Category: HEART

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Congestive heart failure-in a dog?

Annie

I’ve been gone a while, so I’ll be brief. I had a post all ready to go when: BAM! I went to the ER for stomach pain. “No worries, I’ll be here a few hours and they’ll say: ‘go home and take some tums.’” Mega tests, 6 days and a medical nightmare later, I came home this past Friday,  looking forward (?) to finishing that article. Curses, foiled again! The very next morning our dog, who jumped in the air on Friday night when I came home, was barely able to stand and by nightfall, she was falling if she … Continue reading Congestive heart failure-in a dog?

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“And the beat goes on…”

Annie

We rarely think about our hearts, but minute after minute, day after day, year after year… you get the picture: our hearts rarely miss a beat. Unless we are athletes who monitor our heart rate or our heart is ‘broken’ in romance, we usually don’t give it a second thought. That we aren’t aware of our heart isn’t because we don’t appreciate it; it’s because we don’t feel it work so we rarely think about it. But we become much more focused on our heart when it doesn’t work right. When it works right, the heart is the hub of … Continue reading “And the beat goes on…”

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Related to healthcare? Merry Christmas!

Annie

Not at all related to healthcare or health, this is completely related to Christmas; a Christmas funny which did my heart good. Quite frankly, after a year of dealing with a more serious side of life, I want a break and I figure, If I want that break, you might be needing or wanting one, too. Feel free to leave a comment and let me know how you feel about my placing fun stuff here, every now and then. Or every week….stretching it?    MERRY CHRISTMAS! Continue reading Related to healthcare? Merry Christmas!

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‘First, Do No Harm’ and the Opioid Crisis  

Annie

That title implies that there is a connection between the Hippocratic Oath the current opioid crisis. What is it? Any chronic illness can be used as an example. Consider ‘lupus.’  Pericarditis, the inflammation of the sac aound the heart is a very painful condition that affects many lupus sufferers. The pain from pericarditis can be so severe: that “it feels like I’m having a heart attack!” However, our treatment of that acute pain is severely lacking because we are also concerned, and rightly so, about the abuse of opioids. But, should the treatment of chronic pain which is real pain, … Continue reading ‘First, Do No Harm’ and the Opioid Crisis  

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What is a port-a-cath?

Annie

What is that bump on that man’ chest? It is a port-a-cath. Basically, a port-a-cath is an implanted device to receive intravenous solutions.  Usually, when you have blood drawn or need an IV the nurse has no difficulty slipping an IV in. This isn’t always the case. Some people don’t have such an easy time with IV insertion. The nurse digs and digs, trying to ‘find a vein’. This can cause pain, bruising; and too often the result still is: NO IV 😦 One solution to this problem is a port-a-cath. Implanted in a special surgical suite, a port-a-cath is … Continue reading What is a port-a-cath?