Cardiology

[Guest]

Sept. 2004
I need answers, PLEASE HELP!
My wife has been seriously ill since March of this year. It was a slow progression. It started with muscle aches and pain, almost arthritic, swelling & stiffness. Then one night in March she was suffering from abdominal pains in the lower left quadrant, had a fever, and upon the unset of nausea was taken to the local emergency room.
For the next three days blood tests, sonograms & CT Scans of her abdomen were taken. She was not given any food; they were isolating her stomach, and were just giving her intravenously the basic electrolytes and fluids to avoid dehydration. The doctor ruled everything out except Gastritis or Peptic Ulcer. To rule out either, a “Scope” was ordered to physically inspect the lining of her stomach. But we cancelled the appointment, because they just weren’t giving us any answers. They never did arrange for a follow up to see if she had improved or not. In the three days she’d been in the hospital she’d lost around 20 lbs.
Her eating habits were limited. She could not take in very much & couldn’t eat anything really except fresh fruit, vegetables, rice & noodles. Things that the body can easily digest, anything else would cause abdominal pain that’d double her over.
Meanwhile, we looked into Alternative Medicine, that being the practice of Herbology & Natural Therapy. The suggestions we received from this avenue looked more promising than what the medical community had found. She started to make somewhat of an improvement, but it a slow process.
Up until the last week and a half in April, she was mobile and getting around. It started after we went over to visit some friends; it was pretty windy and later on that night one of her ears started to hurt. I don’t know if this is related in anyway, but shortly after this she was sick. She had flu like symptoms, which progressed to nausea. She was continually nauseated, suffering from dry heaves & vomiting, whether or not she had consumed anything. The vomit was thick clear spittle. It had no substance or food in it. That last week in April, her chest hurt a little & there was shortness in her breathing. We went to see a Chiropractor, because along with the breathing problems and chest pain her back was sore. The Chiropractor was helpful, but the relief was semi-effective. The breathing and chest pain were alleviated to somewhat of a bearable state. At this point she was virtually bedridden & weak. She needed 24hr care, and at the time I was able to provide it. But work was beginning to pick up, so her parents offered to help take care of her. Sad to say we had no faith in our local doctors, so we decided to work through this without there assistance, aside from the fact that we didn’t have the money for it.
They lived 8hrs. away, it wasn’t too difficult a trip. But her condition didn’t improve; three days after getting there she was admitted into the hospital. She was in the hospital for 5 days. What was found? She was diagnosed with Pericarditis resulting in a Pericardial Effusion. That’s why she had a shortness in her breathing & pain in her chest. The treatment prescribed was 60 milligrams of Predisone. She was on this dosage for nearly the entire month of May, around the last week they started stepped her down by 10 milligrams. From this point on she was to lower her dosage by 10 milligrams each week till her dosage was nil or non-existent. Something else that was found which couldn’t be explained was her liver was twice it’s normal size.
Upon taking the Predisone Steroid, she started to come around full circle. Her appetite had come back, she seemed to have more energy and most importantly, the fluid was disappearing. The chest pain & shortness in her breathing was brought about only when she exerted herself or was over heated, but even this lessened. The enlarged liver was reverting back to it normal size as well.
44 days from when she went down with her parents the doctors released to come home on an out-of-state patient basis. She was scheduled to have a check up July 19th to check her progress. By then she would have been completely off the Steroids for at least a week.
June 29th, I brought her into a hospital in Missoula, MT. She was having trouble breathing & had chest pain, much like she had prior to this. They ran blood tests, an eco-cardiogram, EKG & her heart was normal. No fluid was found & everything checked out, except a spiked white count of around 25,000.
The weekend following she started to feel like she was getting a cold or the flu. She started to get nauseated & began vomiting. The vomiting was sparetic; its consistency and characteristics were identical to what she’d gone through before. July 6th I again brought her to a hospital in Missoula, she was admitted and was there until the 23rd. Throughout the stay, every test one could imagine was done. Including the ones that had already been done in Idaho. She was tested for every form of Hepatitis, had a bone marrow biopsy, so many blood tests were run they had to put a PIC line in; they had used up every good vein in her arms and hands. Lupus was a major consideration, but all the tests for it came back negative.

That first week in July she was in the Hospital her white count tested one day at 46,000. The day I brought her in it was around 42-43,000. One thing that was obvious & yet baffling; the white count was a sign of inflammation. And not one test showed any signs of any sort of infection. The fact that the Steroid used was Protein Based and most bacteria, viruses & such thrive on such matter was to say the least, frustrating. CT Scans, MRI’s, EGD & Colonoscopy were done, nearly every avenue was looked at. We didn’t get any answers to what it was that was causing her so much trouble, only what it wasn’t.
A psychologist was brought in 3 days before she was discharged and found that she was suffering from serious depression & stress. This explained to some extent why it has been so difficult to discover what is causing her so many problems. Depression & Stress could quite possibly be the sole culprit for a number of her symptoms. Those being mild hair loss, lethargy, loss of appetite, nausea, loss of weight, and so on. But it still didn’t account for the spiked white count or the problems she has had with her liver & heart.
The day she was discharged she went to stay with her parents in the hope she might be able to recuperate a little faster. Sad to say though, she hasn’t. I am to say the least scared. She is losing hope. She feels like she is dying, and she is worried she won’t make it through the winter. This worries me even more for the very reason that the mind is a powerful thing. When a person is this sick and loses hope, it can turn out very badly. We’ve run out of answers, the medical bills are insane & nothing has been found.
One thing that I asked the doctors about that wasn’t looked at; she has had problems with her wisdom teeth for the past couple of years. In the last year it’s gotten to the point where I had to get her a teething ring to numb the pain. It went so far as her telling me that occasionally she would drain one of the teeth using a tooth pick to alleviate the pain & pressure. Is it possible that this could be the cause of all this?
I am not asking for hand outs, I need answers! I don’t want to lose my wife. We’ve barely been married 3 years & she’s only 24. Someone has to have answers!?

Contact me at:

[moderator note: e-mail address has been removed]
Or
[moderator note: mailing address has been removed]

[Guest]

March 2005
My name is Angi,
I don't know if you are still using this address, but I read your posted question... did anyone ever answer you?
I am not a doctor, but I do know that when it comes to any infection involving your teeth, you are taking a serious risk when you let it ride. I am hoping your wife has received the proper treatment...
I lost a mother appox. 3 years ago to a massive heart attack that seemed to come from nowhere. She was only 53. She also had some dental problems and was scheduled to have them taken care of the following month... she was always scared of just the idea of the procedure. She was going to have all of her teeth removed and get dentures to get rid of the problems. Her primary doctor was also a cardiologist, and even he was shocked at her early departure from us... That having been said, I now suspect, as you do with your wife, her problems came from her teeth since I recently learned she was diagnosed with periodontal disease.
Please write back if you get this message. I am very interested to consult with you, as I would like to know what you have learned. I am beginning to experience some problems of my own, and I too, according to tests, am a very healthy woman... but I don't feel like one and my EKG, Ultra sound, stress test etc. all appear fine.
[quote] Sept. 2004
I need answers, PLEASE HELP... [/quote]