Heart issues and medicine possible problem!

[xmelax35]

I currently have some heart related issues...I am going to be going to a specialist per my cardiologists referral. Anyway I haven't been told about one of them yet - that is why I am going to the specialist.  One of the problems is that all the blood is pooling into my legs and the other one is the tachycardia (I guess they are both related to each other) anyway I have chest pain a lot.  I have dizziness, lightheadedness, I have passed out, extremely high heart rate, and very low blood pressure (the list actually goes on)  Some of my symptoms may have to do with my chiari malformation, idk.  Anyway,I see doctors at the cleveland clinic.  However here where I live I have my family doctor who is really not up on what is wrong with me I guess.

He prescribed me OXAPROZIN 600MG  for my lower back problem I am having (really bad pain - spreading to my leg) anyway, I did not have luck on it the last time (this is for anti anflammatory) and it made me sick to my stomach, etc. Now I read that it says:" WARNING: THE RISK OF SERIOUS AND SOMETIMES FATAL HEART PROBLEMS, HEART ATTACK, AND STROKE may be increased with the use of this medicine. This risk may be increased the longer you use this medicine. Risk may also be higher in patients who have heart problems or who are at risk for heart problems" Anyway it goes on it was the first warning on there and then was mentioned again in the caution section.  Is this medicine safe for me to take??? I worry about this and my husband says I shouldn't take it and need to talk to the doctor about this.

I appreciate anything you can do to help me.  I do know that most meds have certain warnings like this but this was a huge warning. I think I have seen it somewhere else before.  I hadn't seen it posted so many times on one page before.
Thanks again.

[xmelax35]

Thanks, now I am going to post in a forum about my lower back/ spine in which is what led me to my family doctor and the ER recently to start with in which is why I questioned the medication he prescribed for me in relation to my heart issues.  Thanks again.

[kenkeith]

Great  story with a good ending; thanks for sharing.  The Cleveland Clinic has the very best doctors and the probability they are right may be as high as 99%.

[xmelax35]

I just remember when this all first started with the chest/heart (oh and I also get sweaty feet/hands and tingling in my extremities like my feet and hands and face at times) that the doctors here looked at me and said it is probably chest wall inflamation (that is their answer for everything here, and I am not kidding).  It took me going to Cleveland to see some doctors for other stuff to go see a cardiologist (the dr. who referred me had asked me why I hadn't seen one yet).  So then I saw one and well after testing figured out something real was wrong.  So then the dr.s here are like oh yes.... but then we go back to the same thing again.  Now one doctor in the ER here who does not specialize, questions what my specialists at Cleveland have done for me! that irks me! I am thinking to myself there, "umm they are specialists and the best and you are just an ER dr. here. Do not question them"! I wish I could have said that.

[xmelax35]

Thank you to you both for the help :)

[kenkeith]

You are correct regarding the medication and the associated risk with Oxaprozin and your husband may be correct...the risk is greater than a possible benefit.

I am providing a link to Chiari forum and a thread where some of your questions may be answered.  Take care and I wish you well and success with the Cleveland Clinic...it is the best.
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Chiari-Malformation/flying-with-chiari-symptoms/show/985808

[alleycat2]

I think I would ask the doctor about a pacemaker. Some thing to regulate the heart.