I'm afraid he'll take me off my meds and I'll go back to falling down all the time and not being able to walk more then five feet and be out of wind.
Do you know what your pulmonary pressure was when you had your RHC? Anything above 20 is considered PH. COPD itself can cause strain on the heart and over time can cause PH. If this is the case, treatment is generally focused on treating the COPD itself and symptoms of left-sided heart failure. PAH is a whole different beast and treatment is much different.
To differentiate between PAH and COPD, a range of tests and exams are typically used:
- Physical Examination: A thorough physical exam and medical history are conducted by your doctor, often with a cardiologist and pulmonologist. They will ask about symptoms, screen for risk factors, and listen to the heart and lungs
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Thank you so much. I'm not sure what my pressure was I'm not sure what it's listed as on the rhc
Do you know the RHC results, specifically your pulmonary pressure? A pressure greater than 20 (recently revised by the AHA) is considered pulmonary hypertension. However, this does not mean that you necessarily have PAH. The kind of PH you have is determined by the underlying cause and determines the treatment plan/medications. If your pulmonologist is not a PH specialist, you should consider seeing a cardiologist or pulmonologist that has specialized training in PH.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blo...