Cameron's Posts

I am 14 months post OHS for mitral valve repair. I have experienced an odd autoimmune condition developing recurrent pericarditis. It is so painful. After my third occurrence in March I saw a rheumatologist. She had me on a tapering increased dose of methotrexate. I was able to go down to one colchicine but at my last increase I started having some odd side affects like dizziness and nausea so we doubled my folic acid. (Methotrexate is a low dose chemotherapy used for inflammation conditions but it depletes your folate). I finally reached a high enough dose to stop the colchicine 1.5 weeks ago. Over the weekend I started experiencing the exact pain and difficulty breathing so it is another reoccurance of pericarditis. I had to resume my two colchicine and see my doctor tomorrow to discuss a new drug regime. This is so so discouraging. I also don't want it to continue to escalate because that requires an ER visit. Thanks for being a listening community. Sharing makes it feel a little less overwhelming.