Kimberly's Guestbook

Kimberly Eisenhut  Yes, Her name is Dr Rigolin. She is very thorough and when I get my echos, she measures herself and goes over everything with tests herself and does not just rely on the techs who read the tests. She also never rushes you during appointments and takes her time to listen to any concerns. Let me know who Dr Hodges recommends to you. Thank you

  Kimberly I read Dr. Rigoin’s profile and she looks just perfect to me!! Will be seeking to transfer care to her prior to my surgery, contingent upon Dr. Hodge’s recommendations. 
❤️❤️❤️

Kimberly Eisenhut  Oh Richard! I so did need this and so appreciate you! Was in ER Tuesday night until yesterday about noon. Took them 4 hours to get me in the actual ER area. I am o.k., n=but had another insidant with losing some vision in my right eye. Cardiologist told me to go to ER if I was at all worried about it and as I absolutely despise ERs, I never go unless there is no other choice. Did an MRI, looked ok, a ct scan of carotids, that was ok, and lots od bloodwork, all pretty good. Came home and FINALLY got my CPAP machine today after so much trouble these past few weeks getting it, guess the ER visit speeded things up a bit! Also have a stress echo early in the morning. Cardiologist just wants to check things out. I was scheduled to go mext month anyway. I guess the ER visit got the insurance to ok that earlier too. I am very grateful I have my family and friends here and especially my HVS step dad! My daughter from WI came at 2 in the morning to be with me at the hospital as well as my son, mother and sister. It was like a family reunion in the ER that night, but not the fun kind. I am happy to say we did have a little fun today, since my daughter stayed the night and went to do a little fun shopping before picking up my cpap equipment. Now she wants me to video call her when I am wearing the cpap. I know she just wants to laugh at me, lol! Oh, forgot to add after the hospital, my opthamologist wanted me to come straight to see him yesterday right from hospital and he did a bunch of tests there also and said i need laser surgery to put a small hole so that fluid drains better. I cannot explain it exactly, as I am sleep deprived today, but I think its called a selective laser trabeculoplasty. They do one eye at a time and it helps slow glaucoma. That will be in a few weeks. I will be doing some research of course before going for that though. My hope is that the cpap will help slow or reverse some of my eye problems as well, as apnea and the low oxygen levels that go along with it can actually cause glaucoma from what I understand. Well, that was quite the post!!! Sorry for my ramblings. 

  Good morning Kimberly. Catching up on some posts since I am new to this site. So happy to see you received your CPAP and had your stress test completed. Also happy to see that your eye issues are being identified and addressed. You are certainly dealing with a lot!!

Noting your reference to eye issues, finding we have more in common. I had botched cataract surgeries in both eyes about 6 years ago. I have gone through numerous detachments and surgeries to correct, laser and under general anesthesia. 

I was legally blind in both eyes until finally major issues were fixed about 2 years ago thanks to awesome doctors, again in the Chicago area. Botched surgeries were in South Carolina. 

Long story short (I can be very wordy!), I am allergic to all steroid eyedrops that were used for years, and I now receive monthly eye injections to reduce ongoing edema in both eyes. 

After I had my 3 stents “installed” my vision improved! My eye doc told me my upcoming valve replacement should also improve my vision. 

So much can be all about fluid buildup and inflammation system wide. 

Please continue to keep us posted and stay encouraged and positive despite it all. ❤️❤️❤️

Richard Munson  Showed a lot of leg here, but note the cushioning around the knee cap. There are also stiff pieces running down each side of leg for stability. I can find my order on amazon and provide more data if you are interested further. They make different colors and sizes. I now have 3 pair.

Richard Munson  You don’t say things like that to your hvs step dad. I have always been a leg man. Is that politically incorrect? 

Kimberly Eisenhut  Richard, yes, I would love to know the knee brace you use. I have several, but they do not make my knee feel stable when it is flaring up. It is snowing here and wind gusts up to 40mph, so its time to get on the treadmill for me. How do you get Shadow warn out when the weather is bad and you cannot walk him? Throw the ball a hundred times in the house? Or do you have a fenced yard he can run in? I miss my fenced yard! Thank you in advance for the information about the brace. Hope you, Nancy and Shadow have a wonderful day and Thanksgiving

Richard Munson  I will take a pix of the brace i use and post it. Bought it on amazon. Please keep the snow. I don’t want it. Shadow has a fenced in yard to run in but missing a days walk here and there is no biggie. 

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you Richard, I will ! I am so grateful for everyone here. I put up my tree early this year and my son is going to help hang the outdoor lights this weekend :) So much love and blessings to you Richard, Deena, Rose and Pamela, as well as all of our HVS family

Kimberly Eisenhut  Richard, I am so so sorry for your daughter having to go through so much :( My eye looks pretty crazy today! I was told it could have been from sleep apnea, which most of us have at least a few every night. Dr told me that at the end of an apnea episode your bp can spike and that can cause it, but almost 50% of cases of this have no known cause, so just lucky eye guess, haha. Freaked out my son this morning again because the blood has spread down and taking up more of the white of my eye. No pain at all, it just has to reabsorb the blood and heal, just like a bruise. Only reason it looks so horrible is because our eyes have such a thin layer protecting them, so when that little vein bursts, it looks a lot worse than a bruise anywhere else on our bodies that are covered with so many layers of skin. Cpap would stink, but if it would help with sleep, may be worth the hassle. We will see. I am so grateful to have you as my friend here Richard. Thank you for the clarification on your daughter and I will consider that drink. Wish you, Nancy and Shadow a peaceful weekend

Kimberly Eisenhut  Suzette, Yes, it sure was and still hard to look in the mirror. I updated in Richards post about my apt today. It will get better on its own I guess. Thank you for the message, I appreciate the thought :) Hope you are doing well

Susan Lynn  Kim - Sorry to hear about your eye. Hopefully, you'll find out the cause so you can prevent any future issues. Be well!

Kimberly Eisenhut  Susan Lynn,
Well, Eye Dr said they dont really know what caused it, unless maybe I rubbed it while sleaping. I guess this can happen without any obvious reason also. He also said it could have to do with sleep apnea, as during an apnea episode, your bp can spike suddenly at the end of it. which can cause this. I will be going back in two months, as I also have beginnings of glaucoma. My teenage son and I are kind of trying to just laugh about my eye, as it does look pretty freaky! Would have been great for Halloween, LOL. I have now seen too many picts online of the same thing. I did not even know it was a thing! Thank you for caring :)
Hope all is well with you and your family

Kimberly Eisenhut  Pamela, Ive been having a difficult few days, and your message just helped me also, more than you could know! :)
I am so glad you recieved it

Kimberly Eisenhut  Richard, sorry Shadow is having some difficulty with his class. I am sure he will do great next year. teenagers can be "banana" heads

Richard Munson  A voice from another arthritic knee sufferer. The bone on bone man has been advised by my knee surgeon for years to replace it or them after multiple cartilage removal  surgeries. I have fought it and now i am 82. I still feel concerned about the results. Many friends have had knee replacements and there are success stories for sure but there are also a few instances of feeling worse than before. Not to mention the extensive rehab. My doctor was pretty blunt when he said hips are easier than knees. Less moving parts. Just this week i saw a fellow dog walker who had his left knee done. He said it was finally getting better but now they want to do his right knee and he said no. A dilemma for sure.

Marie Myers  If your mitral regurg is severe, the decision may be made by your cardiologist. An orthopedic surgery will generally require a cardiac clearance in order to proceed with the surgery. If your cardiologist agrees that it is safe to proceed, you can have the surgery. But if he doesnt think it is safe to proceed, he may deny medical clearance. 

Kimberly Eisenhut  Anna,
I have not had my knee replacement yet. I am not really in pain right now, but do have a hard time walking any distance more than a mile and I walk much slower than I used to because of it. I have to have metal patch testing done first also, as I am allergic to many metals and insurance will not o.k. using titanium unless I have proof of my allergy. I can not get in for it until Feb of next year! Guess I have no choice but to wait. My mother has had both knees replaced and did amazing after the first couple of months of PT and pain. I will say though, it took a good 6 months to a year for her to feel 100%.  I call her the "bionic women"! She is 79 and is able to work part time at Home Goods and loves it :)

Anna Rakowicz  I know unfortunately people do poorly after knee replacement. My neighbor is one with regrets, but my brother in law had one early this year and was back to golfing by spring, everyone is different. Cardiologist will be doing one more echocardiogram just to be sure then I should have clearance to proceed.

Kimberly Eisenhut  Thank you for the info Richard. I have several braces but have not seen one with a cold pack. I have had knee problems since I was 10 years old. First dislocation at 10 which was terrifying because I did not know what it was and terrible experience laying at hospital with my parents for hours waiting for them to put it back in place. Every time after that, about 7 more times in 25 years I put it back myself or with help from a family member, once from a young teenager teaching swim leaaons to my then 4 year old son! Poor girl was beside herself, but I assured her it would be fine and she helped me. Have not had a dislocation in about 20 years, but now the osteoarthritis has kicked in. My poor knee caps