Taking a deep breathe is so natural to us we don't even think about doing it. What if one day you have trouble getting that full breathe of air? It's a very scary feeling. I have mentioned previously that I am sick. Well I have been looking for the easiest explanation for what I have. I have what is called "Primary Pulmonary Hypertension". After months of testing doctors could find no cause for my PH so its not considered a secondary illness. Its not easy for me to explain so thanks Google for this lovely explanation:
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| www.healthtree.com |
The right ventricle pumps blood returning from the body into the pulmonary arteries to the lungs to receive oxygen. The pressures in the lung arteries (pulmonary arteries) are normally significantly lower than the pressures in the systemic circulation. When pressure in the pulmonary circulation becomes abnormally elevated, it is referred to as pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary artery hypertension, or PAH.
Pulmonary hypertension generally results from constriction, or stiffening, of the pulmonary arteries that supply blood to the lungs. Consequently, it becomes more difficult for the heart to pump blood forward through the lungs. This stress on the heart leads to enlargement of the right heart and eventually fluid can build up in the liver and other tissues, such as in the legs.
Pulmonary hypertension symptoms may include:
- The most common symptoms of pulmonary hypertension is shortness of breath that worsens with activity.
- Other common complaints are cough,fatigue, dizziness, and lethargy.
- With the advancement of the condition and ensuing right heart failure, shortness of breath may get worse and retention of fluid in the body may increase (due to failure of the heart to pump blood forward) resulting in swelling the legs.
- People may also complain of chest pain and angina.
Signs of pulmonary hypertension may include:
- A rapid breathing, hypoxia (low oxygen level in the blood), and swelling in the legs.
- In severe pulmonary hypertension, the doctor may hear louder than normal components of heart sounds when he or she listens to the heart with a stethoscope (auscultation).
- The doctor may also feel elevation of the chest wall when the heart pumps and this may indicate enlargement of the right side of the heart suggestive of pulmonary hypertension (right ventricular heave).
High blood pressure in the arteries that transport blood from the heart to the lungs - the pulmonary arteries — is referred to as pulmonary hypertension or pulmonary arterial hypertension. As the blood is pumped through the arteries in the lungs, it receives oxygen; this oxygenated blood returns to the heart, where it is then transported to the rest of the body through the aorta and other arteries. Injury or changes to the pulmonary artery can cause the artery to tighten, limiting the passage of blood, and increasing the pressure in the artery.
Pulmonary hypertension (PH) made its debut in the United States media in September 1987 when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the popular appetite suppressantsfenfluramine and dexfenfluramine. The two popular diet drugs were directly linked to an increased risk of pulmonary hypertension and valvular regurgitation.
In its "primary" form, pulmonary hypertension is a rare disease that affects one to two people per million in the United States every year. The disease can be found in men, women and children, but is more likely to be found in women between the ages of 21 and 40. Most cases of pulmonary artery hypertension are "secondary," meaning they arise as a result of some other underlying disease or factor, such as COPD or HIV.
From: www.healthtree.com
Every PH patient (PHer) is different. What works for others may not have the same effect for me. The doctors have to put together a puzzle to figure out the best treatment for each PHer. I was diagnosed in June 2009. I had been having horrible fainting spells since Sept 2008 but my Dr at that time assumed it was a pre-diabetic condition. She told me to take glucose tabs to bring up my sugars so I wouldn't pass out. Of course this still didn't help. I finally had an episode bad enough to go to the ER and that's when I was told I had PH. The Dr told my mom I had three months to live and sent me home. Since then I have come a long way. I'm still here (thank GOD!) and I am taking 2 PH meds which are helping me some. I'm also supposed to be on O2 24/7. I call my oxygen tank Oxy. I think it will take time go get my treatment puzzle worked out but my Dr is amazing and I know she is doing everything possible for me. In the mean time I am just Taking a Deep Breathe!
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