OT - Follow up Cardiologist visit w/ more details

[socrates2k1]

Point of reference

A little more details ...
(I did some online research, which didn't tell me much, but)

What my Cardiologist told me (and the Surgeon confirmed) was:
I was born with a heart malformation, whereby the Right Coronary Artery, doesn't follow the "normal" path.  In travels between the heart and aorta, therefore when the heart "pumps", it temporarily squeezes off the RCA, yes, that means, it temporarily cuts off blood flow.

What the Surgeon said, was as he looked at the results of the Heart Cath. and Heart CT, was he didn't see any "schema" or anything indicating a significant blood flow problem.

Remember, he was told I have MS, and an MS Hug.

So, during his physical exam of me, he pressed on my chest, rib-cage, etc.
[Note: I fell off my back porch, back in 2009, one of the results was a severe chest contusion]
Yes, the pressure hurt, my chest has hurt since the fall, duh.

Since he believed, that he "duplicated" the results, by pressing on my chest, etc.  He believes it's not a heart issue, but a chest wall issue.  Hence, the intercostal spasms, "theory".

Well, I go to see my PCP, in 2 weeks, and back to see my Cardiologist in 4 weeks.

When I see my PCP, what I'm going to ask him, is this:
If you tell me, your arm hurts, and I pinch your arm, hard, does the pinching  of your arm, hurt?  
Did I duplicate the pain in your arm, you already had, no!

What it boils down to is this, as far as the Surgeon, since he didn't see any significant blood flow stoppage, on the Heart CT, then it's not worth the risk of cutting me open to re-route my RCA.

Whether this is the cause of my chest pressure, and my heart feeling "tired", especially after exertion, like walking, mowing, or exercising (riding my exercise bike), we have no idea.

-- Socrates2k1 (aka Stan)

[Sailorsong]

The Nurses answer you got is the same answer I have been getting from all of my doctors.

My heart attack symptoms are also being blamed on MS hug.

Dennis

[socrates2k1]

Well, I can tell you this, when I having my Heart CT, they had me speak to an RN, and I asked her, with my MS Hug, is there a way to know the difference, in an MS Hug or Heart trouble, and she said, "no".
When I asked my Cardiologist, about what she had said, he didn't confirm nor deny, what she had told me.

-- Socrates2k1 (aka Stan)

[Sailorsong]

Sounds like a no win situation to me. Kind of like my Heart attack symptoms for the MS. IS it the MS or the heart, you never know which for sure. SO at least you know someone else has a similar conundrum.

I'm also one the same dosage of Metoprolol as you. Many times I have mentioned my sensitivity to medications and this is one of them. I actually take 3 different BP medications because at the dosages needed to control my BP correctly they are too strong and cause other problems like too low of a pulse. With my current dosages of BP medication my pulse goes down to around 50 at times. Yet my BP is still a little bit too high.

Dennis

[socrates2k1]

Well, I can tell you, that before my Cardiologist, took me to see the Surgeon, he gave me an Rx for Metoprolol, a very low dose, 12.5 mg 2x/day. It's an Rx that slows your heart rate.  The highest dose you can take is 300mg, if that gives you an idea of how low the dose is.  Heck, my Wife has high B/P, and a high heart rate, she also takes Metoprolol, 50mg 3x/day.  They don't even make a pill that small (25mg is the smallest), so I will have to cut them in half, and take half a pill twice a day.  So far, it's taken my pulse (i.e. heart rate) down to 59 bpm.

My Cardiologist & my PCP, will probably leave the MS issues up to my Neurologist though, so the chest spasm & MS Hug issues will have to wait until I see him again.

-- Socrates2k1 (aka Stan)

[supermum_ms]

Hey Stan,

lol i like your dr question, though i was thinking more along the lines of hitting him with a 2 x 4 plank of wood, just to see if that gave him a better idea lol

From my ignorant perspective, I sort of get if you have a defect from birth, normally if its going ok you'd leave it alone, that does make sense, though what exactly does it mean if your having intercostal muscle spasms which is repeatedly putting even more strain on your heart defect? I think that may change things a little or a lot, sort of takes it out side of the normal circumstances basket, doesn't it?

So if fixing the heart is unnecessary (good news btw), your still left with the problem so i'd be asking what more you need to be doing to stop/reduce the intercostal muscle spasms? Personally i would love to hear the answer, though i suspect there isn't much available to target the issue. Except for muscle relaxants there isn't much i've found and they dont target a specific muscle group, which is a pain in the butt. All i can think of is botox but that wouldn't be a picinic lol but you would have such a youthful look. lol

Let us know what your dr comes up with, please!

Cheers.........JJ