thank you hopeless & ginnie for the kind words of encouragement & support.

hopeless, i think it was great luck that crestor works so well & with no s/e. because of statins' mostly negative impact on PN, i've always avoided them. but in retrospect, it might have been a wise move. i think brilinta is a beta blocker but i am new to these meds so cannot tell the difference among the ones you mentioned. i will however, do more research.

ginnie, i really appreciate your upbeat post. it's also good to hear that survival is good. i have been trying to change my not so good eating habits. i want to stick around for a good long while.

just read it and it certainly looks like they are worthless. about 98% of the subjects in the study derived zero benefit from them. wth? does not appear to be any efficacy attached to them & you might just as well spend your money on snake oil.

i cannot post the link (ipad) but just search for "olsen" on this site. thanks to mrs. d for pointing out olsen's post.

Hi Antonina,

I was chastised on many occasions over the years for taking myself off of the various statins but they were not working and making me feel BAD. If you HAVE to be on a cholesterol med....... I would ask your doc for Crestor. It works differently on different people so you may not have the positive benefits I have experienced but worth a try if you HAVE to take something for cholesterol. I recently heard some bad things about Lipitor and a relationship to developing diabetes. Don't know if they are true or not. One of my relatives was on Lipitor and had no reduction in cholesterol levels.

I see that you did mention the antihypertensive as being metropolol. Seems cardiologist like it. I was on it for a while and hated it. I was changed by my PCP. I had also taken Atenolol, Cardizem, and several others that I do not remember by name at the moment. I believe all the ones I have mentioned by name are beta blockers. They recently wanted to ADD Norvasc, which I think is a calcium channel blocker antihypertensive, and after much discussion, I talked my way out of adding it to my regimen. My heart rate and BP are controlled but my angina is still frequent. The addition of the Norvasc was to reduce the angina but I was afraid it would lower my BP and heart rate too much with all the other cardiac meds.

Sometimes you have to trial and error different ones to find what works best for you. I was first put on beta blockers for sinus tachycardia. They worked well for lowering my heart rate. I was already on other meds for my hypertension. Beta blockers can have various side effects including dizziness, fatigue, etc. Work with your doctor until you find the right one for you that will provide the proper benefit.

Having the stent should make you feel much better as the blood vessel is now being held open and feeding your heart with all the good stuff and oxygen too. Wishing you much better days. Hope you can get your meds worked out so they "help" you instead of cause you more misery.

Keep us posted. Mrs. D is the supplement expert and has tons of valuable information. There are several others here that are well versed in medications. I can only talk about my personal experiences.

because i was rushed to the nearest hospital, i was treated by the doc who was "on call." * i have made appts with 3 new cardios, 2 who practice at better rated hospitals and the other at the original so-so hospital. i plan to get each one's opinions on meds, diet, lifestyle, etc. *

i hope there's an effective beta blocker they can suggest, as well as a less vertigo-prone & PN intensifying sub for metoprolol. *as for a statin, i believe their efficacy is very questionable and wonder why docs have such faith in them. [see OLSEN post]

have a happy & healthy weekend!

Thanks and a good weekend to you, too.

Most beta blockers have dizziness as a side effect. Sometimes, it only affects you for a few days and your system gets used to it but not always the case. I do hope they can find something that will work well for you. The one I am on now causes my feet and calves to swell with fluid so they lowered the dosage and NO swelling.

My PCP agrees that cholesterol is not the evil it is made out to be and rarely puts his patients on a statin. I trust him implicitly since he saved my life in 1990. I have had the last 23 years of life thanks to him. Usually if he disagrees with the treatment plan of my of my specialists, I defer to HIS judgement even though it may not be his specialty. He always seems to be correct. If we have to be sick, it is always good to have a doc we can trust. I have seen my share of those that would take me down the wrong road and as soon as I discovered it, I hit the road.

sounds like you got very lucky in your PCP. i have been searching for the last 10 years for one...my other one got so burnt out he went to work as an insurance doc! no one has come close to him since in caring & expertise.

i will stay on the quest. be well!

Yes, finding a really good PCP that "fits" for a particular patient is an extremely difficult task. I wish you luck in finding one that really fits with you. I had a great doc MANY years ago and he died. I was lost. Luckily, I found another doc, (my current PCP) and was happy until my insurance changed and I could no longer see him under the new insurance. Found another PCP that almost killed me. Changed my insurance, was able to have coverage of my former PCP but he was not taking on additional patients at that time. I was then on a search. Thank goodness one of my specialists was picking up the slack and caring for ALL of me until I could find a PCP. I wrote a letter to my former PCP asking that he make an exception and take me. He called me as soon as he got the letter and I was back with him.

Now I am afraid he will retire in a few years and I will be on the quest again. There is only 4 years difference in age between my doc and me. I do not blame him if he decides to retire but I dread the day.

It amazes me that with so many doctors, how difficult it is to find one that fits. I still wonder why it is so difficult to find one that is: !) smart 2) listens 3) is available 4) is pleasant 5) informative. Why is it that so many only fill one or two of the above criteria?

Wishing you an end to your quest with the perfect fit for you. Good luck.

It is hard to find that special doctor that really does listen. One who does all he can and is involved in all aspects of your care. It took me years to find the ones I have now. I thank God daily. My first PCP put me on Morphine and told me I would be on it for my whole life. He was wrong. I found my current doctor, and she was wonderful to me in letting me wean off this drug. She is in integrative medicine, and uses vitamins,( B12 in particular), acue puncture, all kinds of out side the box thinking. A year ago I was in a wheelchair. My PN wouldn't let me walk. Today I am walking and in less pain without the narcotic! It takes a search to find the kind of doctor willing to try. I hope all those on NT, who do not like their physicians will go on the quest to find the one that can change their lives. To me this was nothing short of a miracle. I hope all of those who need a change will go looking for that kind of help. Ginnie

Wow, I couldn't have said it better myself! Exactly the experience my wife and I had through her illness and PN. The good ones are few and far between.