April. They think a stent can be threaded versus needing a graft.

 

[bbbass]

<>
Sounds that you misunderstood something; or, that your health care folks are less than honest.

An “EKG” is not a test for atherosclerosis per-se.

Some hospital-driven medical practices intentionally over-test. Find a Doc who is interested in your personal & family History, especially recent symptoms.

leVieux
.

I didn't misunderstand the doc at all. She said, "the EKG indicates you have clogged cardiac arteries".

That's a damn clear statement.

 

[bbbass]

I assume you've had an Echo Cardiogram right before and after your stress test? It looks at the mechanics of your heart relaxed and under stress.

Didn't have an echo done then (not until months after... that cardiologist said, "Well your heart is not TOO enlarged", then told me I would live to be 100). They used some kind of imaging type scanner with a tracer dye and said the results were abnormal.

I have to wonder how my BP meds affect these tests. Also the AV Block that I have. One would think that they would know about that stuff and analyse but IDK. After the angio showed clean, I don't trust them at all.

Be well sarge!!

 

[leVieux]

I didn't misunderstand the doc at all. She said, "the EKG indicates you have clogged cardiac arteries".

That's a damn clear statement.

Yes, but it is not what we call “direct evidence”.

Matters little, just terminology.

Don’t worry.

 

[bbbass]

Yes, but it is not what we call “direct evidence”.

I imagine that is why the doc ordered a stress test and an echocardiagram.

Like I said, same road I went down before, the last time I complained about exercise induced chest pain and shortness of breath.

Personally, I think I need to see a pulmonologist, but time will tell.

 

[bbbass]

3 weeks ago I had a thrombectomy due to a long blockage in my upper left leg that caused it to swell.

Supposedly I have clogged arteries in my lower legs due to diabetes. A diabetic friend had a total blockage in his lower leg and damn near lost his foot.

I hope your situation gets better... seems like you have been thru a lot!!

 

[dsgrey]

Supposedly I have clogged arteries in my lower legs due to diabetes. A diabetic friend had a total blockage in his lower leg and damn near lost his foot.

I hope your situation gets better... seems like you have been thru a lot!!

Mine have been clogged for years but I thought I'd sprained my calf muscle until a few days later when my upper leg was swollen. I rode 15 miles on my bike one day without issue and two days later I was in the ER that transferred me by ambulance to another hospital ER that specializes in vascular disease. The sudden onset had my doctor worried. He stated patients with cancer sometimes have a sudden blockage but I'm all clear. No immediate family history either so I'm just "lucky" with a combination of genes.

 

[leVieux]

I imagine that is why the doc ordered a stress test and an echocardiagram.

Like I said, same road I went down before, the last time I complained about exercise induced chest pain and shortness of breath.

Personally, I think I need to see a pulmonologist, but time will tell.

Please tell us which city is your home or nearest big town ?

 

[benenglish]

Plavix is the one drug I can honestly say does its job - thins your blood so good even your dentist will freak out and demand a release from your doctor.

I take my sister for a PT/INR weekly.She has a mechanical mitral valve and those numbers need to be kept in range.

50 years ago, the test wasn't as routine. The cardiologist who treated my father just upped his dosage of Warfarin until he started waking up with a mouthful of blood from bleeding gums.

Now we know that not keeping your numbers in a given range is a bad thing. My sister has nearly died on three occasions when she had various stripes of GI bleeding due to failure to adequately monitor her blood thinners. We won't make that mistake again.

I said all that to say this - From the way you talk about Plavix, well, I just hope anyone who takes it doesn't have any stomach ulcers.

 

[leVieux]

I take my sister for a PT/INR weekly.She has a mechanical mitral valve and those numbers need to be kept in range.

50 years ago, the test wasn't as routine. The cardiologist who treated my father just upped his dosage of Warfarin until he started waking up with a mouthful of blood from bleeding gums.

Now we know that not keeping your numbers in a given range is a bad thing. My sister has nearly died on three occasions when she had various stripes of GI bleeding due to failure to adequately monitor her blood thinners. We won't make that mistake again.

I said all that to say this - From the way you talk about Plavix, well, I just hope anyone who takes it doesn't have any stomach ulcers.

<>
”Monitoring” especially the “INR” helps with reduction. of compllcations, but can’t eliminate them. Yes, the “INR” was a big help.
.

 

[benenglish]

<>
”Monitoring” especially the “INR” helps with reduction. of compllcations, but can’t eliminate them. Yes, the “INR” was a big help.
.

Yeah. Funny, though, she used to be able to guess her INR based on how she felt. I don't think she missed it by more than .3 for years. That went on for 15 years. Then things changed; she lost the ability to do that. Her body treats warfarin differently, almost randomly, these past few years.

For example, she's on high warfarin therapy where her target range is 3.5 to 4. Her cardio says 4.0 is the precise target and he doesn't mind drifting higher as long as it gets corrected fairly quick. So we found a dosage that kept her right near 4.0 for weeks and then it slowly started creeping up. Then faster. There's just no consistency.

For example, 23 days ago she was at 5.7. I reduced her dose by 1mg/day and she fell to 3.3 in a week. So 6mg is too much and 5mg is too little. As of now, I'm alternating those dosages daily.

We set her a new dose every week depending on her INR each Monday and it's really frustrating that I have to keep a half-dozen different dosages (I think I have 2, 4, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, and 15 at the moment) on hand in order to make the changes.

Sure wish I could find a way to keep her steady.

 

[leVieux]

Yeah. Funny, though, she used to be able to guess her INR based on how she felt. I don't think she missed it by more than .3 for years. That went on for 15 years. Then things changed; she lost the ability to do that. Her body treats warfarin differently, almost randomly, these past few years.

For example, she's on high warfarin therapy where her target range is 3.5 to 4. Her cardio says 4.0 is the precise target and he doesn't mind drifting higher as long as it gets corrected fairly quick. So we found a dosage that kept her right near 4.0 for weeks and then it slowly started creeping up. Then faster. There's just no consistency.

For example, 23 days ago she was at 5.7. I reduced her dose by 1mg/day and she fell to 3.3 in a week. So 6mg is too much and 5mg is too little. As of now, I'm alternating those dosages daily.

We set her a new dose every week depending on her INR each Monday and it's really frustrating that I have to keep a half-dozen different dosages (I think I have 2, 4, 5, 6, 7.5, 10, and 15 at the moment) on hand in order to make the changes.

Sure wish I could find a way to keep her steady.

<>

When doing trans vascular interventions, frequent INR’s are lifesavers!

 

[SARGE67]

I was taking off a regular Band-Aid a year ago while on Plavix and it stuck too good and peeled off some skin. I couldn't stop the bleeding and wife came home from work and drove me to one of those walk-in places who stopped it. I hate the crap and I now have to make a huge choice as my cardiologist says he insists based on my 3 bypasses and stent and Hemoglobin being so high (thick blood). At age 74 tired of it all frankly...

 

[SARGE67]

Supposedly I have clogged arteries in my lower legs due to diabetes. A diabetic friend had a total blockage in his lower leg and damn near lost his foot.

I hope your situation gets better... seems like you have been thru a lot!!

There should be no "supposedly" clogged arteries in your lower legs. A simple sonogram on your legs will measure blood flow and look for clogged areteries, plain and simple. I had one done to test for my feet numbness.

 

[dsgrey]

I was taking off a regular Band-Aid a year ago while on Plavix and it stuck too good and peeled off some skin. I couldn't stop the bleeding and wife came home from work and drove me to one of those walk-in places who stopped it. I hate the crap and I now have to make a huge choice as my cardiologist says he insists based on my 3 bypasses and stent and Hemoglobin being so high (thick blood). At age 74 tired of it all frankly...

Try silicone bandages. I had the same issue when wearing a band-aid over my thrombectomy incision but also had to wear compression stockings. The band-aid reaction with my skin over days was worse than the stitched incision but no issues with silicone bandages.

 

[bbbass]

There should be no "supposedly" clogged arteries in your lower legs. A simple sonogram on your legs will measure blood flow and look for clogged areteries, plain and simple. I had one done to test for my feet numbness.

I said "supposedly" because I don't really trust them after they said I have clogged cardiac arteries and the angiogram was clean.

I can't remember what tests were done for that.

 

[bbbass]

Please tell us which city is your home or nearest big town ?

I don't even live in a "city". It's not big enough for that moniker. Call it a "town". Population 12,500.

Define "big town". Cities around me within 5hrs would be Kennewick WA, Boise ID, Bend OR, and Portland OR.