The Heart MRI

I went to the Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI for the MRI of my heart.  The Dr. wanted me to have this test in an effort to determine why my heart showed extra muscle thickness in the upper part of the heart and maybe determine why I was having these off-timed contractions.  The hospital is about 20 miles away from my house and traffic at 6:00 a.m. was almost nonexistent.  Van Dyke, a six-lane avenue was almost empty and normally it is stop and go traffic at that time of the day. 

The first thing I faced at the South entrance of the hospital was an army of nurses asking me questions, spraying me with disinfectant and giving me anti-bacterial foam for my hands.  I then had to go to the information center where the desk clerk kept me at least six feet away as he asked me and I answered questions.  Another staff member came to get me and escorted me to the MRI facility all the time keeping at least six feet away from me.  I felt like someone who had the plague.  When I got to the MRI facility another staff member continued querying me trying to determine if I was a high risk of having been infected with the coronavirus.  Finally, after all the paperwork was filled and checked, another technician escorted me to a dressing room (in this case undressing room) and I was asked to take off al my clothes and get into a scrubs-like outfit.  I then proceed into the actual MRI machine and asked to lie down on the sliding table in front of this "tube."

She prepped me by inserting an IV, put something heavy over my chest, put a headset and the table moved into the "tube."  She provided instructions to me over the headset and told me that the software would give instructions on when to breathe and when to hold my breath.  the test took about 45 minutes with pictures being taken 8 to 20 seconds at a time.  If it wasn't for the constant instructions to "breathe normally," and take a breath and hold it." I would have fallen asleep in that tube.  In fact, I think I did a couple of times because the technician would interject herself in the programmed cycle and tell me that I did not hold my breath and she would have to take that "picture" over again.  It was annoying having to awaken.

When she was finished she disconnected me, asked me to get dressed and told me that I could go.  I asked her about the results and she said that my doctor would get in contact with me.  I told her the doctor's office was closed for a couple of weeks.  She said that the doctor had access to the computer files and that he would contact me when he evaluated the MRI.

I drove home about 9:30 in the morning and it was an eerie feeling with all shops, stores, gas stations, fast food places were all closed.  In the 20-mile ride on the busy avenues I did not see more than ten cars.  I got home and the first thing I did was to dip my hands in a bleach solution that I have in a deep dish in the sink and then washed my hands with soap.  I made some chile con queso and refried beans for brunch and about noon the doctor called me with the results of the MRI.  I told him I did not expect a call for two weeks.  He indicated that that the muscle build-up on the top of my heart did not seem as severe as it was indicated in the echocardiogram.  He did indicate that the MRI showed a lot of scarring if the heart similar to what it would show after heart attacks.  I told him that as far as I knew, I did not have any heart attacks.  So the scarring was not a mystery. 

He indicated that he still does not know what was causing the sensations of heart "flutter,"  But that he wanted me to add another medication to the regimen I was already taking.  This new medication, "Metropolol extended-release 25 mg" is supposed to eliminate the arrhythmia.  I went and got the medication and read through the description. DAMN!  After reading all the possible side effects, I don't think I want to take this.  It is worse than having what I have.  I may feel dizzy or pass out, it affects blood pressure and heart rate, may hide signs of low blood sugar, other medication such as cough or cold drugs, diet pills, stimulants, ibuprofen, and some natural product aids cannot be taken when taking this drug.  I cannot have alcohol and it may have an allergic reaction.  Taking this drug may result in a rash, hives, itching, red skin, swelling, blistering or peeling skin, fever, wheezing, tightness in the chest or throat, depression, chest pain, abnormal heartbeat, slow heartbeat, shortness of breath, big weight gain, swelling in the arms or legs, feeling tired, feeling dizzy and weak, diarrhea, upset stomach, and vomiting.  Although it all sounds horrible, the one that caught my eye was the "Big weight gain."  Hell, I'm already in the largest size clothes I have ever worn.  I don't want to buy larger ones. 

The doctor says that some people don't have any of these side effects and that drug companies have to put these for disclosure purposes.  I'll give it a try for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.  If it does not help or causes any of these side effects, the drug is out of here.

The Mystery of the Heart Flutter

Over the past several years, maybe four, I have been feeling a strange sensation in my chest.  It feels as if one is squeezing a small balloon full of water in a hand, and the feeling of the water squeezing through the fingers and "popping" back into the balloon as you open the hand.  That rushing feeling is what I feel in the chest.  It started as an occasional sense, maybe occurring one every few months and it began to be more frequent.  I got a little worried about it a few years ago and I went to a cardiologist to get tested.  Unfortunately, the sensation never occurred during the tests and all the tests came out normal.  On several occasions, I have motioned this to my regular doctor, Dr. Blanchet, but all ECGs that have been taken have come out looking normal.  Last Fall, after another normal ECG, Dr. Blanchet suggested that it may be something else, possibly gas coming out of my stomach.  He asked me to try some medication for gas but I did not take it because I am certain that it was my heart and not the effects of gas.

In November and December 2019, the frequency and intensity of these sensations increased to a point that I became concerned enough to seek another cardiologist.  I called Dr. Blanchet's office for some recommendations and made an appointment to see a third cardiologist in five years.  We had scheduled a trip to Mexico over Christmas and I traveled with these intense sensations in my chest.  These sensations were not painful, nor were they debilitating, I just felt the fluctuations as if my heart were pumping the blood "backward."

I went to see the cardiologist and I was very disappointed in my initial meeting with him.  Again the ECG was normal since I did not have the sensations I described to him.  although I told him that the chances of feeling them were much higher if I lay on my left side.  I had noticed when I lay in bed that if I lay on the left side the feeling is more likely to happen and it would be more intense than when I have them when I am sitting or standing.  His comment was that he needed to make a series of tests.  That in itself did not bother me.  What bothered me was his follow up comment was that he needed the tests to determine what I "did not have."  I indicated that given my symptoms could he direct the tests to see if he could determine what I did have instead of trying to eliminate what I did not have.  He did not seem to be happy at my challenge of his testing procedure and he indicated it was a scientific approach to understanding the problem.  I indicated to him that scientific research, as I understand it is formulating a hypothesis and then test to see if it was true.  He did not respond and proceeded to schedule an echocardiogram and the installation of a monitor for a month to see if they could catch these "sensations" I was feeling.

When I went to have the echocardiogram performed and the monitored installed, the sensations in my chest were quite frequent and dominant.  The technician, doing the echocardiogram was not a very good observer and I asked her if she had noticed the fluctuations that I felt in her monitoring of my heart.  She indicated that she had and she called them "Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs).  It seems, however, that she was only trained and interested in the echocardiogram test and was not interested in the PVCs, and in fact did not report them to Dr. Edouard R. Daher, the cardiologist.  I refused to have the monitor put on me for a couple of reasons:  First, to me, the purpose of the monitor was to show that the "fluctuations" in my chest were not in my imagination and were detected by the technician performing the echocardiogram.  It was the first time they were detected by an instrument.  Second, the monitor was to be attached for a month and I had scheduled a trip to Mexico for three weeks and I could not see the sense of being wired and of carrying a monitor all over Mexico.

During the follow-up visit about a week later with Dr, Daher to review the results of the echocardiogram, he indicated that the muscle in the upper chamber was extremely developed and he had no idea as to why that was.  I asked him if it was related to the PVCs that the technician had detected during the echocardiogram and it was the first time he had heard that I had PVC.  The Technician never reported it.  He asked me why I did not have the monitor installed I told him, My purpose was to demonstrate that PVC existed and they were shown during the echocardiogram.  since he did not have any of that information he insisted that I have the monitor installed.  He also asked me to schedule a Heart MRI.  Again I told him that I would do it when I got back from my trip.

Meantime, the fluctuations or PVCs have become more frequent and more intense and I feel them about a fourth of the time that I am awake.  I'm scheduled for the heart MRI on Wednesday March 25th at 7:30 a.m. at Troy Beaumont in Royal Oak.  I am also due to have the heart monitor installed that same afternoon.  But I am only going to keep it on as long as it is necessary to detect and get a measurement of the PVCs - a lot less than one month.  In fact, I believe it should only take a day or two of monitoring at the rate and intensity they are occurring.

My Son's 18th

My son, Adrian, turned 18 last week.  I am so happy that he is beginning the next and greatest phase of his life and on his way to new and exciting adventures, facing new challenges, opening doors to new learning opportunities, and to developing new relationships.  True, this can be said of any new day of one's life, but turning 18 officially marks the end of childhood.  I love watching him grow from a little bundle of life to a mature, rational, intelligent and sensitive young man.   Turning 18 brings legal responsibilities but I am confident he has developed the common sense and knowledge to handle this new phase of his life.  

Adrian had an extremely difficult period at the beginning of his teenage years.  He was diagnosed with ADHD when he was about nine years old.  I believe now that it was a misdiagnosis.  He might have suffered from some ADD, but in retrospect, I do not believe that was a key issue.  Nonetheless, we agreed to treat him for it, but the medication did not seem to help much.  It helped somewhat but it did not relieve the underlying issue of his variable mood.  It wasn't until late in his twelfth year that his main condition began to emerge, and in the most painful and drastic ways.  After several medical episodes and after getting rid of several different psychiatrists, and having to intern him several times in several hospitals, he was finally diagnosed as having a bipolar condition.  Given his personality swings, over a two year period, that diagnosis should have been obvious by psychiatrists who initially saw him, however, it took a fourth doctor to understand the problem and start him on a more appropriate treatment.  This treatment continued for a couple of years but he was still not "out of the woods."    It turns out that Adrian also had another underlying condition, in addition to his bi-polar situation, that triggered severe depression episodes.  This was finally recognized and additional medication was prescribed, and the correct dosage was identified to allow him to stabilize him.

It has been almost a year since he overcame that battle against the darkness that was consuming him and he is now facing life with a positive attitude.  It had been almost a four year battle of diagnosis, many trials to find the correct medication and the appropriate dosages to get him stabilized.  However, I feel he has reached a stage of stability.  Unfortunately, the years when this condition dominated his life were formative years for school and relationships.  Because of his hospitalization and absences from school because of his inability to function, his grades suffered tremendously.  Moreover, the period of school from 8th to the 11th grade is when students not only learn the basics of Mathematics, English, Science as well as other basic subjects, it is the period when they develop the skills to study, to succeed in school and learn how to learn.  Unfortunately, he missed most of that.  He now realizes his educational weaknesses and for a year he has been working extra hard to catch up.  He is driven to succeed in high school and attend and succeed in a four-year university.  He attended summer school and is taking extra classes in his attempt to catch up.  I am very proud of him, his effort and his drive.  He has gone from a "D" average student for four years to an all "A" student this year.  

Life will not always be kind to him and he will face many difficult challenges, but we will always be there to support him when he needs us.  Happy birthday, son, never lose faith in your abilities and remember that you are loved today, tomorrow and always.

"Don't Mess With Nature"

Watching the reports and the devastation from the hurricane in Houston, the hurricane almost seemed to have had a conscious; targeting and exerting its wrath on the Center of "Big Oil" Corporations, emphasizing the point that global warming is real and directly influenced by human pollution.    

Having just driven up the Texas coast from McAllen through Houston and Port Arthur and on to New Orleans the week before hurricane Harvey hit the area, we can better understand the devastation caused by the flooding.  I have driven across I-10 before, but it was my son's first time.  I-10 from Houston to New Orleans is very impressive since much of it is built on  concrete pilings over what seems to be an endless swamp, one can almost imagine the alligators swimming below you waiting for food to "drop in" from the road above.  My son and I had just been through some of the freeway underpasses in Houston shown in pictures as totally flooded with what had to be 15 to 20 feet of water. 

The flooding on one's house is bad, and maybe hurricane Harvey did have a conscious and it is telling President Trump and Congress not to cut the Flood Insurance Program that FEMA administers.  The White House 2018 budget, unveiled a week before hurricane Harvey, would eliminate a $190 million “discretionary appropriation” for the National Flood Insurance Program’s (NFIP) updating of U.S. flood maps and “explore other more effective and fair means of funding flood mapping efforts”  - in other words let  the insurance companies make more profit.  It is  "Open season" for insurance companies to raise rates.  Maybe Republicans in Congress will learn from this and not cut it.  But I don't think so.

I think the devastation in Houston shown in the news impacted the poor people living in the fringes of Houston and many of them in the "Flood Plain."  The average altitude of Houston is only 80 feet above sea level, and that did not help with the flooding.  But other areas, not so much in the news, is the Port Arthur area.   At an average altitude of 7 feet above sea level and on the shore of Lake Sabine, the residents of Port Arthur have no escape, nowhere to go.  Driving on I-10 over the bridge in Braumont, just next to Port Arthur of the Naches River you can see the "flatness" as far as the eye could see.  The people who live here have a harder struggle to get back on their feet, if they are able to recover at all.  In a way It's like "nature" is adopting the Texas motto "Don't Mess with Texas," to tell President Trump,  the Congress, the Oil Companies and the world "Don't Mess with Nature."

No Alborote a la naturaleza

Observando los informes y la devastación del huracán en Houston, el huracán casi parecía ser consciente; apuntando y ejerciendo su ira en el Centro del comercio petrolero, demostrando el punto de que el calentamiento global es real y directamente influenciado por la contaminación humana.

Después de haber conducido por costa de Texas desde McAllen a través de Houston y Port Arthur y de Nueva Orleans una semana antes del huracán Harvey, se puede comprender mejor la devastación causada por las inundaciones. He manejado a través del autopista I-10 antes, pero era la primera vez para mi hijo.  El autopista I-10  de Houston a Nueva Orleans es muy impresionante, ya que gran parte de ella está construida sobre pilotes de hormigón sobre lo que parece ser un pantano interminable, casi se puede imaginar a los cocodrilos nadando por debajo esperando que la comida "caiga" de la carretera arriba . Mi hijo y yo acabamos de pasar por algunos de los pasos inferiores de la autopista en Houston que se presentan en fotos totalmente inundados con mas de 15 a 20 pies de agua.

Las inundaciones de hogares son malas, y tal vez el huracán Harvey tenía un consciente y le está diciendo al Presidente Trump y al Congreso que no corten el Programa de Seguro contra Inundaciones que FEMA administra. El presupuesto de la Casa Blanca 2018, que se dio a conocer una semana antes de huracán, eliminaría 190 millones de dólares para la actualización de los mapas de inundaciones del National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) y "explorará otros medios más efectivos y justos para financiar los esfuerzos de cartografía de inundaciones" - es decir, quitqr el apoyo gubernamental y dejar que empresas de seguro tengan más ganancia.  Esto significa "temporada abierta" para que las compañías de seguros aumenten las tarifas. Quizás los Republicanos en el Congreso aprenderán de esto y no  corten el presupuesto, pero lo dudo.

Creo que la devastación en Houston mostrada en las noticias impactó más a los pobres que viven en las afueras de Houston y muchos de ellos en la "llanura de inundación". La altitud media de Houston es sólo 80 pies sobre el nivel del mar, y ese nivel tan bajo con las inundaciones. Pero otras áreas que no se presentaron tanto en las noticias, por ejemplo el área de Port Arthur, tiene una altitud media de 7 pies sobre el nivel del mar y además está en la orilla del lago Sabine.  Los residentes de Port Arthur no tienen escape, ningún lugar a donde ir. Conduciendo en I-10 sobre el puente del río Naches, por la ciudad de Beaumont, se puede ver la "lo plano del territorio" en cualquiera dirección hasta la distancia que uno puede ver. Las personas que viven aquí tienen una lucha más dura para ponerse de pie, y eso si son capaces de recuperar de la inundación. De una manera Es como "la naturaleza" está adoptando el lema de Texas "No alborote a Tejas," y decirle al Presidente Trump, al congreso, las compañías petroleras y el mundo "no alborote a la naturaleza."