That's swell

Edema (formerly known as dropsy) afflicts most PHers at various times in our journeys. The control of the condition often falls on diuretics and limiting salt intake.

Before I got a diagnosis, I had elephant ankles and a not-so-cute belly during a particularly torrid August. The pavement sizzled and I could not get my feet into tennis shoes much less dress shoes.

That Saturday morning I sat in my chair with my legs propped up on the ottoman. Momo chased Pogo across my legs, his hind legs digging a hole in my bloated leg. I felt a sting and looked at the leg. Hmmm. No blood, just a pinkish liquid flowing from the gash. I covered the wound with a clean washcloth (Bandaids were too small and I had no gauze and tape.). I had a friend check the seeping slash. I needed stitches.

Off we go to the doc at the emergency clinic. Everyone I talked to from the receptionist to the doc wanted to see the wound and then asked how it happened. Mind you I still am not bleeding much.

I am told to lie on the examining table and doc would sew me up. Well, I heard doc talking to a patient with allergies and another who had a fever. In the meantime, pink fluid drips steadily from the gash.

Finally he enters. I can tell he probably has not sewn up anything since medical school. He hems and haws (pun intended) and finally realizes he has to do it. He told me to wait a week and then have my GP (or whatever they call them) remove the stitches.

During all this swelling, I got a diagnosis of COPD. The doc prescribed an inhaler. Then the day the pharmacist told me I could not get the prescription refilled for another week, I knew I was in trouble. You see, the COPD was bad, but PH stood behind it. I went back to my GP. He took X-rays, discovered my enlarged heart and referred me to my heart doc.

After an echo, the heart doc sent me to Doc. He eliminated various conditions, got my COPD under control, and after a right heart cath, put me on Tracleer, a pretty new medication at the time.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Dude, I think of you often. What you might say, how you never seemed to sleep.

Later.