Coughing Up Blood

Well, I came home from my EP Study on Tuesday night after my doctor was unable to recreate my SVT. She found that my potassium levels were very low, so she increased my dosage of supplemets, and sent me on my way.
I was feeling great on Wednesday, other than being slightly sore and groggy from the sedation, until about bedtime. I got this really heavy feeling on my chest, and I started wheezing. A few moments later, I coughed up a little bit of blood. This continued throughout the night, and my heart rate was in the 120's all night long. I was unable to sleep, but I wasn't ready to go back to the hospital either.
I called my doctor first thing this morning, and she said that it was probably a combination of allergies and dry airways from the oxygen that I received while in the hospital. I feel horrible...my chest still feels heavy, and I cannot sleep. She just suggested that I keep an eye on it and call her if it get's any worse.
My first though was a blood clot, but my doctor said that everything was clear after the study. She also said that I am not in heart failure, so she wasn't too terribly concerned.
Has anyone ever had this happen as a complication after an EP Study? Should I be concerned or do I just need to take it easy?

Amanda

5 Comments

Potassium

by scadnama - 2008-03-27 05:03:21

Swede,

Thanks for your quick response! I was given potassium through my IV before the procedure. I was told that my levels were very low and that it could very well be contributing to some of my issues, but I didn't get the exact numbers.

Thanks Again!

I would play it "safe"

by Swedeheart - 2008-03-27 05:03:32

Amanda,

First let me say I am sorry this event has happened. It doesn't sound fun at all! I have not had a problem like this, but I have had fairly low levels of potassium and it can cause havoc on your system. I am surprised they didn't give you an IV with potassium rather than increasing your supplements... to get you back on your feet. You might ask about the "numbers" for your potassium and ask for details.

If the doctor is right and the blood is from the oxygen, etc. you should be feeling better soon and these symptoms should subside. If that isn't the case, I would keep careful notes of how you feel, your bloodpressue, temp, etc. and if it doesn't improve by nightfall I would call your doctor again or visit an ER. I know many times when I feel crummy the last thing I want to do is go to ER ... again... but I also don't want to "not go" and regret it later only to find they could have prevented something worse from happening.

If it were me, I would reluctantly go back to the doctor or ER. How was the saying? "An ounce of prevention vs a pound of cure?"

Hi Amanda

by bini - 2008-03-27 08:03:31

I am so sorry to hear you are not feeling to well after the study. I have not had an EP test done so I am not sure if this is a normal aftermath of the test.
I have been praying that the test went well...now I'll pray for you to feel better.
If this does not improve or gets worse I would go to the ER.
Anyway, I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers....let us know how everything goes.

Wishing you the best!
-Christine

One question Amanda

by bunnykin - 2008-03-28 06:03:02

Sorry to hear that you're feeling unwell after your EP study; I've this question: Did they insert any tubes in your throat during the study? I'm quite sure they did this under local or conscious sedation so no tubes would have been placed inside your esophagus. Just wondering, cos other than scraping your throat wall with tubes etc I can't imagine why this has happened... Anyway, will pray your coughing will go away soon!

Pls keep us informed.

bunnykin

Conscious Sedation

by scadnama - 2008-03-28 11:03:02

I only received conscious sedation and a local during the procedure, so no tubes were placed into my throat. My oxygen saturation was pretty low after the study, so I remained on oxygen for several hours.

Thanks for your input!

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