I sit still, am ok without oxygen. 140 bpm walking. calcium ok is fast. Oxy also rises to 96.
Hi
. I am glad to hear you are doing well without oxygen and that your blood pressure doesn't soar too high when you walk. How are you doing overall these days? Thinking of you. - Lori (Team Member) I can breath much better in this quaint town. Moved here 2 months ago. My friend Bruce is moving to my RV park very soon. WE have come to the understanding that we need each other for medical reasons. If I sit and dont do much, my oxygen is ok, but if I shower or get up to make coffee, my heart rate goes up to 146 or so. This does concern me, but my heart is good. So confusing. Been stuck in my RV for 12 days as my truck broke a driveshaft. Finally got out of the park when Bruce arrived with a trailer with plants. He will bring his RV in 2 weeks. I think 140 plus is too high, but it hurts to breath when it goes high. Nothing I can do, except breathing right. So glad you are keeping an eye on me. Having no family, this makes you my new family. Thankyou for being there.
I am happy to hear that Bruce agreed to move and that you will have each other,
. With two RVs, you can lean on each other, but you will each also have your own personal space. That's wonderful.
In your initial post, I thought you meant your blood pressure increase came with longer bouts of walking, as exercise. That's pretty high for simply walking through the RV to the bathroom or kitchen area. As you know, I'm no medical expert, but I would guess your blood pressure increases because a lack of adequate oxygen is making your heart work harder. Have you found a new pulmonologist yet? If so, it would be a good question to ask. I wonder if slowly introducing more light exercise or changes in your supplemental oxygen might help.
I always enjoy chatting with you. I'm glad you joined the community. Sending bunches of gentle hugs your way. - Lori (Team Member)
We're honored to be your virtual family. <3 So glad you have finally found a place to settle where you can breathe easy. It's taken a lot to get there and I hope it brings you longterm peace -- for Bruce too. -Melissa, team member
glad your here, you are an inspiration to me.. I've had my car broke for more than a month but I'm out of town and didn't use it to much when home.. it was my wake up call when around June 25th I needed to push it the other side of our residential street and I really ran out of oxygen and luckily had got it to the crown/middle of the road and put the brake on after at least 5 minutes I was able to roll it down to the other side and avoid a street sweeper ticket. Within a few weeks I started having worse "flares" and my GP gave me Albuterol, then a few weeks later I persuaded him into giving me Symbicort and it works pretty good but I am bothered by some of side effects (and scared that the corticosteroid stops the respiratory immune system from working properly) but may have to live with it. I'm having a rough time learning that I really have to do most things really slow or not at all.
Thank You
Craig
My Primary doc honored my request to get started with a pulminologist but it usually takes time and if its more than a 20 mile trip from my house I'll have a hard time complying. Here's the tests and findings from July 7th ER report (only real professional info I have) I've lost about 20lbs. over last 3 months, now weigh 183lbs 6'1" height
also my pulse is higher than optimal and can be up to 110bpm if I'm exerting and getting low on O2
:
Acute bronchitis due to infection
Viral upper respiratory tract infection with cough
Shortness of breath
Moderate persistent reactive airway disease with acute exacerbation
Lab Tests Completed: (all were negative or in range unless noted)
B Type Natriuretic Peptide
CBC with Differential
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
Glucose 110 (H) 74 - 106 mg/dL
BUN 22 9 - 23 mg/dL
Creatinine 1.33 (H) 0.70 - 1.30 mg/dL
Coronavirus (COVID-19) NAAT
Differential, Manual
Influenza A and B Ag, IA
Respiratory Virus Panel, NAAT
Troponin I
Adenovirus Not Detected Not Detected
Human Metapneumovirus Not Detected Not Detected
Influenza A NAAT Not Detected Not Detected
Influenza A H1 Not Detected Not Detected
Influenza A H3 Not Detected Not Detected
Influenza B NAAT Not Detected Not Detected
Parainfluenza 1 Not Detected Not Detected
Parainfluenza 2 Not Detected Not Detected
Parainfluenza 3 Not Detected Not Detected
Parainfluenza 4 Not Detected Not Detected
Rhinovirus RNA Not Detected Not Detected
RSV A Not Detected Not Detected
RSV B Not Detected Not Detected
Bordetella Pertussis PCR Not Detected Not Detected
Bordetella parapertussis/bronchiseptica
NAAT
Not Detected Not Detected
Bordetella holmesii Not Detected Not Detected
Imaging Tests:
CT Angio Pulmonary w Contrast
ECG 12 lead performed 2 times
XR Chest AP Portable
FINDINGS: Pulmonary Arteries: Diagnostic
quality: Adequate through the segmental arteries. No evidence for acute or chronic pulmonary
emboli. RV/LV is within normal limits. There is no interventricular septal bowing. There is no reflux of
contrast material in the IVC. Lungs/Pleura: Mild bronchial wall thickening and some scattered areas of
plugging, mostly in the lower lobes. Nonspecific. 4 mm nodules in the left lower lobe on image 119 of
series 4. Nonspecific. No suspicious consolidations. No effusions or pneumothoraces. A Mediastinum:
Normal. No cardiac enlargement or adenopathy. Thoracic Aorta: Unremarkable. Upper Abdomen:
Unremarkable. Other: No acute bony abnormality.
IMPRESSION: 1. No CT evidence of pulmonary embolism. 2. Bronchial wall thickening and mild areas
of plugging. Could represent upper respiratory infection or airway disease. 3. 4 mm nodule in the left
lower lobe, and in the low risk patient, no follow-up is necessary as per Fleischner guidelines.
--------------Hi
. We are not medical experts, but it looks like they did a good job of ruling out other issues. It seems the only thing to do now is wait for the pulmonologist who will probably want to do follow-up scans to see whether things have improved. I hope you get an appointment soon and that you are able to get there. My husband only sees his pulmonologist in person if it's absolutely necessary. Many appointments are virtual. Maybe that will be an option for you after the first visit. If your breathing worsens or you feel unsafe, don't hestitate to go to the ER. It's best to be safe. Keep me posted of you don't mind. - Lori (Team Member)
I meant to say "IF I can "catch it early" before I start hyper ventilating -AND TAKE 1 or 2 PUFFS OF Albuterol- I can usually avoid a flare. Stress and fear seems to make it all worse and may contribute to causing a flare to happen."
Hi. I'm glad you're here with us as you navigate finding out what's going on with your breathing. We'll be here to support you and provide resources along the way.
I wanted to address the anxiety you mentioned. When you're having trouble breathing, anxiety is the body's natural response to something not being right. It's not your fault, so don't be hard on yourself when this happens. It is possible to learn how to control the fear when you're dealing with shortness of breath, but it can take a lot of practice! Don't be afraid to reach out to a therapist if you want a space to talk about your symptoms and gain some professional advice. Many therapists even do sessions online now.
We also have many articles about mental health and anxiety management here on the site. My favorite is this one that gives one community member's personal tips for coping during a flare.
You can view all of our anxiety articles here. Let us know if you have any questions or if something resonates! Take good care of yourself, okay? -Melissa, team member
