Self-medication in Pulmonary Oedema…

For some years I have been experiencing bouts of Pulmonary Oedema, though I had no idea that’s what it was, I just put it down to more COPD buggeration** – until the day it almost killed me.

**It’s primarily a symptom of heart failure, which I also have.

At that point, once I got out of hospital, I asked my GP to prescribe Salbutamol and Atrovent nebules, as that’s what the paramedics and the hospital use, my idea being to nip the moderate attacks in the bud and, hopefully, prevent severe attacks either hospitalising me or killing me. It took 8 months and another emergency hospital admission before that was successful.

I can now treat Pulmonary Oedema at home – at last!

What follows is yet another letter to my GP sent two days ago. For new readers not aware of my history, it’s self-contained and self-explanatory. It refers to my most recent hospital admission with another severe bout of Pulmonary Oedema, and my encounter with a doctor who, choosing to ignore 19 years of evidence** has decided, based on no new evidence or tests, that I don’t have COPD.

**Not to mention the 49 years prior to that of bronchiectasis and asthma, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia, that virtually guaranteed I’d develop COPD.

The result was that today I finally got the Salbutamol and Atrovent nebules I asked for. The hospital uses them together to treat Pulmonary Oedema – I want to do the same thing at home in the hope of avoiding (a) winding up in hospital, or (b) dying – a very real possibility, as you’ll see.

Goodbye Food-Induced Pulmonary Oedema, Hello Good Night’s Sleep…

The last of my Pulmonary Oedema “food triggers” has been laid to rest. This is good in that I can now put back into my diet old favourites that had been banished out of fear. If you’ve ever experienced Pulmonary Oedema you will surely, like me, be prepared to go to absurd lengths to figure out why and avoid another bout, not least because it’s potentially fatal and it’s a hideous way to go.

A Rather Good High-Protein Winter Soup…

(Vegetarian.)

Had a bad day when I made this, and also dropped a plastic jug. What did it land on? My bloody ulcer! A mere 137g of plastic has never caused so much pain! Plus, the plumbing, hidden deep inside a wall, decided it had had enough, and let go, so the plumber was here searching for the leak’s actual location (eventually found it – they’re coming back today to fix it).

Anyway, amid the chaos, I needed soup, but with all the buggeration it had to be something fast and simple.

Pulmonary Oedema and my plan to deal with it – maybe – Addendum…

After writing that post I had a Pulmonary Oedema (P.O.), attack for the third consecutive night. Mystified, and not a little scared (of all the things that might kill me, P.O. is close to the top of the list), I tried to figure out the cause.

It eventually permeated my insomnia-addled and oxygen-deprived brain that, despite having identified fatty food as a serious P.O. trigger, that evening I’d eaten a quiche. Eggs, cheese, and pastry = fat.

Pulmonary Oedema and my plan to deal with it – maybe…

It’s possible that I might be able to avoid future bouts of Pulmonary Oedema. Maybe not all of them, but they do seem to all have clearly identifiable food triggers.

First, some backstory. Back in August I was hauled off to hospital barely able to breathe, coughing bloody sputum, and convinced I was dying. In fact, I was at that point but, luckily I didn’t.

Turned out I had Pulmonary Oedema (PO from here on in),with some nasty complications, like atelectasis – a partial collapse of the lung, to put it simply – and an infection.

Another Brassica and Cheese Soup…

Well, my Broccoli and El Cheapo Blue Cheese Soup was pretty damn good, so much so that I intend to try another variation on the theme of greens with cheese. How does Brussels Sprouts, Chestnuts, and Mature Cheddar Cheese Soup sound?

Whaddaya mean, horrible? Ye of little faith!

Pulmonary Oedema Bafflement…

I’m baffled because I’ve discovered yet another food trigger** but the human Pulmonary Oedema (PO from here), literature makes no mention of such triggers, though the veterinary literature does – it’s apparently quite common in dogs, especially the chocolate trigger.

**I said in a previous post that I wasn’t sure food triggers were real. I am now.

Also baffling is whether I consume the trigger substance in my sole meal (I eat just once a day, anywhere between 18.00 and 20.00), or my bedtime snack (between midnight and 01.00), PO always strikes at the same time, 03.30, give or take 10 minutes.

As it did this morning.

Breathing would be nice…

Since my admission to hospital with Pulmonary Oedema (PO), in August, my ability to breathe, especially at night, has been seriously compromised.

Though I didn’t know it at the time, I’ve been having bouts of PO for about 2 years – I just didn’t think it was anything more serious than yet another malign aspect of my COPD. After all, I’ve been coughing blood, from time to time, for over 40 years. PO, though, is just a tad more serious – it’s potentially fatal and it damn near did for me in August.

Addendum to Letter to my GP re Pulmonary Oedema and Heart Failure…

Those of you who read that post will know that I explained to my GP why I needed the following drugs:-

Nebivolol (beta-blocker) as the dose suggested by the cardiologist (half my normal dose), drove up my BP to what I consider to be a dangerous level. Yesterday’s BP was 115/59, for example. For the two days for which I took the reduced dose, and of which my GP was notified, my BP was 145/75 and 147/79. Both unacceptable. I reverted to my normal dose of 2.5mg b.d.