Any Nurses with COPD and Heart Problems?

dhammond3 · Nov 15, 2007

DCM or rather dilated cardiomyopathy, first diagnosed two years ago when I went into wide complex V-tach and was laying on the ER stretcher telling everyone what to do. Now have a biventricular pacing defibrillator and am on meds and back at it. In school going for that NP

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Nov 16, 2007

dcm or rather dilated cardiomyopathy, first diagnosed two years ago when i went into wide complex v-tach and was laying on the er stretcher telling everyone what to do. now have a biventricular pacing defibrillator and am on meds and back at it. in school going for that np

awesome!, and very good going, hon. i wish you lots of success.

dhammond3 · Nov 24, 2007

Thanks I just keep moving on.

Lorie P. · Nov 24, 2007

:) 9yrs S/p CABG, Left main coronary that was 98% blocked with a clot. Just found out last May that my LDA is 55-60% blocked and PDA is 45-55% blocked.

CAD due to genetics, essential HTN and PKD ( polycystic kidney disease ) yet I still work full time, laugh, joke and get very fatigued at times.

It was after I had the CABG that I went to school to become a Nurse!!!

Griff1950 · Dec 4, 2007

Blew a disc 2 weeks before I finished LPN school, went thru the pain and finished, then had lumbar laminectomy. Oh, yeah this was 1999 after having 5 bypasses in '92, and a gastric bypass in '97. Had the laminectomy as an outpatient and recovered in time to do my RN prereqs during summer sessions. Did the 11 month bridge program, had rotator cuff surgery while off for Thanksgiving holiday. Never missed a day of school. Now am sidelined from floor duty due to essential tremor, but work in a nursing home doing QA/QI, pain management, infection control and several other little things. Oh, yeah, now have 3 leaking valves, but no blockage, even 15 years downstream. EF of 25%, so I fatigue easily. But still won awards for pain management from Arkansas Foundation of Medical Care, and a letter of commendation from Arkansas Office of Long Term Care for restraint reduction. Our facility is now restraint free.

FranEMTnurse, CNA, LPN, EMT-I · Dec 4, 2007

Blew a disc 2 weeks before I finished LPN school, went thru the pain and finished, then had lumbar laminectomy. Oh, yeah this was 1999 after having 5 bypasses in '92, and a gastric bypass in '97. Had the laminectomy as an outpatient and recovered in time to do my RN prereqs during summer sessions. Did the 11 month bridge program, had rotator cuff surgery while off for Thanksgiving holiday. Never missed a day of school. Now am sidelined from floor duty due to essential tremor, but work in a nursing home doing QA/QI, pain management, infection control and several other little things. Oh, yeah, now have 3 leaking valves, but no blockage, even 15 years downstream. EF of 25%, so I fatigue easily. But still won awards for pain management from Arkansas Foundation of Medical Care, and a letter of commendation from Arkansas Office of Long Term Care for restraint reduction. Our facility is now restraint free.

I tip my hat to you my friend. Excellent. I'm on oxygen 24/7 so do what I can. I'm unable to tolerate heat of any kind anymore. It makes me feel like I'm smothering. So I do go out in the winter. In fact, I was out today, and it felt oh so very good.

Skeetersmom119 · Mar 23, 2008

I am proud to say that I am a heart attack survivor ( x2), w/ stents, I have asthma, I have ADD, DM II, and am currently going through menopause with those wicked mood swings, unable to take HRT. I am an old lady of 50, graduated from school (LPN) at the top of my class in May 07. I have also been a Certified Dietary Manager (aka "cheap dietician, can do it all but sign RD)and ran a kitchen, carried the clinical part of the job, and all while going to school. Only had to miss a month of school. My first and only job is on a LTC/Rehab unit which is essentially "Beck and call nursing." Lots of pain management issues, pt turnover, there is a good mix of the demanding and demented. Families can be very overbearing as well. Then there's the medicare charting, the charting for the others that you gave care to, well..it ends up to usually charting on 30 people if you have a full house. It's crazy at times, but it keeps me on my toes ! :bugeyes:

nurturing_angel · Mar 27, 2008

I am 52 years old and have the diagnosis list from H~E~double hockey sticks. I have Type 2 diabetes (take oral agents several times/day, Byetta twice/day and Lantus once/daily), I have CAD (meds to numerous to count all day long) have had 4 heart caths with balloon angioplasty and 2 stent placements....LAD 98% blocked with 1st procedure. I have coronary artery spasms that come out of nowhere but I have noted that they seem to be more frequent in emotionally stressful periods and when I am out in extreme weather, either heat or cold. I am chronically anemic and have recieved at least 10 blood transfusions, I have diabetic neuropathy in my feet and have so much pain and burning when I stand for long periods of time that I am literally disabled when I finally get home in the morning. I have some sort of inner ear disorder that predisposes me to severe ear infections and my balance is shot to you~know~where when I get fatigued. Finally, I am chronically depressed (have had suicidal tendencies in the past) and take meds for that now.

I still work full time although I am sure my bedside nursing days are coming to a close. I work night shifts and I am sure that it is detrimental to my physical health but I am also sure that day shift would be detrimental to my emotional health and I fear that even more than having a heart attack. The depression and suicide thoughts are more than I can handle by myself. I love my job but I am looking for a "desk job" of some sort. The problem is that I only have an associates degree. So my "desk job" may be out of nursing.

But I am hanging in there.

:saint:

Poochee · Apr 3, 2008

Wow, you guys are amazing, and I thought I was hopeless. I have a chronic cardiac arrhythmia. I am on meds, that pretty much regulate it. I am blessed, that my heart, always self-converts to NSR, during attacks. I have other mental health issues, and I on not even close to 40. But, I am hanging in there, and aspire to lose 50 lbs and get my masters in nursing.

irishnoreenRN · May 12, 2008

It's all about the tenacity. You keep going gal. When the going gets tough, the tough get going. I live by those words. Your not dead until your dead.