General fitness, health and nutrition · Public discussion

Breathlessness

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General fitness, health and nutrition
Published
24 December 2003
Last activity
5 January 2004
Original author
Louise
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  1. I'm 60 yr old female in reasonably good health except for lifelong fibromyalgia and GERD. I'm about
    25 lbs. overweight and exercise capacity is limited by the fibromyalgia although I do do some
    walking. My diet is pretty good.

    I take Vioxx daily, prevacid for GERD and low dose hormone replacement.

    I've been breathless upon exertion for at least 10 years but it seems to have gotten a little worse
    in the last few years. I was sent to a cardiologist and was given a stress echochardiogram.

    I was told that my heart is working too hard on exertion and that it is probably due to high
    blood pressure over many years. In the past few years, my blood pressure has ranged from 130 -
    152 over 80-90.

    My internist put me on 20 mg of lasix which seems to have lowered my pressure slightly. I find I'm
    not quite so out of breath.

    Cardiologist wants to put me on ACE inhibitor and I'm concerned about mixing these with Vioxx and am
    wondering whether it wouldn't be "safest" to try simply increasing the lasix.

    I'm completely new to this and I don't know the cardiologist at all, but he is part of my "plan". Is
    the use of an ACE inhibitor very standard treatment or might something else be safer and/or more
    effective?

    I'd appreciate any feedback and also direction to some good sites so that I might educate
    myself more.

    TIA
    --
    Louise

  2. Louise <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    I'm 60 yr old female in reasonably good health except for lifelong fibromyalgia and GERD. I'm
    about 25 lbs. overweight and exercise capacity is limited by the fibromyalgia although I do do
    some walking. My diet is pretty good.

    For losing weight? If not, would suggest you ask your doctor about the 2PD approach:

    heartmdphd.comwtloss.asp

    Quoted message said:

    I take Vioxx daily, prevacid for GERD and low dose hormone replacement.

    I've been breathless upon exertion for at least 10 years but it seems to have gotten a little
    worse in the last few years. I was sent to a cardiologist and was given a stress echochardiogram.

    I was told that my heart is working too hard on exertion and that it is probably due to high
    blood pressure over many years. In the past few years, my blood pressure has ranged from 130 -
    152 over 80-90.

    My guess is that they are calling it diastolic dysfunction. This is not uncommon for hypertensive
    heart disease where the heart muscle is thickened (concentric left venticular hypertrophy) and the
    heart becomes "stiffer" than normal.

    Quoted message said:

    My internist put me on 20 mg of lasix which seems to have lowered my pressure slightly. I find I'm
    not quite so out of breath.

    Cardiologist wants to put me on ACE inhibitor and I'm concerned about mixing these with Vioxx and
    am wondering whether it wouldn't be "safest" to try simply increasing the lasix.

    The lasix alone is unlikely to reverse the remodeling that has let to the "thickening" of the heart.

    Quoted message said:

    I'm completely new to this and I don't know the cardiologist at all, but he is part of my "plan".
    Is the use of an ACE inhibitor very standard treatment or might something else be safer and/or
    more effective?

    Calcium channel blockers would have been an alternative if it were not for your GERD.

    Quoted message said:

    I'd appreciate any feedback and also direction to some good sites so that I might educate
    myself more.

    TIA

    You are very welcome :-)

    May you have a blessed Christmas.

    Humbly,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD
    Board-certified Cardiologist
    heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

  3. What does the standard abbreviation GERD stand for?

    Thank you in advance,

    FP
    ========================================
    [email hidden] (Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD) wrote in message
    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    Louise <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    I'm 60 yr old female in reasonably good health except for lifelong fibromyalgia and GERD. I'm
    about 25 lbs. overweight and exercise capacity is limited by the fibromyalgia although I do do
    some walking. My diet is pretty good.

    For losing weight? If not, would suggest you ask your doctor about the 2PD approach:

    heartmdphd.comwtloss.asp

    Quoted message said:

    I take Vioxx daily, prevacid for GERD and low dose hormone replacement.

    I've been breathless upon exertion for at least 10 years but it seems to have gotten a little
    worse in the last few years. I was sent to a cardiologist and was given a stress
    echochardiogram.

    I was told that my heart is working too hard on exertion and that it is probably due to high
    blood pressure over many years. In the past few years, my blood pressure has ranged from 130 -
    152 over 80-90.

    My guess is that they are calling it diastolic dysfunction. This is not uncommon for hypertensive
    heart disease where the heart muscle is thickened (concentric left venticular hypertrophy) and the
    heart becomes "stiffer" than normal.

    Quoted message said:

    My internist put me on 20 mg of lasix which seems to have lowered my pressure slightly. I find
    I'm not quite so out of breath.

    Cardiologist wants to put me on ACE inhibitor and I'm concerned about mixing these with Vioxx
    and am wondering whether it wouldn't be "safest" to try simply increasing the lasix.

    The lasix alone is unlikely to reverse the remodeling that has let to the "thickening" of
    the heart.

    Quoted message said:

    I'm completely new to this and I don't know the cardiologist at all, but he is part of my
    "plan". Is the use of an ACE inhibitor very standard treatment or might something else be safer
    and/or more effective?

    Calcium channel blockers would have been an alternative if it were not for your GERD.

    Quoted message said:

    I'd appreciate any feedback and also direction to some good sites so that I might educate
    myself more.

    TIA

    You are very welcome :-)

    May you have a blessed Christmas.

    Humbly,

    Andrew

  4. "francispoon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    What does the standard abbreviation GERD stand for?

    Thank you in advance,

    Gastro esophageal reflux disease.

    Phil Holman

  5. "Phil Holman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    "francispoon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    What does the standard abbreviation GERD stand for?

    Thank you in advance,

    Gastro esophageal reflux disease.

    Thank you, tho i don;t really know what that mean.

    Merry X'mas and H.N.Y. to you!

    FP

    Quoted message said:


    Phil Holman

  6. "francispoon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    "Phil Holman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message


    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    "francispoon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    What does the standard abbreviation GERD stand for?

    Thank you in advance,

    Gastro esophageal reflux disease.

    Thank you, tho i don;t really know what that mean.

    Merry X'mas and H.N.Y. to you!

    FP

    Go here

    gerd.comgerd.com or here aboutgerd.orgaboutgerd.org

    It means acid from the stomach frequently gets into the esophagus (the tube that leads from the
    mouth to the stomach) and irritates it.

    Bill

  7. In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

    Quoted message said:


    For losing weight? If not, would suggest you ask your doctor about the 2PD approach:


    Are you suggesting that most doctors now know about the 2PD approach? I don't mean to suggest
    there's something wrong with it, but I had no idea it was becoming known already.

  8. John Applebaum <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

    Quoted message said:


    For losing weight? If not, would suggest you ask your doctor about the 2PD approach:


    Are you suggesting that most doctors now know about the 2PD approach?

    Depends on where you are.

    Quoted message said:

    I don't mean to suggest there's something wrong with it, but I had no idea it was becoming known
    already.

    It is becoming known. If your doctor doesn't know, it would be simple for him/her to find
    out about it.

    Have a blessed Christmas.

    Humbly,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD Board-certified Cardiologist heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

  9. On Thu, 25 Dec 2003 19:07:57 -0500, Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD wrote
    (in message <[email hidden]>😉:

    Quoted message said:

    John Applebaum <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

    Quoted message said:


    For losing weight? If not, would suggest you ask your doctor about the 2PD approach:


    Are you suggesting that most doctors now know about the 2PD approach?

    Depends on where you are.

    If you are on planet Earth, for example, most don't. It is being rapidly replaced by the Two Foot
    Diet which has the identical scientific basis and success rate, but is much easier to follow. I
    don't know of anyone who has tried the 2FD who has not lost weight.

    I developed the Two Foot Diet approach (2FD) as a replacement for Dr. Chung's Amazing Logic Defying
    Two Pound Diet to avoid having to carry a scale around.

    Inspired by Dr. Chung's scientific approach, as described on his website, in 2003, my wife and I
    attended an IMAX film about climbing the Bavarian Alps and learned that despite their exhausting
    regimen, the climbers consumed only 10 packages of wieners per week. That's less than 2 feet of
    wieners per day! Since none of the climbers died from starvation, I think it is safe to assume that
    2 feet of food per day should be more than adequate for us non-climbing folks.

    So I started a little experiment with the agreeable obese friends in my neighborhood. I gave them
    ordinary 6 inch rulers with instructions to measure the length of everything substantial that passed
    into their mouths. The only things exempted were water and sugar-free drinks. What I learned was
    that my obese friends were consuming between 8 to 12 feet of food per day! At the time, I was about
    10 lbs. over my ideal body weight so I decided to find out how much I was eating per day... 3 feet.
    I cut back to less than 2 feet and was at my proper weight in one month.

    My friends have responded similarly except they have taken longer because of having to lose more
    weight. Admittedly, some of my obese friends were especially slow to respond. They also happen to be
    the ones with an unfortunate propensity for accidentally loosing their 6 inch rulers and taking
    weeks to buy replacements.

    So here's the deal: measure all the food you eat, using it's longest dimension, and keep the
    total length to less than two feet per day. That's all there is. No scales, no counting calories
    or carbohydrates. Heck, if you loose your ruler, you can even use the first joint of your thumb
    to measure.

    I am making this diet available as a public service and without compensation.

    If you have any questions, just see Dr. Chung's helpful FAQ and substitute "Two Feet" for "Two
    Pounds" everywhere... what could be simpler?

    "If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of midgets"

    --
    "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no
    reward from your Father who is in heaven." (Mat 6:1)

    Steve

  10. "Louise" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    I'm 60 yr old female in reasonably good health except for lifelong fibromyalgia and GERD. I'm
    about 25 lbs. overweight and exercise capacity is limited by the fibromyalgia although I do do
    some walking. My diet is pretty good.

    I take Vioxx daily, prevacid for GERD and low dose hormone replacement.

    I've been breathless upon exertion for at least 10 years but it seems to have gotten a little
    worse in the last few years. I was sent to a cardiologist and was given a stress echochardiogram.

    I was told that my heart is working too hard on exertion and that it is probably due to high
    blood pressure over many years. In the past few years, my blood pressure has ranged from 130 -
    152 over 80-90.

    My internist put me on 20 mg of lasix which seems to have lowered my pressure slightly. I find I'm
    not quite so out of breath.

    Cardiologist wants to put me on ACE inhibitor and I'm concerned about mixing these with Vioxx and
    am wondering whether it wouldn't be "safest" to try simply increasing the lasix.

    I'm completely new to this and I don't know the cardiologist at all, but he is part of my "plan".
    Is the use of an ACE inhibitor very standard treatment or might something else be safer and/or
    more effective?

    I'd appreciate any feedback and also direction to some good sites so that I might educate
    myself more.

    TIA
    --
    Louise

    Has anyone bothered to properly assess you for Hypothyroid /hashimotos Disease as I would suspect
    this is cause of your problems see www.drlowe.com

  11. In article <[email hidden]>, bnd777 @btinternet.com says...

    Quoted message said:


    "Louise" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    I'm 60 yr old female in reasonably good health except for lifelong fibromyalgia and GERD. I'm
    about 25 lbs. overweight and exercise capacity is limited by the fibromyalgia although I do do
    some walking. My diet is pretty good.

    I take Vioxx daily, prevacid for GERD and low dose hormone replacement.

    I've been breathless upon exertion for at least 10 years but it seems to have gotten a little
    worse in the last few years. I was sent to a cardiologist and was given a stress
    echochardiogram.

    I was told that my heart is working too hard on exertion and that it is probably due to high
    blood pressure over many years. In the past few years, my blood pressure has ranged from 130 -
    152 over 80-90.

    My internist put me on 20 mg of lasix which seems to have lowered my pressure slightly. I find
    I'm not quite so out of breath.

    Cardiologist wants to put me on ACE inhibitor and I'm concerned about mixing these with Vioxx
    and am wondering whether it wouldn't be "safest" to try simply increasing the lasix.

    I'm completely new to this and I don't know the cardiologist at all, but he is part of my
    "plan". Is the use of an ACE inhibitor very standard treatment or might something else be safer
    and/or more effective?

    I'd appreciate any feedback and also direction to some good sites so that I might educate
    myself more.

    TIA
    --
    Louise

    Has anyone bothered to properly assess you for Hypothyroid /hashimotos Disease as I would suspect
    this is cause of your problems see www.drlowe.com


    I have always suspected hypothyroid and have been tested, including fsh several times - the results
    aren't even borderline.

    My present internist just tested me for hashimotos - at least she mentioned that word - and that too
    was normal.

    What is the lab name of the test I should have - I'll make sure that's what was done.

    Thanks for your thoughts and the information
    --
    Louise

  12. "Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Depends on where you are.

    If you are on planet Earth, for example, most don't. It is being rapidly replaced by the Two Foot
    Diet which has the identical scientific basis and success rate, but is much easier to follow. I
    don't know of anyone who has tried the 2FD who has not lost weight.

    I developed the Two Foot Diet approach (2FD) as a replacement for Dr. Chung's Amazing Logic
    Defying Two Pound Diet to avoid having to carry a scale around.

    Steve


    I am sticking faithfully to your two foot diet. Yesterday I had a two foot trout, today a two
    foot leg of lamb and tomorrow a turkey as it also has two feet. I am running out of ideas for the
    rest of the week and I am so hungry at the moment that I could eat a horse but it has two many
    feet:-) Derek.

  13. "Derek F" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:

    "Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    Depends on where you are.

    If you are on planet Earth, for example, most don't. It is being rapidly replaced by the Two
    Foot Diet which has the identical scientific basis and success rate, but is much easier to
    follow. I don't know of anyone who has tried the 2FD who has not lost weight.

    I developed the Two Foot Diet approach (2FD) as a replacement for Dr. Chung's Amazing Logic
    Defying Two Pound Diet to avoid having to carry a scale around.

    Steve


    I am sticking faithfully to your two foot diet. Yesterday I had a two foot trout, today a two
    foot leg of lamb and tomorrow a turkey as it also has two feet. I am running out of ideas for the
    rest of the week and I am so hungry at the moment that I could eat a horse but it has two many
    feet:-) Derek.

    You could eat an ostritch. Would be about as big as a small horse but would have only two feet :-)

    Humbly,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD Board-certified Cardiologist heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com

  14. "Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    "Derek F" <[email hidden]> wrote in message


    news:<[email hidden]>...

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    "Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    "]news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:

    > Depends on where you are.

    If you are on planet Earth, for example, most don't. It is being rapidly replaced by the Two
    Foot Diet which has the identical scientific basis and success rate, but is much easier to
    follow. I don't know of anyone who has tried the 2FD who has not lost weight.

    I developed the Two Foot Diet approach (2FD) as a replacement for Dr. Chung's Amazing Logic
    Defying Two Pound Diet to avoid having to carry


    a

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    scale around.

    Steve


    I am sticking faithfully to your two foot diet. Yesterday I had a two


    foot

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    trout, today a two foot leg of lamb and tomorrow a turkey as it also has


    two

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    feet. I am running out of ideas for the rest of the week and I am so


    hungry

    Quoted message said:
    Quoted message said:

    at the moment that I could eat a horse but it has two many feet:-) Derek.

    You could eat an ostritch. Would be about as big as a small horse but would have only two feet :-)

    Humbly,

    Andrew

    --
    Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD Board-certified Cardiologist heartmdphd.comheartmdphd.com


    Yes, I've had ostritch before. nice flavour and low on fat. Derek.

  15. In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

    Quoted message said:

    Several rheumatologists have told me that the gene for fibro and depression are on the same gene.
    Also it has been found that both are related to seritonin. Many of us respond to antidepressent
    medications like Prozac which act on seritonin uptake. In my case, I sleep stiffly without prozac.
    I wake up with my arms so ridgid that they have pins and needles. My legs so taunt that it takes
    me minutes to bend them as they lock from hours of ridgitity, With prozac my body relaxes in
    sleep. My dreams are better and I wake up rested. I have ups and downs of course to this day. I
    have learned to not focus on the aches and pains. Many of the fibro people I have meet let fibro
    rule their lives and every moment of the day. The first few years I was terrified. I cried,
    worried, was afraid to move. I imagined myself in a wheel chair hurting cause it hurt to sit. I
    was fortunate to have had a very patient Dr that made me realized that no it wont progress and no
    it wont ruin my life. It is just a limition that I will have to deal with for time to time as
    others deal with asthma, allergies and so forth. I have learned what to do when I have flare, and
    laugh when I have a fibro fog. I dont do repititious activities that mightt cause tendonitis. I
    listen to my body. All in all I think that accepting it and working around it with no fear and
    self understanding are the keys to living with the disorder. Hope I have helped.


    Yes - you did help. I felt very comforted to read your post.

    I do suffer from bouts of fear when I have a flare. I also used to suffer with a kind of secret
    shame because I couldn't do things, or something hurt, and I was embarrassed to tell people. Now
    that fibro is more commonly known, and I have grown wiser, I no longer feel uncomfortable telling
    the truth about my limitations.
    --
    Louise ([email hidden])

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