Suffer,
Please seek support through your family, local church or community. This is the time to reach out. You'll find many people who will know what you're going through, offer support and hold your hand. Don't isolate yourself. There are anonymous online communities that can help,too. Search under "pulmonary hypertension" and post your thoughts, feelings and worst fears.
You are not dying, you are living. Look around you and take in the nuances of nature, your family and friends. This is a beautiful life, and we all have to face our worst fears and learn how to accept the hand we're dealt. It makes you stronger and better, even if your rebirth occurs late in life and feel that your fate is unfair.
Please, seek help, pray or meditate and imagine what kind of legacy you'd like to leave. Do you want your family or friends to remember you consumed by your suffering? If you believe in God, trust that what you're going through has some kind of purpose that you may not be able to see now. Even those who are reading your post may be moved. I know I was. Your illness puts other health challenges into perspective.
An anti-anxiety drug can help, too. Medication, support and talking about what your going through will bring you inner peace, even if physically you feel miserable.
If you're faithful, God will provide. He will fill your life with unexpected blessings, especially during moments when you're suffering the most.
With love,
Kim
Just because you have TR, does that mean you have pulmonary hypertension? I have had a few echoes and they all said TR, but the last mentioned "mildly elevated pulmonary pressure". Are you supposed to do something about this finding? I spoke to the cardio who did this echo and he said I should get another echo in 5 years and see how it is then. (I will prob. get an echo sooner than that, because there is always some reason to give me another echo).
I'd appreciate any info anybody can give me. :o)
Do You Have Any Other Correctible Risk Factors Such as Obesity?
Zoe, I'm sorry to hear of your ordeal.
you certainly aren't dying of your pulmonary pressures. However I do not doubt the severity of your illness.
1) You have mild pulmonay hypertension by the numbers you describe by echo.
2) Echos use the speed of the TR to extrapolate the data to determine a pressure. Some factors can lead to inaccurate results, mostly related to imaging techniques.
3) Mild TR is a very comon finding, and not necessarily abnormal.
4) Yes.
5) That is a difficult question. Your symptoms seem to be out of proportion to the level of pressures you have on the echo. However alot of your symtoms seem to be more systemic. I would recommend you see a pulmonary hypertension specialist before proceeding with further invasive testing.
6) Pulmonary hypertension can lead to hemoptysis. However alot of diseases that can lead to pulmonary hypertension such as lupus (with hemmorhagic capillaritis, or antiphospholipid antibody syndrome) or venous thromboembolic disease can lead to hemoptysis.
7) there is no cut point between pressure and symptoms.
8) if your ana is positive and you have as many systemic symptoms as you mention I would suggest you seek referral to a pulmonary hypertension specialist or a rheumatologist for further evaluation.
hope this is a start.