Heart Lung, Lung Heart you decide?

[Offcut]

Just found this and thought it was stating the obvious! But as I have found lung and heart docs do not tend to look at the other organs?

mycopdteam.com/resources/ah...

Be Well

[sassy59]

Yes Offcut, pretty obvious really. Pete has heart disease as well as sarcoidosis and COPD and has had his heart checked earlier this year after another heart attack. It’s sll ongoing really but he has a PMA which helps get us both through.

Hope you’re doing alright. Take care xxxx

[Offcut in reply to sassy59]

PMA all the way!

[Bkin]

Well in UK I think the Lung and heart are mostly taken into consideration. Running up to diagnosis and had many different scans, heart was one of them, 1st the lung scan diagnosis then the cardiac scan assessment, as we know one affects the other.

The problem we have is the symptoms can be the same as far as shortness of breath goes, pain in lungs when trying to walk too quickly, or uphill and pain in the lungs with infection / inflammation. I went for months thinking it was all to do with my lungs living with emphysema for some years then I started getting the palpitations first infrequently, then frequently, that lead to my having cardiac testing.

I think the difference is in the US folk pay for their medical care and so if just paying for CT scan of the lungs the cardiac issue may be overlooked to some extent. Having said that I am pretty sure when the obvious shows in any test results UK or US or anywhere else the patient is then told and referred to the relevant department.

I think being under a consulting specialist when first diagnosed does lead to more though testing here in UK, that is why I am amazed so many these days seemed to be diagnosed just based on a spirometry test.

[Offcut in reply to Bkin]

I am sorry to say it took a number of years to get both my lung and heart specialists to get together regarding my symtoms to look at a bigger picture. I was found to also have PH on top of my other known conditions! But at least they did talk to each other.

[Hidden]

Having had bronch all my life it took me three years and a collapse in my GPs surgery to persuade my doctors-including my bronch specialist, that my increased and distressing breathlessness was due to my heart and not my inability to manage my lung condition. Dilated cardiomyopathy and AF had developed and been ignored.

Then my heart doctor and GP insisted that I take anticoagulants even though my bronch expert said they would cause bleeds from my lungs.

Three bleeds later I put my foot down and refused to take them. Wherupon my heart doc said that owing to my low blood pressure and low weight I didn’t need to take them. He even wrote a letter to the travel ins to this end. I ask you!

[Offcut in reply to Hidden]

I know what you mean I have had lung issues most of my life but my heart AF was found on an A&E admission for double pneumonia. My Docs at the time treated me for both conditions well and agreed with my diagnosis's . However, when we moved and changed surgeries it was a different matter they kept me on inhalers but said most of my problems were my heart? It was not until 2012 when I found I had worked with asbestos for 10+ years they did a spirometry! Then they found RLD and sent me to a lung specialist, it was a number of years of telling both lung and heart specialists that I am fine sitting down but when I do anything I am so breathless? They then found from an echo I was mild PH but it soon showed high so they sent me to Sheffield this year. I had a right heart Cathezation that showed I am High PH so am now WHO class3. Helps that I am been looked after by some of the best in the field but it is a case of they can try and help to stop it from getting worse but no cure yet!

Be well

[Shancock]

Very interesting reading. I get horrendous acid reflux especially when I've got a Bronhcitis flare up and then heartburn can make an appearance too to join the party!

Luckily for me my resp specialist referred me to a cardiac specialist for a full check over, I had a 7 day ECG, heart scan and then a bubble test, which was a strange one they put saline through you to see how it moves from your heart (or something like that), I think he was checking there was no small hole in my heart. Anyway all came back well I was very pleased to say along with my blood pressure being nice and low. So now when the heartburn starts and I feel like very breathless at least I know it's not cardiac related.

Well it's nice that one things working well!

[Offcut in reply to Shancock]

Reflux is so common with people with lung conditions. I also have a heaitis hernia which has be bought on by my coughing.

[Dedalus]

Thanx for this Offcut - very interesting. Will definitely ask about both if I get CT scan in future.

[Offcut in reply to Dedalus]

You might get a sidways look, but nothing lost by asking is there?

[Dedalus]

Exactly (I've already printed off the article for my next consultant appointment lol - thanks again Offcut