DH has pericarditis! **Update post #12 :-)

[minkydog]

Tell me what you know...I'm a pediatric RN. I know very little about adult human disease. They just admitted him in the middle of the night. He's been having chest pain all weekend, but nothing too unusual (he has severe lung disease, so we thought it was that stuff acting up.) Finally, he couldn't lay down or find a comfortable position, so i took him in. The lung and heart guys had to come in. Pericarditis is what they think. All the cardiac labs were negative, EKG is off. He feels very bad, pain is 8 out of 10. They'll do some more tests in a few hours. Right now, they can't tell me much so I don't know hos long he'll be there or what to expect. As I recall, this can take awhile to get over.

do you have any experience with pericarditis?

 

[Big V]

Prayers for your DH. I have no idea what it is.

 

[BuzzBoyMom]

Very sorry - sending prayers!!!

 

[Lorix2]

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pericarditis/DS00505

Hope you're DH will feel better real soon.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Sending you some hugs....

 

[Christine]

I don't know much about it. All I know is that one of my managers here at work had it a few months ago. Same symptoms. He is about 47 years old, not overweight, doesn't smoke, and has no health problems. He had to stay in the hospital a few days and they ran all kinds of tests and determined that it was caused by a virus (apparently there are other conditions/diseases that can make you prone to getting it). They ruled out that he had any of these and he has been fine ever since.

It's all very scary isn't it? Keep us posted.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

This is one of the unfortunately more popular side effects to the autoimmune disease that DW MeanLaureen (Lauri) has. She had an episode of pericarditis about 2 yrs ago I believe. Her doctor put her on some rest and gave her a Pred Pack and within a few days the stabbing pains when she breathed had let up.

Hope your DH is feeling better soon!

 

[minkydog]

thanks for the prayers, ya'll. Things are a little worse tonight. DH has more difficulty breathing, still a lot of pain, and he is somewhat weakened. They aren't letting him get up except to go to the bathroom--no showers. He's bummed. The doctors are really not exactly sure wha'ts wrong. They have suggested an embolism, pericarditis, pneumonia, collapsed lung, infection, fluid around the heart/lung, fungus, and various masses. The one thing that has been ruled out is heart attack. At least he's not in ICU this time.

Ya'll keep praying and sending nice thoughts, okay It's helping.

 

[doxdogy]

Hugs and prayers for you and your DH.

 

[luvwinnie]

Oh, no, I hope he's okay and fast!

 

[minkydog]

Another update: DH is feeling a little better. He is on massive doses of antibiotics & steroids which is helping, although he is puffing up more by the minute. By morning he'll be perfectly round, haha His lung function is about 1/2 what it should be and the sac around his heart has fluid, which is causing the pain(pericarditis.) He is a bit breathless, but the pain is a little better. They still won't let him get in the shower--so he put his lower half in, washed it; stepped out, put his head in, washed it; soaped up the rest, shaved and got back in bed. Then he had a fight with a nurse over a cup of coffee(no-no on the cardiac floor.) I'd say the steroids are kicking in nicely

Hopefully, another couple days will do the trick. Oh, and very good news--we got some respite care for our handicapped son, Christian, for this weekend (quite a trick, since it's Memorial Day weekend.) I have to work and DH can't take care of him during the recovery, at least not for a few weeks.

 

[minkydog]

DH is coming home a day early. I left him at the hospital to go get groceries, since we had next to nothing left to eat. Supper menu: Lasagna,a delicious salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert! I'm putting on lasagna now so it will be ready about 5:45pm. DH just called to tell me they ordered one more chest Xray--let's hope it doesn't show pneumonia.

I asked the cardiologist today what caused the pericarditis--he said it was most likely the stage 4 sarcoidosis in the lungs and heart, and that it may happen again. *Yike* Not what we wanted to hear, but it could be worse. the pulmonary guys are on board with us that he CAN NOT work, at least for a few weeks, and even when he does go back, he has to limit it to 24hrs per week. The "new" Pulmo guy at the big famous downtown hospital never saw
DH sick like this and had recently told the long-term disability insurance that there was no reason he couldn't work full-time so,of course, they don't want to pay for his disability.

He worked full-time for exactly one week. Boom! Pericarditis. I can't wait to see how much this costs. I'm guessing $60,000

We changed pulmologists today.