Please advise...pulse oxi 80's, cp, sob, noctural dyspnea or sleep apnea?, cardiac or pulm edema? Dx w/anxiety

My life is on the line right now w/Kaiser Permanente in Fremont & Hayward.This is a med. error. on 3/15/07 they gave mw/vast amts IV contrast dye mult. times & I drank 450ml barium prior to Pelvic CT Scan w/contrast for my Meralgia Paresthetica b/c Neuro. denied Pelvic MRI. I have been going down his since then, sob, cp, renal insuff, fever off/on, lungs burn (pepcid not relieve), doesn't seem like GERD, noctural dyspnea or sleep apnea just started x 3 days ago. I am worried that I may have pulm edema, cerebral edeam or cardiac prob. I also believer I had a TIA a few days ago, b/c I was laying down and all of the sudden pressure in my head and a rush of blood flow feeling, then I was speechless to ask my husband to call 911. Been into mult ER even outside of Kaiser & just dx w/anxiety/GERD send hm take Ativan and relax.I even lost over 14 lbs since 3/15 toxins must of sucked calcium out of bones. I need to be in a sleep study, refer. denied to Pulm fr. Kaiser. & outside ref Pulm/Car

I am pretty sure puncturelumbar is right. I work in a state mental health institution as a nurse. Sounds very familiar. Please get yourself some help, ie. therapy.

Some of u need to ck your self into Psy institution, b/c I had abnormal EKG, no pulm edema app. cxr clear, HTN finally given rx by Cardio @ Kaiser, but declining echo. Ill toddler w/dx this wk/w/peribrochial cuffing edema/pneu/astham exercerbation & f/t student. My health is on the line not yours. Report It

Has your doctor done any blood cultures to see if you possibly could have bacteria in the blood (septicemia)? You may have an infection.

I honestly think that you need to see a Psychiatrist and would ask your primary care doctor to refer you.

You have an abnormally large number of worries, far outside the number that most people have. The fact that you have seen multiple doctors and ALL of them believe that you are suffering from anxiety speaks to this as well. Either ALL of them are wrong (I can believe one, or even two doctors being wrong, but the odds go down on them all being wrong the more doctors you see) or you really ARE suffering from anxiety.

It sounds like you have had multiple tests and multiple visits and not a lot has been found. Some of your suppositions are bizarre - "toxins must of sucked calcium out of bones", and mixed with the medical terminology you are throwing around I think you've probably wandered into too many medical textbooks without enough guidance.

Let's look at it this way - you have been seen multiple times by multiple doctors this year. Multiple tests have been done and probably very little has been found "wrong" with you. I'm sure a test or two has come back slightly abnormal, as it would in anyone. Your symptoms probably stem from an unresolved emotional issue, and continuing to see doctors to get the next test, the next procedure, and the next thing done to you to find out what "the problem" is isn't going to help you. True relief is only going to come when you figure out and deal with what is bothering you emotionally.

Look up "Somatoform Disorder" and read it as objectively as you can. I'm willing to bet you'll see your own behaviors there. Help will not be found in the bowels of an MRI machine.

wow. Too many problems/issues going on. You could be indeed overly anxious at this point. But I think you need your questions answered by an MD and don't accuse the system of making an error until you understand the answers. You have some medical knowledge, or at least you use alot of medical terms, but your understanding of them seems off. For example, the dye used to get accurate pictures during a CT scan should not be referred to as a toxin, Pepcid is not used for lung burning for it is a stomach acid type drug, and you don't lose weight because calcium has been sucked out of your bones....

Judging from the questions you ask, I think you're a hypochondriac.

Kaiser can be difficult sometimes, that is true. They will not order a lot of tests or consults.

You do sound anxious, but that does not mean that there is nothing going on. If you want to get taken more seriously, the next time you go to the ER, here is some advice. Do not throw around medical terminology. Speak in regular English (such as the description of the episode a few days ago, minus the reference to TIA). Do not suggest diagnoses. Do not ask for specific tests or medications. Do not blame doctors or nurses for previous medical errors. These are good general rules for not alienating doctors.

Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon.

Pulse oximeter readings in the 80's are too low, you have to be short of breath at that level, and shortness of breath will bring on anxiety REAL quick. Are you on oxygen, at least at night? Another way to increase pulse ox is called Pursed Lip Breathing. Exhale slowly, with lips pursed like you are cooling off soup- make exhale last twice as long as inhale (count the seconds). GERD can cause some unexpected symptoms, too, like a brutal headache, chest pain and jaw ache. If you are smoking, you will not feel better until you stop.

It would probably be best to start by asking for help with the low pulse ox percentage. It should be in the 90's. You can't think straight if you are gasping for breath.

It sounds to me like you have some Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension going on. Get in to see a Cardiologist or a Pulmonary Specialist. So many primary care physicians just aren't aware of Pulmonary Hypertension. If you get lucky you might find a physician that knows something about this highly specialized field, but that doesn't happen very often. You 02 level being in the 80's is enough to make me think you have more going on than anxiety. Get to a specialist, especially if you have insurance.