Thanks Nicky, My husband and I decided to do it together and I'm happy to say neither of us have slipped even once. We really made up our minds this time. I already had about 25lbs to lose and now I've gained 10 more so far and he's only gained 2...that's not right!

Hugs,
Pat

Hey honey! I just read your thread - WOW (!), you have had a HARD time!

Congrats on the smoking! I am still struggling with that! My docs hate the fact that I smoke, but apparently I have the lungs of a 12 yr old - I've been really lucky!

I am so sorry you are going through all of this.........hang in there and KEEP the FAITH!

Love
Erin

Thanks Erin, I'm sure everything is going to work out well. I'm a pretty tough lady! How are you doing? You've had such a hard time yourself lately. You keep the faith as well and I'll be keeping good thoughts.

Hugs,
Pat

Hey sweetie! Don't you worry about me - I'm a tough old bird! LOL!
I am now on some meds for fibro - they just can't explain all of this terrible pain - luckily I have such a great neuro - he truly CARES about ME and has had every test run to rule out stuff.........I won't lie. It has been hard, but it just makes me appreciate my good days even more!
I'm also back to 20 mgs of pred and am going to get IV IG every 3 weeks - that port has really come in handy! I highly recommend it!
Now we just have to get into remission and we'll be good to go!

LOve,
Erin

Pat, You'll have to excuse me if I'm being dense because I'm so tired. Did you say they don't have you on any blood thinners anymore?! Not even aspirin? The test is a D-Dimer. It can be elevated mildly for reasons other than a blood clot like right after surgery or giving birth. Do you know how high yours was and what the range was? Mine has been elevated (slightly) but no clots.

Did they do any blood clotting disorders testing? If not, you may want to get a referral to a hematologist to make sure you don't have any! APS (antiphospholipid antibody syndrome) is very common in people with autoimmune diseases.

After something like that, it's always good to check-in with/see your primary doctor to discuss it all. The ER is not a place where they manage overall care. They do the Band-aid approach to medicine. They don't "know" your whole health history and may miss things. So please go over it all with your primary. And cardiologist!

Annie

Thanks Annie, I can't say for sure if they did a test for APS, but I did hear them say they were testing for clotting. I didn't have a hematologist, but I did have my PCP and his wife who is also an MD in the same office and my cardiologist. I spent 4 days in the progressive care unit and they did quite a few tests mostly involving my heart and lungs. Couldn't possible tell you how many viles of blood were taken twice a day.
I was sent home with orders to take aspirin and Lopressor. And to continue taking Lipitor and Synthroid. Cardio wanted me to continue taking an ace inhibitor, but my pcp disagreed as I explained in my first post. I will be seeing my pcp for a follow up next week and the cardio next month after I have the nulear stress test. He mentioned a cardiac cath, but I'm going with the stress first. When I see my pcp, I'll get copies of everything he has and then I'll have more info. When you're not feeling well and going through so many tests it's hard to think of all the questions you want to ask, no less get copies of everything. Truth be told, I was damn scared at times! Thanks again and hope your dog will be ok. You take care too.
Hugs,
Pat

Well, Erin I think we are both tough old birds and we can get through just about anything! We have great doctors, loving families and friends all around us...who could ask for more! If we all hang in there together, we'll all get through it together. I think some day we are going to have one huge remission party!
Big Hugs,
Pat

AMEN to that! We'll do just that! I am soooooo ready!

Love,
Erin

Hey Pat, so sorry I missed your post for so long! Just read it, boy, sorry for all that you had to go through. Bet it was really scary, not knowing what went wrong and all the meds and tests u had to be put thru. I'm glad u're home, do hope u get better soon. I've missed u!!

Thank you Connie. I'm doing much better, but it was scary having that happen out of the blue like that. All the nuclear meds will be out of my system in a couple of weeks, so they scheduled the nuclear stress test for Oct 22nd. If the cardio thinks a cardiac catherization is warrented, I will go for a second opinion at a much larger medical center where my neuro and neuro op is. It's a 1.5 hour drive, but well worth it. I've been taking more mestinon since this all happened as it caused the MG to flare up...that's normal.
Last night we picked my son up at the airport! He's home for a visit until Tues. It's so wonderful having him home! He's the best medicine!

I'm sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. I've missed you too! Hope your Dad is doing better. I will keep you both in my thoughts & prayers. Hang in there kiddo!

Big Hugs,
Pat