Why unconventional symptom relief has helped me

This column describes the author’s own experiences with some prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. When I was in college, I always had a Ricola cough drop on hand. They littered my…

Hitting frustrating roadblocks when my symptoms are dismissed

Throughout my 18-year journey with pulmonary hypertension (PH), I’ve unfortunately had many experiences where doctors have brushed off my symptoms. I was once admitted to an intensive care unit where healthcare providers dismissed my hyponatremia, or low sodium levels, assuming it was simply a side effect…

Vasopressin Found to Ease PH Symptoms in Newborns: Case Series

The use of the hormone vasopressin successfully stabilized symptoms associated with pulmonary hypertension (PH) in newborns, and avoided the need for more invasive treatment approaches in some infants, according to data from 10 cases. “Although our findings are exploratory and further research is needed to establish safety and efficacy,…

Never Stop Being Your Best Advocate With PH

Patient advocacy is a broad term covering many topics, and the concept leaves many confused. Those of us in the pulmonary hypertension (PH) community must educate ourselves about it. In this column, I primarily refer to self-advocacy and briefly touch on systems advocacy. To me, self-advocacy means making my…

10 Lessons PH Has Taught Me in the Past 17 Years

I’ll never forget the day I knew something was wrong with my body. It was sending me warnings. The symptoms included increased shortness of breath from minor activities like talking, presyncope, which is the sensation of nearly fainting, heart palpitations, and swelling in my abdomen and lower extremities. I…

Thyroid Disease Played a Prominent Role in My PH Journey

In 19 years of living with pulmonary hypertension (PH), the period of greatest illness I experienced was during my sophomore year in college. It was the only time in college that I was unable to live independently on campus and had to commute from my parents’ home nearby. About four…