November is Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month !

November is Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness Month !
by : Don Jones...11/16/10

Heart-Transplant & PH Patient, Vanderbilt University Hospital and Clinic

http://www.phassociation.org/page.aspx?pid=203&chid=120&txtSearch=COPD

If you don`t know what Pulmonary Hypertension is ? Be glad. That tells me you or no one in your family or circle of friends have it either ? Well maybe ? Pulmonary Hypertension is often misdiagnosed. The symptoms are so like those of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which include Emphysema. Remember, I am a 16 year post Heart-Transplant patient. Vanderbilt Pulmonology is one fine clinic, but, as one Dr. informed me, "We know a lot, but we don`t know everything". Lets talk my symptoms. I am unable to walk long distances, 20-yards without stopping and resting (catching my breath) Stairs are almost impossible. Hill`s ditto. Here`s one for you, Showering is bad, wears me out ! Clothes dressing, wears me out. Normal everyday chores almost completely out of the question. I seem to have good days and bad days ? If you see me out at a public place, and I`m sitting down, you would`nt know there was anything wrong with me. At times, my breathing seems improved, other times it seems worse. Drugs I am on. Revatio 20 mg. (sildenafil) three (3)times a day. Tyvaso (treprostinil) four(4) times daily. Tyvaso is an inhalant, I breathe into my lungs four times daily. Let me put it this way (Shortness of Breath Sucks!) Both of these drugs are expensive. Revatio is almost $1,300.00 per month.Tyvaso is, are you sitting down ? $13,000.00 per month. No, I do not pay for them, Medicare and my VEBA pay for them, or I would`nt be taking them. Are they helping ? Being an eternal optimist, I like to think so, but I`m not sure ? perhaps, I`m not worse ? There has been no dramatic change for the better in my breathing. Take care of your lungs, they are most sensitive and difficult to treat. I don`t think, I`ve mentioned it, but this disease Pulmonary Hypertension is mostly a female disease. Now, I`m male, but, I do have a Lady`s/Female Heart ! Go figure ! My Dr.`s at Vanderbilt Lung/Pulmonary are Dr. Ivan Robbins(upper right) and Dr. Anna Hemnes(upper left). They are both good Dr.`s and exceptional human beings. Having shared these things with you, let me encourage you, especially if your having breathing difficulty and have been diagnosed with (COPD), ask, could it be (PH)Pulmonary Hypertension ? This is a debilitating and deadly disease. The sooner you have a correct diagnosis, the better chance you have to beat it. As I said earlier, ("Shortness of Breath Sucks"!) (It also Kill`s !) If you have been Diagnosed with PAH you might find the following link interesting ?Do not try to absorb too much about this disease, without consulting your Dr. (It fool`s them, it will fool you.)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091217122531.htm