Hello to all members of this board. Please take this as a plea for some
professional opinions on a matter very important to me. I need your help.
I'm not in medicine, but I will do my best to set up the scenario. A person
very dear to me has been having heart trouble for a number of years. She is
46 (47 in November) and her apparent trouble is valve related. She has been
having what I have heard referred to as mitrovalve regurgitation, causing
her to go into a near lethal arrythmia. She palpitates now and again (has
for a number of years), but is usually able to quell the arrythmia through
self-help (valsalva maneuvers, calming, etc.). She has been taking Atenolol
for a number of years (~8? 9?). This has resulted in a near 80 to 100lb
weight gain.
Three years ago, apparently her potassium levels bottomed out and she had an
arrythmia that she could not control. Into the hospital she went; tests
were done. Docs said (in layman's terms) her valve condition had worsened a
bit, and so they doubled her Atenolol dose and told her to watch her K
levels. This brought the dose up to either 50 or 100mg daily (not sure).
Her weight gain as a result was significant.
Yesterday, again she experienced a "scary" arrythmia. Back into the
hospital she went. She is awaiting tests, but already the doctors have once
again DOUBLED her dose of Atenolol. I do not know at this time what the
results will be.
Now, though the Atenolol is supposedly helping to control the heart defect,
my fear is that this benefit is slowly getting offset by the tremendous
weight gain she is experiencing. I fear that now that the dose has been yet
again doubled, the accretion of even more weight will be inevitable.
My question essentially speaks to "what are some options for this woman?"
I'm not asking for advice, but just a few suggestions as to what avenues are
plausible to look into for weight control/weight-loss. Is it even an option
for a woman in her condition? I remember docs telling her 3 years ago (at
the time of the first cardiac episode) that they'd like her to lose 40 or
50lbs.. Obviously she could not do it herself, and was not able to lose the
weight (I think she tried SlimFast, or something). And in my experience,
most personal trainers are useless, as they largely know nothing about how
to deal properly AND effectively with this sort of a client. Their
collective experience doesn't usually extend past the gym.
Aside from the heart defect, she is otherwise in perfect health. No smoking
ever. Never drank. No drugs. She's had three children. Perhaps the only
knock against her constitution is that she knows she has poor "vein" and
"capillary" walls (ie. She bruises easily; etc.... She related a story to
me that when she had surgery on her carpal tunnel tendon, docs found that
she had a pattern similar to "bundle-branching" in her arm -- a sign of poor
vein structure).
Again, I'm not looking for advice, just looking for some help in finding out
what options are out there which I can explore. Will dieting help? If so,
what types could possibly benefit a woman with this condition and on these
meds? Will exercise help? Drugs, other Meds? natural methods?
Homeopathic remedies? Something; anything would be appreciated at this
time. I feel helpless....
Thank you all for your time and attention. And thank you in advance to
those who respond.
Sincerely,
William John Ambruzs
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