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Mary D avatar

Pulmonary Hypertension

Heart & Blood Health | Last Active: 2 hours ago | Replies (43)

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Hello Cognac. I had my right heart cath last thursday. I was awake during the procedure and pedaling some bike pedals which had been secured to the end of the table. The catheter was inserted in the jugular vein in my neck. Pressures in the right side of the heart were measured while at rest, during exercise, and during recovery. I've been informed that the test results were normal. So I am back to square one in a quest for an answer to my symptoms. The insertion of the catheter was extremely painful and I felt an intense pain from the top of my shoulder all the way to the tips of my fingers. While the catheter was in place the doctor kept pushing on the area where it was inserted which also caused a great deal of pain. I still have pain in my neck 5 days later. I was told that an Attending cardiologist would do my procedure along with a "Cardiology Fellow". Well, I never saw the Attending. The "Fellow" or student did the procedure. It was an awful experience. i would caution others that are going to undergo an invasive procedure to demand an experienced Attending Physician who has done thousands of them. Teaching hospitals many times do not give you an option. There is a "bully-type" attitude that exists that has no place in medicine. I am still on the quest for an answer and I am looking into "chronic myocarditis" as a possible cause. I hope you are hanging in there and having more good days than bad. Does weather affect you? We have recently had 95-100 degree days with high humidity. I always feel much worse on those days.

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Replies to "Hello Cognac. I had my right heart cath last thursday. I was awake during the procedure..."

@maryd i can relate! I had a right heart catheter (Cleveland Clinic Fl) Same deal…It was like an Alfred Hitchcock episode. Many miss stabs looking for the vein and pain in my upper chest. I was released and my chart said “no complications”. 3 hours later i took myself to the emergency room and was admitted for large pneumothorax! Collapsed lung! In the hospital for 5 days tethered to my bed with a tube in my chest attached to suction. Morphine, Percocet and 24/7 O2. Can’t even get the doctor who performed the procedure to return my call…My Dr DO was teaching a student also. No idea until i was already draped.