Echo Results During Illness

[heartfulloflove]

Would being sick with a nasty virus/flu bug affect a person's echo? Like, if someone was really sick, spent and exhausted for their follow-up echo, would it alter the result?

[heartfulloflove]

Excluding the obvious, like viruses that cause heart problems. Just general run of the mill flu/cold.

[Erin]

Thanks for asking this question, Shannon. I've wondered this myself. I had a flu/cold at my last echo (which showed no improvement, but I wasn't too surprised at that because I was still only two months out from dx.)

[heartfulloflove]

Don't get too excited. No one answers my posts.

I meant to ask my cardiologist today when I went in, but I saw him for about fifteen seconds and all we really discussed was future pregnancy and my previous one. And how much insurance companies suck.

[Erin]

ha ha! I agree about insurance co.'s. Cardiologists don't really give you much time, I guess, eh? I used to wonder if it was just mine. I have an appointment on the 29th and I'm going in with a list of questions. Maybe I should give him a copy so that he can follow along and keep his hand off the door knob.

What do you mean no one answers your posts?:confused:

[tammer]

I had the same question for my cardiologist about illness and echo results. He thought that if any diffeence at all, being really sick might make a 5% difference but basically said no, it shouldn't matter. That seems to defy logic though...one would think that if you felt awful/exhausted etc. that the echo would be worse. I think unfortunately that silly EF does what it wants when it wants to!!!!!! ARRGGHHH. hope that helps. Tammy

[heartfulloflove]

[QUOTE=Erin]I have an appointment on the 29th and I'm going in with a list of questions. Maybe I should give him a copy so that he can follow along and keep his hand off the door knob.
QUOTE]

Yeah, I usually take a short list of important questions with me, and I forgot to this time, and the result of that was me being left with all but one of them. Lists are good! Typically I just hand it to him. We both like that.

[heartfulloflove]

I had the same question for my cardiologist about illness and echo results. He thought that if any diffeence at all, being really sick might make a 5% difference but basically said no, it shouldn't matter. That seems to defy logic though...one would think that if you felt awful/exhausted etc. that the echo would be worse. I think unfortunately that silly EF does what it wants when it wants to!!!!!! ARRGGHHH. hope that helps. Tammy

That helps! Thanks!!

[JAMESFETT]

No, unless one is dehydrated and in shock or near-shock. Luckily, our hearts are tougher than that, and have their self-sustaining mechanisms and compensations.

JDF

[heartfulloflove]

Dr. Fett, thank you for your answer. That's the big question I've been wondering and always forget to ask. How does dehydration effect ejection fraction? I was told in the ER before I went for my echo that I was "quite dehydrated". In fact, I averaged about 16 ounces of fluid a day, so yeah, I was.

[Erin]

You were only drinking 16 oz. a day? Holy cow, Shannon!

[heartfulloflove]

I know, it was bad. I'm one of those people who, barring some insane abrupt fluid loss, never gets really thirsty. It's funny because I remember ALWAYS being thirsty when I was a kid and never getting enough to drink.

Now, when I was pregnant, I drank milk like there was no tomorrow, so I know I got well more than my 64oz/day in fluid intake. Not pregnant though, it's another story. I just don't crave milk the same way, lol

I get kidney stones, once a year, and they tell me it's from chronic dehydration - something about excess uric acid. But this year so far, none. :D