More diseases I don't have... and an ode to Pindolol

I got back the results of the echo cardiogram and blood cultures. Apparently I don't have endocarditis. Ugh. Thank goodness. That one creeped me out. It is a diagnosis I am VERY grateful not to have.

Also apparently 3 of my heart valves leak a little and I have "diastolic dysfunction consistent with impaired relaxation" but it is not sufficiently bad to be concerning. Phew.

In the meantime I have now been taking Pindolol for a week. It has brought about a HUGE change in my quality of life. Before I started it I was functioning at somewhere between 10-20% of my energy before I got sick; now I am functioning at about 50%. My headaches are mostly gone, I can think more clearly, I can drive more safely, I can be up and about the house with just a nap in the afternoon. Wow. If I am mellow I can even feel pretty good during the day. This morning I hustled about the house and up and down the stairs a couple of times while packing -- that was a bit too much, it wiped me out so that I had to nap... but then I felt better afterwards and got some more done in the afternoon.

I am still not at the point where I can manage life by myself -- I will still need part-time help when I come back from CT but I feel confident that I will be able to homeschool Ben and get done the basic like dishes, laundry, and cooking. That is HUGE. Hip, hip, HORAY for pindolol!

3 comments:

Tina in CT said...

Steps forward - yeah. I was wondering if you still were coming North. I hope things continue to progress upward for you.

Anonymous said...

Great,
does it mean that all you have to take for now is the drug you are taking?
Olga

Anonymous said...

it sounds to me that if all you have to do is take a nap in the afternoon, you've reached the productivity of the majority of europe. consider yourself cured!

L