Still unwell today but more cheerful !

Hi there Guys and Dolls,

Don’t know where that came from as I’m not into musicals. So, I hope my comments below address the large range of thoughts and advice you have given me. I am very grateful.

Apologies for being so long in giving you all feedback ..... after last nights early morning performance with the high BP and after wards feeling like I’d stepped out of a train wreck I did ring 111. They quite promptly sent an emergency ambulance team to me at home.

Long story short, did a blood test check for diabetes - normal. Did a BP check, a bit high ish but lower than earlier. ECG normal. They could not see anything wrong. They did not regard the BP readings of 155/90 and 156/92 high even though most of the day readings of 152/87 have been regular. They commented that they may be high compared to my normal readings ( 131/70) but in the grand scheme of things in their world of work they aren’t really. No thoughts on what caused the coldness, which was roughly 12 hours before the high BP which at the time of writing is 141/85.

You may feel I am focussing alot on BP but it needs to be remember if it wasn’t for the erratic behaviour of my BP in Jan 2010 I would never have gone to my GP and would not have ended up in A & E at East Surrey Hospital and a diagnosis of AF in a matter of 9 hours from onset of feeling unwell. It dropped from 136/80 ish down to 76/50 in a matter of hours - my Apollo 13 moment - ‘Houston, we have a problem’.

So now, a big thank you for all your kind words, suggestions and food for thought and for the time you took to consider and respond to my post. I’ll now try and reply to as many questions as I can :

1 Cocodomol - I was originally put on it due to the lack of conflict with Warfarin. sometime in 2014/15 to address pain in my right knee which was eventually solved by a partial knee replacement.

Then right shoulder pain which didn’t last long and now I have been a regular user for pain relief since September 2020 - continuously.

I am on CoCodomol 30/500 which here in UK is only available on prescription. I use between 4 and 6 tablets a day. Usually 2 at bedtime, 2 at breakfast, and only if needed 2 during the daylight hours between getting up and going to bed. I haven’t yet needed to go to 8 tablets a day which is the maximum.

2 My meds for AF are Ramipril, Felodopine, Bisoprolol. I take Warfarin as my preferred anticoagulant and take Simvastation. So, following the theme that has emerged from your comments I’m going to go for Bisoprolol and/or CoCodomol. Compared to many on here I don’t have nor have I ever had a problem with Bisoprolol, except, that at times and totally at random it will cause my HR to fall, has gone as low as 46 bpm and last night dropped it to 50 bpm. .... but it eventually comes back up again. So we arrive at CoCodomol.

My GP did try me off it and replaced it with Amitriptyline (10mg). However this gave me unwanted side effects (Diahrrea). Although it did warn some users may experience this the worse thing of all was that it warned against its use for those who have a range of heart irregularities. Still can’t understand why she prescribed it in the first place. She never replaced it with an alternative. Will try her on an alternative, although I am tempted to ask my local Pharmacist what he recommends. So for the moment at least I take Cocodomol as a pill in the pocket, carry on with my Chiropractor and do my stretches. I think several of you have referred to some type/ various types of tendonitis. My Chiro guy is working on the belief that the left shoulder tendons may be the problem arising from an earlier shoulder trauma of some sort. If this route is successful it may be that I can wean off the CoCodomol. Meanwhile I gotta look at why my BP is stuck in a holding pattern.

Thanks again.

John

[Jalia]

Hi John, just read your post from yesterday. Have you had full blood test done ? Could it be anything to do with kidneys do you think ? Just asking because I had very peculiar few days prior to a diagnosis ( and admission) for AKI ...acute kidney injury. Even the paramedics sent out to me said it was probably just a virus....Don't ignore if you're still feeling rough.Regards

J

[Hidden in reply to Jalia]

Hi Jalia,

I forgot to say that my next lot of full bloods and annual review is booked for 20 September. That said I do feel much better and my loo visits are pretty much normal now.

I also forgot to say to Jean jeannie that I have never been tested for underactive thyroid.

Many thanks for your comments.

John

[Hidden]

Good to hear that you are feeling more optimistic, sometimes a rant can do wonders! Sounds like you are having a MOT and annual service all rolled into one, just hope you get the DVLA stuff sorted out in good time too…..all the best John, maybe the brighter weather will help as well!

John

[Auriculaire]

If your problem is indeed tendonitis in the shoulder then I would be concerned about the statin. Statins can cause tendonitis though they are more notorious for provoking muscle pain. We have a friend who has been on and off statins and has horribly swollen Achilles tendons - no problem with them before starting the statin..