Fluid around the heart

[mccrook]

Hi....I'm a 29 year old female,who has asthma, and I've been having some trouble breathing.  Since August of last year I have been getting really sick and they can't seem to find what is causing it.  I've been getting really dizzy, having trouble breathing, passing out and vomiting.  Then they were telling me that I was having panic attacks.  Not long after that they did a glutose tolerance test and found that I am also hypoglycemic.  Well I have been watching what I eat and now they say I'm borderline hyperglycemic.  Recently, I have been getting real dizzy and vomiting again, so they've sent me for some tests.  I've had an ultrasound of my abdominal area, an EEG, and a MRI.  After the ultrasound they wanted to do an EKG and an ultrasound of my heart.  They found some fluid around my heart.  It wasn't much, but it is between my heart and my liver.  Today I'm having trouble breathing again.  I can't seem to determine if its my asthma or anxiety.  What can causes the fluid to gather and what complications can it cause?  What can they do for it?  Any ideas would be helpful.  Thank you.

[CCF-M.D.-CRC]

Dear mccrook,
There is normally a small (15-30cc) amount of fluid in the sac acround the heart which is called pericardial fluid. This is a normal finding.  If there is a larger amount of fluid (100+ cc)then it is called a pericardial effusion.  There are many causes of pericardial effusions.  Some of them include inflammation of the heart or the lining around the heart, heart failure, malignancy and bleeding.  If there is a very large amount of fluid, drainage with a needle is sometimes needed. Your doctor can tell you if you have a normal amount of fluid or a larger amount that needs to be treated.

[kathyas71]

well i have a question, my aunt is in her early 80's and she has had alot of heart bypasses and now she has fluid around her heart i am not sure how much fluid and she also found out, or should i say we just found out that her one kidney has failed and the other one is only half working, she is also filling up with fluid.  she is on fluid pills, heart pills and lots of other that i do not know what they are, she is also now having problems breathing. Please could you give me an idea of how long she will be with us?  she refused the kidney dialysis.  and she is on a special renal diet.  Did her heart cause this?  Please help me find out answers because i do not want to ask her these questions.  thank you for your time.

[cookie53]

Hi, I am 18 years old.  I found out two days ago i have fluid around my heart.  I have always been extremely active.  I go back this Thursday for another Echocardiogram to see if the medicine is helping the fluid go away.  My questions are: what made someone at my age have this problem, is this going to cause future problems, how long does this last, should i be worried.  As you can tell i know nothing about this, my docter has yet to inform me on the problem and what to do with it. I would greatly appreciate anyones knowledge on the subject to please inform me. Thank you so much.

[hurricaine3513]

A related discussion, Sarcoidosis and Pericarditis was started.