Is Sciofa Firinne Ar An Balla - Tia Update - the End of the Day of Horror

We don't know what happens next, what's going to be done, what really happened or if she can recover yet.
We don't know a damn thing - it is way too early for that kind of prediction.

So that's the news. The rest of this is medical information for those who want to understand all the various problems and procedures I've discussed above. More news what I have it. Good night. Jet

Ok, let me slow down a bit an explain all those medical terms for those of you who either need a refresher or don't know them - it's ok, most people in the hospital have no idea what the specialists are saying when they explain whats wrong with their loved ones - remember, if you were to discuss your job specialty in detail, it's a good chance that someone who wasn't in the same field would have no idea what YOU were talking about - that's why I explain it. Not only did I major in psych and get my EMT certs, I've had over two months of daily immersion in this, so sometimes I rattle things off without remembering that they are NOT common knowledge. Let me fix that:

WHAT IS A SYSTEMIC INFECTION?

Systemic infection is a generic term for infection caused by microorganisms in animals or plants, where the causal agent has spread actively or passively in the host's anatomy and is disseminated throughout several organs in different systems of the host. In the case of animals, throughout organs in the digestive, respiratory, and other systems, especially the circulatory system; in plants, throughout the xylem and/or phloem vessels, and into organs like leaves, stems, roots, fruits, et cetera.
Systemic infections are also called disseminated infections, and they can be caused by bacteria and bacteria-like prokaryotes, fungi, protozoa in the broad sense, and viruses.

Synonym(s)

blood poisoning
sepsis
septicemia

Definition(s) of systemic infection:

The presence of pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins in tissues or in the blood. Systemic disease caused by the spread of the microorganisms via the circulating blood is commonly called SEPTICEMIA.
(From Stedman, 25th ed)
Definition from: Unified Medical Language System at the National Library of Medicine

Invasion of the bloodstream by virulent microorganisms (as bacteria, viruses, or fungi) from a focus of infection that is accompanied by acute systemic illness -- called also blood poisoning.
Definition from: Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary by Merriam-Webster Inc.

WHAT IS AN EEG?

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a test that measures and records the electrical activity of your brain. Special sensors (electrodes) are attached to your head and hooked by wires to a computer. The computer records your brain's electrical activity on the screen or on paper as wavy lines. Certain conditions, such as seizures, can be seen by the changes in the normal pattern of the brain's electrical activity.
Why It Is Done
An electroencephalogram (EEG) may be done to:

*
Diagnose epilepsy and see what type of seizures are occurring. EEG is the most useful and important test in confirming a diagnosis of epilepsy.
*
Check for problems with loss of consciousness or dementia.
*
Help find out a person's chance of recovery after a change in consciousness.
*
Find out if a person who is in a coma is brain-dead.
*
Study sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy.
*
Watch brain activity while a person is receiving general anesthesia during brain surgery.
*
Help find out if a person has a physical problem (problems in the brain, spinal cord, or nervous system) or a mental health problem.

WHAT IS AN EKG?

What is it?
An electrocardiogram — abbreviated as EKG or ECG — is a test that measures the electrical activity of the heartbeat. With each beat, an electrical impulse (or “wave”) travels through the heart. This wave causes the muscle to squeeze and pump blood from the heart. A normal heartbeat on ECG will show the timing of the top and lower chambers.

The right and left atria or upper chambers make the first wave called a “P wave" — following a flat line when the electrical impulse goes to the bottom chambers. The right and left bottom chambers or ventricles make the next wave called a “QRS complex." The final wave or “T wave” represents electrical recovery or return to a resting state for the ventricles.

Why is it done?
An ECG gives two major kinds of information. First, by measuring time intervals on the ECG, a doctor can determine how long the electrical wave takes to pass through the heart. Finding out how long a wave takes to travel from one part of the heart to the next shows if the electrical activity is normal or slow, fast or irregular. Second, by measuring the amount of electrical activity passing through the heart muscle, a cardiologist may be able to find out if parts of the heart are too large or are overworked.

WHAT IS A CATH LAB?

Cath Lab (catheterization laboratory ):

A catheterization laboratory or cath lab is an examination room in a hospital or clinic with diagnostic imaging equipment used to support the catheterization procedure. A catheter is inserted into a large artery, and various wires and devices can be inserted through the body via the catheter which is inside the artery. The artery most used is the femoral artery.However, the femoral artery is associated with local complication in up to 3% of patients and hence, more interventional physicians are moving towards the radial (wrist) artery, as an alternative site. Disadvantages of the radial artery include small vessel caliber and a different "learning curve" for physicians used to the femoral (groin) access.
Most catheterization laboratories are "single plane" facilities, those that have a single X-ray generator source and an image intensifier. Older cath labs used cine film to record the information obtained, but since 2000, most new facilities are digital. The latest digital cath labs are biplane (have two X-ray sources) and digital, flat panel labs. Biplane labs achieve two separate planes of view with the same injection and thus save time and limit contrast dye, limiting kidney damage in susceptible patients.

Cardiac catheterization (heart cath) is the insertion of a catheter into a chamber or vessel of the heart. This is done for both investigational and interventional purposes. Coronary catheterization is a subset of this technique, involving the catheterization of the coronary arteries.
A small puncture is made in a vessel in the groin, the inner bend of the elbow, or neck area (the femoral vessels or the carotid/jugular vessels), then a guidewire is inserted into the incision and threaded through the vessel into the area of the heart that requires treatment, visualized by fluoroscopy or echocardiogram, and a catheter is then threaded over the guidewire. If X-ray fluoroscopy is used, a radiocontrast agent will be administered to the patient during the procedure. When the necessary procedures are complete, the catheter is removed. Firm pressure is applied to the site to prevent bleeding. This may be done by hand or with a mechanical device. Other closure techniques include an internal suture. If the femoral artery was used, the patient will probably be asked to lie flat for several hours to prevent bleeding or the development of a hematoma. Cardiac interventions such as the insertion of a stent prolong both the procedure itself as well as the post-catheterization time spent in allowing the wound to clot.
A cardiac catheterization is a general term for a group of procedures that are performed using this method, such as coronary angiography, as well as left ventrical angiography. Once the catheter is in place, it can be used to perform a number of procedures including angioplasty, angiography, and balloon septostomy.

Why would they do this?

Indications for investigational use - this technique has several goals:

*
confirm the presence of a suspected heart ailment
*
quantify the severity of the disease and its effect on the heart
*
seek out the cause of a symptom such as shortness of breath or signs of cardiac insufficiency
*
make a patient assessment prior to heart surgery

Investigative techniques used with cardiac catheterization:
A probe that is opaque to X-rays is inserted into the left or right chambers of the heart for the following reasons:

*
to measure intracardiac and intravascularblood pressures
*
to take tissue samples for biopsy
*
to inject various agents for measuring blood flow in the heart; also to detect and quantify the presence of an intracardiac shunt
*
to inject contrast agents in order to study the shape of the heart vessels and chambers and how they change as the heart beats

WHAT IS AN MI (myocardial infarction)?: It is another name for a HEART ATTACK

Ok, What is a heart attack?

A heart attack (also known as a myocardial infarction) is the death of heart muscle from the sudden blockage of a coronary artery by a blood clot. Coronary arteries are blood vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood and oxygen. Blockage of a coronary artery deprives the heart muscle of blood and oxygen, causing injury to the heart muscle. Injury to the heart muscle causes chest pain and chest pressure sensation. If blood flow is not restored to the heart muscle within 20 to 40 minutes, irreversible death of the heart muscle will begin to occur. Muscle continues to die for six to eight hours at which time the heart attack usually is "complete." The dead heart muscle is eventually replaced by scar tissue.

Approximately one million Americans suffer a heart attack each year. Four hundred thousand of them die as a result of their heart attack.
What causes a heart attack?

Atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is a gradual process by which plaques (collections) of cholesterol are deposited in the walls of arteries. Cholesterol plaques cause hardening of the arterial walls and narrowing of the inner channel (lumen) of the artery. Arteries that are narrowed by atherosclerosis cannot deliver enough blood to maintain normal function of the parts of the body they supply. For example, atherosclerosis of the arteries in the legs causes reduced blood flow to the legs. Reduced blood flow to the legs can lead to pain in the legs while walking or exercising, leg ulcers, or a delay in the healing of wounds to the legs. Atherosclerosis of the arteries that furnish blood to the brain can lead to vascular dementia (mental deterioration due to gradual death of brain tissue over many years) or stroke (sudden death of brain tissue).

In many people, atherosclerosis can remain silent (causing no symptoms or health problems) for years or decades. Atherosclerosis can begin as early as the teenage years, but symptoms or health problems usually do not arise until later in adulthood when the arterial narrowing becomes severe. Smoking cigarettes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and diabetes mellitus can accelerate atherosclerosis and lead to the earlier onset of symptoms and complications, particularly in those people who have a family history of early atherosclerosis.

Coronary atherosclerosis (or coronary artery disease) refers to the atherosclerosis that causes hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries. Diseases caused by the reduced blood supply to the heart muscle from coronary atherosclerosis are called coronary heart diseases (CHD). Coronary heart diseases include heart attacks, sudden unexpected death, chest pain (angina), abnormal heart rhythms, and heart failure due to weakening of the heart muscle.

Atherosclerosis and angina pectoris

Angina pectoris (also referred to as angina) is chest pain or pressure that occurs when the blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle cannot keep up with the needs of the muscle. When coronary arteries are narrowed by more than 50 to 70 percent, the arteries may not be able to increase the supply of blood to the heart muscle during exercise or other periods of high demand for oxygen. An insufficient supply of oxygen to the heart muscle causes angina. Angina that occurs with exercise or exertion is called exertional angina. In some patients, especially diabetics, the progressive decrease in blood flow to the heart may occur without any pain or with just shortness of breath or unusually early fatigue.

Exertional angina usually feels like a pressure, heaviness, squeezing, or aching across the chest. This pain may travel to the neck, jaw, arms, back, or even the teeth, and may be accompanied by shortness of breath, nausea, or a cold sweat. Exertional angina typically lasts from one to 15 minutes and is relieved by rest or by taking nitroglycerin by placing a tablet under the tongue. Both resting and nitroglycerin decrease the heart muscle's demand for oxygen, thus relieving angina. Exertional angina may be the first warning sign of advanced coronary artery disease. Chest pains that just last a few seconds rarely are due to coronary artery disease.

Angina also can occur at rest. Angina at rest more commonly indicates that a coronary artery has narrowed to such a critical degree that the heart is not receiving enough oxygen even at rest. Angina at rest infrequently may be due to spasm of a coronary artery (a condition called Prinzmetal's or variant angina). Unlike a heart attack, there is no permanent muscle damage with either exertional or rest angina.

Atherosclerosis and heart attack

Occasionally the surface of a cholesterol plaque in a coronary artery may rupture, and a blood clot forms on the surface of the plaque. The clot blocks the flow of blood through the artery and results in a heart attack (see picture below). The cause of rupture that leads to the formation of a clot is largely unknown, but contributing factors may include cigarette smoking or other nicotine exposure, elevated LDL cholesterol, elevated levels of blood catecholamines (adrenaline), high blood pressure, and other mechanical and biochemical forces.

Unlike exertional or rest angina, heart muscle dies during a heart attack and loss of the muscle is permanent, unless blood flow can be promptly restored, usually within one to six hours.

Heart Attack illustration - Myocardial Infarction

While heart attacks can occur at any time, more heart attacks occur between 4:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. because of the higher blood levels of adrenaline released from the adrenal glands during the morning hours. Increased adrenaline, as previously discussed, may contribute to rupture of cholesterol plaques.

Approximately 50% of patients who develop heart attacks have warning symptoms such as exertional angina or rest angina prior to their heart attacks, but these symptoms may be mild and discounted.

What are the symptoms of a heart attack?

Although chest pain or pressure is the most common symptom of a heart attack, heart attack victims may experience a variety of symptoms including:

* Pain, fullness, and/or squeezing sensation of the chest

* Jaw pain, toothache, headache

* Shortness of breath

* Nausea, vomiting, and/or general epigastric (upper middle abdomen) discomfort

* Sweating

* Heartburn and/or indigestion

* Arm pain (more commonly the left arm, but may be either arm)

* Upper back pain

* General malaise (vague feeling of illness)

* No symptoms (Approximately one quarter of all heart attacks are silent, without chest pain or new symptoms. Silent heart attacks are especially common among patients with diabetes mellitus.)

Even though the symptoms of a heart attack at times can be vague and mild, it is important to remember that heart attacks producing no symptoms or only mild symptoms can be just as serious and life-threatening as heart attacks that cause severe chest pain. Too often patients attribute heart attack symptoms to "indigestion," "fatigue," or "stress," and consequently delay seeking prompt medical attention. One cannot overemphasize the importance of seeking prompt medical attention in the presence of symptoms that suggest a heart attack. Early diagnosis and treatment saves lives, and delays in reaching medical assistance can be fatal. A delay in treatment can lead to permanently reduced function of the heart due to more extensive damage to the heart muscle. Death also may occur as a result of the sudden onset of arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation.

What are the symptoms of heart attack in women and how is heart attack diagnosed?

Women are more likely to encounter delays in establishing the diagnosis of heart attack than men. This is in part because women tend to seek medical care later than men, and in part because diagnosing heart attacks in women can sometimes be more difficult than diagnosing heart attacks in men. The reasons include:

1. Women are more likely than men to have atypical heart attack symptoms such as:

* neck and shoulder pain,

* abdominal pain,

* nausea,

* vomiting,

* fatigue, and

* shortness of breath.

1. Silent heart attacks (heart attacks with little or no symptoms) are more common among women than among men.

2. Women have a higher occurrence than men of chest pain that is not caused by heart disease, for example chest pain from spasm of the esophagus.

3. Women are less likely than men to have the typical findings on the ECG that are necessary to diagnose a heart attack quickly.

4. Women are more likely than men to have angina (chest pain due to lack of blood supply to the heart muscle) that is caused by spasm of the coronary arteries or caused by disease of the smallest blood vessels (microvasculature disease). Cardiac catheterization with coronary angiograms (x-ray studies of the coronary arteries that are considered the most reliable tests for CAD) will reveal normal coronary arteries and therefore cannot be used to diagnose either of these two conditions.

5. Women are more likely to have misleading, or "false positive" noninvasive tests for CAD then men.

Because of the atypical nature of symptoms and the occasional difficulties in diagnosing heart attacks in women, women are less likely to receive aggressive thrombolytic therapy or coronary angioplasty, and are more likely to receive it later than men. Women also are less likely to be admitted to a coronary care unit.

How is a heart attack diagnosed?

When there is severe chest pain, suspicion that a heart attack is occurring usually is high, and tests can be performed quickly that will confirm the heart attack. A problem arises, however, when the symptoms of a heart attack do not include chest pain. A heart attack may not be suspected, and the appropriate tests may not be performed. Therefore, the initial step in diagnosing a heart attack is to be suspicious that one has occurred.

Electrocardiogram. An electrocardiogram (ECG) is a recording of the electrical activity of the heart. Abnormalities in the electrical activity usually occur with heart attacks and can identify the areas of heart muscle that are deprived of oxygen and/or areas of muscle that have died. In a patient with typical symptoms of heart attack (such as crushing chest pain) and characteristic changes of heart attack on the ECG, a secure diagnosis of heart attack can be made quickly in the emergency room and treatment can be started immediately. If a patient's symptoms are vague or atypical and if there are pre-existing ECG abnormalities, for example, from old heart attacks or abnormal electrical patterns that make interpretation of the ECG difficult, the diagnosis of a heart attack may be less secure. In these patients, the diagnosis can be made only hours later through detection of elevated cardiac enzymes in the blood.

Blood tests. Cardiac enzymes are proteins that are released into the blood by dying heart muscles. These cardiac enzymes are creatine phosphokinase (CPK), special sub-fractions of CPK (specifically, the MB fraction of CPK), and troponin, and their levels can be measured in blood. These cardiac enzymes typically are elevated in the blood several hours after the onset of a heart attack. A series of blood tests for the enzymes performed over a 24-hour period are useful not only in confirming the diagnosis of heart attack, but the changes in their levels over time also correlates with the amount of heart muscle that has died.

The most important factor in diagnosing and treating a heart attack is prompt medical attention. Rapid evaluation allows early treatment of potentially life-threatening abnormal rhythms such as ventricular fibrillation and allows early reperfusion (return of blood flow to the heart muscle) by procedures that unclog the blocked coronary arteries. The more rapidly blood flow is reestablished, the more heart muscle that is saved.

If you want to read more about heart attacks, symptoms, treatments, diagnostics and preventions, I suggest you visit this site:
http://www.medicinenet.com/heart_attack/index.htm

17th-Oct-2008 09:32 pm (UTC)

jetshade

Give her a hug from me and a thank you.
Tell her to please keep praying because I truly believe that the only reason she has even survived all this is, simply, a miracle.
Any one of those strokes could have been fatal.
Most of them should have left her a vegetable or on life support. She was dead for TWELVE minutes. It is just incredible to me that anyone could survive this much, go through this much, and still be fighting to come back. There are no answers for this kind of survival against these odds, it's just incredible.
Well, damn, all I can say is that if the divine wanted my attention, it was a hell of a way to get it.

17th-Oct-2008 01:50 pm (UTC)

ghilledhu

How absolutely dreadful to have your feet kicked out from under you yet again...I know that feeling (for lesser things, of course, but the principle is the same), and I hate it.

Just hang on, and remember that Tia has recovered from every setback so far - even the ones they thought left no option but hospice care. I am still praying and sending healing vibes as hard as I can.

Hang on, and keep holding the moon. You are not alone.

17th-Oct-2008 03:52 pm (UTC)

taura_g

*HUGS* Sending good thoughts and prayers.

I sincerely hope that you were able to get some rest last night and I am glad to hear that you have help coming this weekend.

Hang in there.