Mended Hearts Open Forum

Has anyone here had experience with pericarditis after their OHS or other heart problems? If so, how long did it take your doctor to diagnose and treat it? Had my CABG x3 a little over a year ago and have had over a dozen visits back to the ER since then. In one case, one of the bypass grafts had collapsed and they had to do another stent (my seventh) but the other times they just say there is no evidence of another blockage and send me home after a couple of days of observation. Early on, one of the doctors mentioned that it could be pericarditis but no one has ever pursued it to confirm. Roughly every month to six weeks I end up back in the ER. For a couple of months it was literally every two weeks. Lately I've started having the same symptoms again and after doing research online I found that my symptoms match exactly the symptoms for pericarditis: shortness of breath, crippling chest pain, back, neck and shoulder pain, anxiety and fatigue, heart palpitations. I have every single one of these symptoms. Thankfully I'm finally going to be able to see a new cardiologist this week and hope that this one will take the time to get to the bottom of it all but in the meantime would really appreciate some input from the community. I'm very much a positive-mental-attitude kind of guy but this is really taking a toll on me. You get to the point where you're just tired of feeling bad all the time and every time you get hit with a chest pain wondering "Is this it? Is this the one that is going to take me out?"

Thanks in advance to everyone for your input. It is always greatly appreciated. :)

------------------------------
Brett Temple
Project Manager
Sarasota FL
------------------------------

Hi Brett,

How are you doing? Have you seen a the new doc yet?  I hope you get better in the new year.

------------------------------
Janis MINER
Rochester NY
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2020 18:50
From: Brett Temple
Subject: Pericarditis

Has anyone here had experience with pericarditis after their OHS or other heart problems? If so, how long did it take your doctor to diagnose and treat it? Had my CABG x3 a little over a year ago and have had over a dozen visits back to the ER since then. In one case, one of the bypass grafts had collapsed and they had to do another stent (my seventh) but the other times they just say there is no evidence of another blockage and send me home after a couple of days of observation. Early on, one of the doctors mentioned that it could be pericarditis but no one has ever pursued it to confirm. Roughly every month to six weeks I end up back in the ER. For a couple of months it was literally every two weeks. Lately I've started having the same symptoms again and after doing research online I found that my symptoms match exactly the symptoms for pericarditis: shortness of breath, crippling chest pain, back, neck and shoulder pain, anxiety and fatigue, heart palpitations. I have every single one of these symptoms. Thankfully I'm finally going to be able to see a new cardiologist this week and hope that this one will take the time to get to the bottom of it all but in the meantime would really appreciate some input from the community. I'm very much a positive-mental-attitude kind of guy but this is really taking a toll on me. You get to the point where you're just tired of feeling bad all the time and every time you get hit with a chest pain wondering "Is this it? Is this the one that is going to take me out?"

Thanks in advance to everyone for your input. It is always greatly appreciated. :)

------------------------------
Brett Temple
Project Manager
Sarasota FL
------------------------------

Brett,

Sorry to hear of these difficulties.  I don't have any experience with pericarditis but I can suggest that if your doctor does not give you the confidence the he/she is digging deep enough or otherwise is not making good sense to you, then it may be time to find one that is more determined and whose plan makes more sense.  It sometimes takes a few switches to find a cardiologist who listens, gets to the bottom of your problem and takes the time to explain properly.  It can be a tall order. 

Also, anxiety and heart problems are not a good combination.  If you are having significant anxiety, you may want to have this addressed.  Anxiety alone can amplify and add to your symptoms.  Keep at it and best of luck in getting the medical approach that you need. 

------------------------------
Ed M
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-27-2020 11:05
From: Janis MINER
Subject: Pericarditis

Hi Brett,

How are you doing? Have you seen a the new doc yet?  I hope you get better in the new year.

------------------------------
Janis MINER
Rochester NY

Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2020 18:50
From: Brett Temple
Subject: Pericarditis

Has anyone here had experience with pericarditis after their OHS or other heart problems? If so, how long did it take your doctor to diagnose and treat it? Had my CABG x3 a little over a year ago and have had over a dozen visits back to the ER since then. In one case, one of the bypass grafts had collapsed and they had to do another stent (my seventh) but the other times they just say there is no evidence of another blockage and send me home after a couple of days of observation. Early on, one of the doctors mentioned that it could be pericarditis but no one has ever pursued it to confirm. Roughly every month to six weeks I end up back in the ER. For a couple of months it was literally every two weeks. Lately I've started having the same symptoms again and after doing research online I found that my symptoms match exactly the symptoms for pericarditis: shortness of breath, crippling chest pain, back, neck and shoulder pain, anxiety and fatigue, heart palpitations. I have every single one of these symptoms. Thankfully I'm finally going to be able to see a new cardiologist this week and hope that this one will take the time to get to the bottom of it all but in the meantime would really appreciate some input from the community. I'm very much a positive-mental-attitude kind of guy but this is really taking a toll on me. You get to the point where you're just tired of feeling bad all the time and every time you get hit with a chest pain wondering "Is this it? Is this the one that is going to take me out?"

Thanks in advance to everyone for your input. It is always greatly appreciated. :)

------------------------------
Brett Temple
Project Manager
Sarasota FL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12/28/2020 7:54:00 PM
From: Ed M
Subject: RE: Pericarditis

Brett,

Sorry to hear of these difficulties.  I don't have any experience with pericarditis but I can suggest that if your doctor does not give you the confidence the he/she is digging deep enough or otherwise is not making good sense to you, then it may be time to find one that is more determined and whose plan makes more sense.  It sometimes takes a few switches to find a cardiologist who listens, gets to the bottom of your problem and takes the time to explain properly.  It can be a tall order. 

Also, anxiety and heart problems are not a good combination.  If you are having significant anxiety, you may want to have this addressed.  Anxiety alone can amplify and add to your symptoms.  Keep at it and best of luck in getting the medical approach that you need. 

------------------------------
Ed M
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 12-27-2020 11:05
From: Janis MINER
Subject: Pericarditis

Hi Brett,

How are you doing? Have you seen a the new doc yet?  I hope you get better in the new year.

------------------------------
Janis MINER
Rochester NY

Original Message:
Sent: 12-06-2020 18:50
From: Brett Temple
Subject: Pericarditis

Has anyone here had experience with pericarditis after their OHS or other heart problems? If so, how long did it take your doctor to diagnose and treat it? Had my CABG x3 a little over a year ago and have had over a dozen visits back to the ER since then. In one case, one of the bypass grafts had collapsed and they had to do another stent (my seventh) but the other times they just say there is no evidence of another blockage and send me home after a couple of days of observation. Early on, one of the doctors mentioned that it could be pericarditis but no one has ever pursued it to confirm. Roughly every month to six weeks I end up back in the ER. For a couple of months it was literally every two weeks. Lately I've started having the same symptoms again and after doing research online I found that my symptoms match exactly the symptoms for pericarditis: shortness of breath, crippling chest pain, back, neck and shoulder pain, anxiety and fatigue, heart palpitations. I have every single one of these symptoms. Thankfully I'm finally going to be able to see a new cardiologist this week and hope that this one will take the time to get to the bottom of it all but in the meantime would really appreciate some input from the community. I'm very much a positive-mental-attitude kind of guy but this is really taking a toll on me. You get to the point where you're just tired of feeling bad all the time and every time you get hit with a chest pain wondering "Is this it? Is this the one that is going to take me out?"

Thanks in advance to everyone for your input. It is always greatly appreciated. :)

------------------------------
Brett Temple
Project Manager
Sarasota FL
------------------------------