Aggravating News

My new surgeon has now officially tried to find out why I have pain in my LLQ (Lower Left Quadrant). He was rebuffed by the insurance company. Not medically necessary. He will re-enter the fray next week.

Post-hospital

Well, apparently the doctors didn't want to poison me. The contrast would have been too much for my kidneys, so the skull images were scratched. I was discharged last Monday, Next Monday, I go for my endoscopy. My creatinine never went below 1.9.

A weekend in the hospital

I have spent the past weekend in the hospital, trying to get my creatinine down to the point that would allow me to safely have a CT-angio done of my trunk and skull. To that end, I have gone through half a dozen bags of saline solution and three doses of some stuff that I can only call revolting - its trade name is Mucamyst - and it has done no good; my creatinine level is still high at 1.9. I have undergone the torso CT, but will forgo the skull 'pictures' for now. My kidneys would have shut down and the doctors would have had no choice but to put me in dialysis until the one essentially functioning kidney began to recover.

So, it is Sunday night, I am growing tired, and tomorrow's procedure (another issue altogether) is in doubt. We shall see, yes?

Back in the hospital

I'm back in the hospital. My new cardiologist sees some enlargement in my descending aorta and needs to be able to track it. Also, he's going check me for brain aneurysm potential. So tomorrow, after a night of mucamyst & OJ and saline IV, I go for CT angio.

Sorry for my delay...

I have been remiss in my blog duties, and I apologize. I am discovering so many things about my condition. First among them is the fact that the kidney condition from which I suffer (polycystic kidney disease, or PKD) is my big problem. Yeah, I know. That's not this blog. I've come to understand that I'm not going to live as long as I might otherwise have if I have any greater complications from my kidneys.

The reason I had an aortic dissection is because of my history (since 1997) of elevated blood pressure. It has been treated, but sadly without much success and worse, without a great deal of focus or interest on my part. In short, I chose to ignore it. My bad...

GET YOUR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE UNDER CONTROL!

Yes, I shouted. I'm serious. I am now looking at a shortened life because I ignored it. Check it often, know if it rises, and if it stays high, nail it down and keep it down. I know that the medications are a pain in the butt. I am on three of them: Bystolic, felodipine, and if necessary to manage spikes, hydralazine. I know what meds can do. I am "anti" meds, as a rule. But I cannot manage my bp naturally. I hope to be able to, one day. I have problems with conflicts, notably with Coenzyme Q-10 and lots of my other meds. It is off the table for now, until I discover a clear path through the morass of contraindications and drug interactions.

I am so tired these days.

Aortic Dissection (A.D.) - More background

I was a Marine for over 18 years. I stayed mentally and physically active and watched what I ate. I studied nutrition and exercise physiology for fun. I was not unaware of my risk factors, one of which was my heredity - my dad was black - that carries a risk penalty that I had no way to calculate. The primary risks included high blood pressure and increased stroke, heart attack and kidney disease risk.

I do have kidney problems, but have been asymptomatic. It took the results of a second day of scans and X-rays to disclose the problem. Apparently, my left kidney had gone polycystic at some time in the past, and now looks rather like a kidney upholstered with grapes...yum. It has virtually killed the kidney. I understand this is somewhat anomalous; it (polycystic kidney disease) classically affects both kidneys at the same time. I'm still on the uptake end of all of that. Once I know more, I will pass that on. Another discussion for another day.

Aortic Dissection (A.D.)

I thought it wise to begin with pertinent background. My name is Paul, I turned 54 on June 5th. Two months and 9 days later, I had my A.D. I hadn't a hint of what was coming. I was not asymptomatic; I've had high blood pressure since 1997. Thrice treated with various doses of various medications, it remained high. I was frustrated, but unmotivated to do more. Like most people, I was content to let a trained enemy sniper sleep in the hilly country surrounding my heart. As long as he slept silently...

Clicking on the post title will take you to a quick look at A.D. provided by the Vascular Disease Foundation.