Oh the irony....

Fday

One possibility might be that you had something like a viral myocarditis, causing a pericardial effusion, affecting heart function, and that this is resolving and you will soon be back to normal. This specific diagnosis is unlikely since it should have been seen on the ultrasound you had done but I am suggesting something transient and self limited. If something like that were the case it may be that nothing will be found on any test.

If you are getting better but there is something you can do to reliably bring it back on I am sure your doctors will find that interesting and it will help lead them in the correct path. Something in the abdomen pushing against stuff is a possibility but the venous return test should have seen that, if they looked there.

My brother had similar problems many years ago that was misdiagnosed. He had a dissecting aortic aneurysm (this should have been picked up on the ultrasound so don't worry) but was caught just in time and had corrective surgery and is alive and kicking today. Of course, he got worse, you seem to be getting better. I hope you find out what it is/was before it is gone so you don't continue to worry. But, sometimes we never find out the answer to some of these things, that go away on their own. If you don't get better I am sure your docs will eventually figure it out. If you do get better and don't get an answer, be happy with the result.

TheDarkLord

I presume that you have never had pericardial effusion. Because that condition (unless very mild) is extremely painful, and is fairly easily diagnosed with an EKG. If you have pericarditis, anything that rubs against the pericardium causes pain - even regular breathing. So, it will be impossible to work out for example. It is just not consistent with the OP's symptoms.

Fday

"Nothing" (at least that I can think of, and apparently that you can think of or you would have given him the answer) is consistent with the OP's symptoms. Hence, the dilemma of his doctors. So, just because something is usually painful for most does not mean it is painful for all, like the silent heart attack. So, I am simply throwing out ideas as to possibilities as his first doctor was totally clueless. It is up to his current doctor, who seems much more interested and on the ball, to figure it out.

swampy1970

I'm guessing that an aortic aneurysm would take place in the abdominal area - somewhere the ultrasound has yet to look.....

Fday

That is possible, but the kind that my brother had was just outside the heart, in the chest, and the dissection was interfering with the aortic valve functioning, causing the heart failure. One in the abdomen wouldn't cause the kinds of problems you are seeing but something pushing on the venous return could. A look at the abdomen should be done just to make sure. I am sure it is on the doctors list.

swampy1970

I don't know what the docs are going to make of this now...

I've just done three days of riding in the hills - nothing much, a few thousand feet and a couple of hours. Oddly, the first day I was climbing faster that I was before despite weighing 6lb more. The second day wasn't as much of a sucess back to the same old climbing rate of a couple of months ago and today, which was about 95F out near the lake, was done at the same HR that I usually ride the DeathRide climbs at - about 150bpm, was at a slightly reasonable 2800ft per hour, but since it's about 3% steeper than the climbs in the Sierra's then that figure is going to be somewhat higher anyway.

... but I still don't feel at ease walking. It's not as bad as it was but it's weird that I can go at it pretty hard on the bike but when it comes to walking fast or even carrying stuff whilst walking I just feel like I'm up at 12,000ft...

Fday

Tell them the story. Someone will put it all together and figure it out.

swampy1970

What time are you going to be at the Deathride Expo on Friday? All day?

Fday

that is the plan.

swampy1970

'twas nice to meet you and Andrew this past weekend. Much nicer than being "media blasted" with large hailstones, soaked by heavy rain, almost blown off my bike, soaked again and then finally frozen and hailed on once more on Carson Pass... That said, I've never done 27mph going UP the flatter sections of Carson before - yeah, there was a little more than a "stiff breeze".

Those two and a bit months of no training before the event meant that being completed f#$ked outa my head at the end was pretty much a given... but surprisingly I was in better shape than I expected.

swampy1970

So I actually saw a real, live, Pulmonologist today! It's amazing that when people actually read test results that a plan of action can be put together in short order!

It seems as though my Lung function tests were 'odd'. My total lung volume and PEV1 were way down on normal - 75% and 81% respectively - yet the amount of oxygen diffused was 140% of the norm, pre albutorol, and becoming a little more normal after 1 minute on a nebulizer.

Well, that was the 'laymans' explination of it....

The short version of it all is that I have 6 weeks on new meds, then I go back in for another lung function test. I've been told to train as normal unless I feel that it could lead to a dangerous situation. If things haven't improved in 6 weeks then some other tests will be ordered and we'll move on from there.

swampy1970

I think I may have stumbled across the cause of part or all of the problem this morning on the way to work...

I know I've had a slight exhaust leak (between the exhaust manifold and the cat) in the car that I bought at the end of last year and thought nothing of it. After a couple of minutes it seems like the heat expands the metal on bothsides sufficiently to reseal the joint and it 'sounds' OK. No biggie right?

Well, this morning I added a bunch of Techron (Chevron's fuel system/combustion chamber cleaner) to the gas tank whilst filling the car up. I know from the old camaro we have that adding that to the gas makes the exhaust smell different - but that car doesn't have a catalyst so it 'smells' old school as it is. However, about a few miles down the road I noticed an overpowering smell of burned Techron inside the car. Maybe that exhaust leak is leaking gases back into the car.

It would also explain why I was feeling better a few weeks before the Deathride as I drove another car then and why I was also feeling better when I spent a couple of weeks away from work....

john979

Wow! I can only imagine what living one floor above one of New York's busiest avenues is doing to me...