These are the drugs I take every day...I have been out of the hospital since March 27 and have had at least five follow up visits with docs at Northwestern. Today I saw cardiologists, Drs. Jyothy Puthmana and Umberto Campia, both of whom interpreted the results of my echo heart and "bubble" tests which gauged the effectiveness of my pump.
My left ventricle, which squeezes blood out of the heart, is still weak, but no weaker than it was when I was first admitted to Northwestern. They think it is OK to give the prednisone more time, another month or so, to curb the granulomas. Perhaps the heart will even get stronger with exercise. I'm walking two miles every day right now.
My lungs sound clear, the docs say. My lungs feel good. They feel so good that I am sneaking smokes. I know it is the dumbest thing to do, especially when one has pulmonary and cardiac issues, but I am addicted to nicotine. I admit it. The docs give me a prescription of Chantix to help. But I am wary (and weary) of more 'scripts. There are too many pharmaceuticals coursing through my system right now. I am going to go cold turkey. God help me.
I know I can go cold turkey. If I can lose weight while taking a daily dose of 60 mg of prednisone - I went from a high of 321 three weeks to 304 as of today - I can quit smoking cold turkey, too.
Send me your well wishes. Or your doubts. Both work equally well as motivators.
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