Altitude sickness

Last  week my adult son  decided to take a short drive .He just had his second pacemaker/ defibrillator  in Aug.  Living in Los Angeles the mountains aren't that far.  As he drove just past  the ski lifts,about 7,000 feet up ,he had trouble breathing, upset stomach,and pain from the left ear down to the heart. Made it down and home. He rested that night but was weak and still had the pain. The next morning I drove him to ER and he was admitted . After  having a lot of tests ,scans ,stress tests and  angiogram , he was released Friday night in the same pain he went in with. Left ear down the neck/ shoulder to the heart. The doctors wouldn't listen at all to the fact this all started with that drive. After 6 years with ICDs and pain most of the time,he knew this was different. In the hospital they gave him nitroglycerin  and morphine  which did not help at all with the pain. Once he got home ,he had some Tylenol  3 pills left over from his last surgery in Aug. That helped with the pain.it is slowly going away. Just wanted to put this out there  in case it happens to anyone else. His EF is between 20-30. Hasn't gotten better or worse in 6 years and up until last Monday he worked full time.

 

6 Comments

Altitude

by Electric Elise - 2018-10-01 12:08:56

Hello, wow this altitude is quite a bugger, isn’t it? I had my pacemaker fitted 3 months ago, but before that, in March, my husband and i drove up to Sequoia and the moment i got out of the car, i felt so rotten - palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea, the works! Back then i had no idea i was going to need a PM.. i wasn’t even aware i had any heart issues.. but the whole episode sent me on a downward spiral and now here i am paced 68% of the time. At this point, i don’t want to see a mountaintop for a long time! Hope your son feels better soon!

Altitude sicknes

by AR - 2018-10-01 12:24:17

Thank you for your reply.  i just wanted everyone to  know what happened to my son. The cardiologist had no answers but wouldn't even listen to the fact it all started on that drive. He did all the research online and had all the symptoms  of the sickness but the heart doctors wouldn't listen.  After all these years of pain and worry,his comment was,Taken out by a scenic drive.

DR

by Electric Elise - 2018-10-01 12:46:59

i love doctors, bless ‘em, they’re such unsung heroes, but honestly, sometimes you meet one that just makes your blood boil.

Don't get me wrong

by AR - 2018-10-01 12:54:55

My son has 3  top  cardiologist. And another one at UCLA. They are great and  only wish they had been on call last week.  Seems like some doctors resent the information you can find online. It's out there because it happens to other people. I totally blame energy drinks for his Cardiomyopothy ,but there is no proving that.

Reply o Odd

by AR - 2018-10-01 13:24:17

If only we knew.  He doesn't smoke or drink. Worked through pain for the last 6 plus years. Diabetic and very bad back problems. All of Wed.,Thurs.,Fri. In a top hospital,running all kinds of tests and lab work.  Maybe the  cardiologist  at UCLA will find the problem,I hope. 

Best of luck

by Electric Elise - 2018-10-01 16:24:03

I do hope it all gets sorted - and soon! The waiting and not really knowing are the worst.. Do keep us updated on the progress. Much love to you both

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My pacemaker was installed in 1998 and I have not felt better. The mental part is the toughest.