07/21/2009 23:50

1027 Cardiowaitopathy

Thanks to an old friend and one-time coworker, I was motivated to post here again with the latest news. I visited my internist again on July 8th, just before my annual vacation to Heber Springs. The blood pressure readings were down slightly, and more so after I'd had time to relax in the examination room. They still weren't (and aren't) where they need to be. I was able to make the four hour drive to Heber, evaluating my new Magellan GPS, without too many issues. Once I got to the hotel, I had to spend several hours on a critical work-related function. The chest tightness and breathing issues surfaced. I wonder if perhaps stress is the ultimate trigger. Since then, there's been a definite up-and-down pattern, though I've yet to identify the evil catalyst. I can repeat the following routine with identical precision two days in a row ... 1) Wake up, down my amlodipine(5)/benazepril(10) with some Gatorade. 2) Shower and dress. 3) Eat a packet of oatmeal for breakfast. 4) Get in the car and begin driving to work. Yet between the two days, even though I've followed precisely the same routine, I have terribly different experiences. On day one I'll have chest tightness, trouble breathing, and trouble swallowing on the way in to work, before I even touch a cigarette, and that will last throughout the day. On day two I'll make the entire workday symptom free. I've taken to holding the seatbelt in my right hand, with plenty of slack, while I drive. The light compression it exerts across my chest is just too much. I'm back to my internist next week. I was supposed to see a cardiologist in the interim, but when I called to make an appointment, I was told that the earliest available slot was late August (I think it was the 26th). I mentioned that my internist probably expected me to see the cardio before I next saw him, and the nurse suggested that I have my doctor's office call instead, as they'd likely be able to get a better time slot. That backfired: I see the cardiologist on September 8th. I return to my internist next week. Perhaps future updates will be warranted then.