u/donkeyWoof

I am 59 year old male and have been a triathlete/endurance athlete and a tennis player. I had open heart surgery in July 2025. Since then I have been on metoprolol succinate 25 mg daily. I am trying to get back into running/cycling/tennis but noted that my HR is damped which I understand what the beta blockers do. Therefore I would like to get off it…my cardiologist says it’s fine from their standpoint. My EF is ~60% and everything with the heart seems to be normal. I am not trying to race or anything…but just would like to be able to do these activities to be healthy.

My RHR prior to surgery was in the 80s… with metoprolol, it’s in the low 70s. I tried to taper and quit metoprolol a few times but a couple of days after quitting my RHR is in the low 90s and I feel anxious and have palpitations. I was wondering - if I decide to stay off metoprolol and bear the symptoms, will the palpitations and anxious feeling eventually go away? Has anyone had this happen to them? If so, how long did it take to feel “normal”?

The second question I have is if there are replacements for metoprolol that might work better for me? I was reading about nebivolol…supposedly, it works better for people trying to exercise…I did some search on Reddit and noted some anecdotes saying such.

Any feedback would be highly appreciated…TIA!

We have a century house with beams sticking out of the ceiling. We are redesigning that space and would like a structural design and build company to provide some options to get rid of those beams and do the modifications.

Looking for smaller reputable contractors that fit the bill.

I have been suffering from hypogonadism for the past 25 years and iron deficiency anemia for the last 3 years. In the latter half of June 2026, I received 3 iron infusions. Starting late July 2026, I began to get muscle pain, mainly in my biceps and triceps. It felt like I lifted a lot of weights (which I did not do). The pain is really bad especially when I extend my arms to pull something. There is nothing I have done exercise-wise that can cause this pain.

I had the same pain in late January 2025. This was about a month after I received iron infusions (in December 2024). I spoke to my PCP and they had me do all kinds of testing for gout, inflammation, arthritis, etc. but everything was negative. Eventually the pain went away after several months.

I looked at my bloodwork (CBC, CMP, ferritin, Total Testosterone, Estradiol) and in both situations (in 2025 and 2026), my RBC counts were really high.

Because I am hypogonad, I have to apply exogenous testosterone gel. I have been on the gel for 25+ years. The gel also causes an increase in RBC and reduction in ferritin but I have never had such pain when I did not have to deal with anemia.

I am thinking this pain is due to RBC counts due to the iron infusions but wanted to check if anyone else has had such experiences? If so, have you found a way to rapidly ameliorate the symptoms?

I have a history of heart conditions and cancer. I am well covered from a specialist standpoint (oncologist, electrophysiologist, cardiology, etc.). However, given my stellar medical history I need to look for a new doctor that can be a “primary” care doctor, someone more than responsible for the yearly checks and has the resolve to resolve (sorry - no pun unintended) complex issues the patient is having. Ideally, this would be someone who is not just starting off, but has been working for a significant amount of time and has experience with patients with serious illnesses.

If anyone is aware of anyone that can be helpful to me who works in St Pete (Bayfront, St Anthony’s, Suncoast, etc.) or anywhere in Tampa Bay, I would be much obliged if you could pass on a name. Thank you in advance.

Celebrating my 1 year anniversary of OHS…however, the pleural effusion just won’t stop. After my surgery in July 2025, I had to undergo weekly taps to drain pleural fluid (right side)…in May 2026, the doctors finally implanted a PleurX catheter and I have been draining every day. The volume is anywhere in between 60 - 150 ml. Not sure if anyone has experienced such a scenario. Any experience with pleurodesis? The docs say it will get better but this is really getting too much. The fluid is generally looks like beer…no smell…no pain.

Physically, I am very active - walking 5 miles 4 - 5 times per week, cycling 15 miles 1/week, strength training/weight lifting 3 - 5 times per week. I feel healthy…the fluid was sent for testing but was unremarkable. The CT scans and X-rays look good. EF is close to 60%. However, due to all this stuff and a job loss, I sleep extremely poorly.

I am on the following meds: Metoprolol, Jardiance, Aspirin 81, Rosuvastatin, Colchicine, Entresto, Synthroid. I tried to take Lasix to see if it makes a difference in drainage volumes - the answer is NO.

I tried every size and width close to 9 2E but none were comfortable. Last week Red Wing finally had the Blacksmith Copper in size 9 2E width in stock and I jumped on them…paid full price 😢! But fantastic shoes! I am glad I didn’t settle for something that was not meant for my foot.

One question - I see people saying it’s a nubuck leather but the card that was in the box says full grain leather. I understand that they’re not the same. I’m wondering if it’s possible that Red Wing changed the kind of leather they use on Blacksmiths from nubuck to full grain?

Also, what should I do (conditioner etc) before I start wearing them to get a great patina?

TIA!

PS: why can’t I attach a photo?

I am in FL and applied for SSDI in October 2025…used a local lawyer that was recommended. It’s been utterly impossible to get any kind of update from the lawyer about my case. I tried calling the toll free SSA number and also signed in to my SSA account to see if that provided any update but that was a negative. I tried to see if I could get an appointment at the local SSA office but the website tells me that I don’t need an appointment and can simply call the toll free number!!

What the heck do I do? I would like to fire the lawyer but am not sure if I will run into similar issues with the new lawyer. Plus if my current lawyer has made any advancement I don’t want to miss out on that. Does anyone know how I could get any kind of status update on my application?

I have been prescribed Entresto 24-26 for high blood pressure. However, this dose is too much for me. My blood pressure falls into 70s 50s. I noted that there is a formulation called Entresto Sprinkle with lower strengths. Has anyone who is an adult used this?

Does Red Wing still make Blacksmiths in Copper in size 9 wide? I have been checking their website for months but they are never available. I went to the store and they measured my foot using the electronic pad and I need a 9E.

It’s been about 10 months since my OHS. They replaced 2 heart valves, repaired 1, did 1 CABG and cleaned up some radiation damage (from radiation received a long time ago). I am still having pleural effusions…I was draining about 300 ml every day. I am taking baby aspirin, colchicine 0.6 mg, Lasix 40 mg. We started a blood pressure pill (lisinopril) about 3 weeks ago that reduced the volume of fluid somewhat - now I am draining 100 - 175 ml every day.

My EF is almost 60%. All bloodwork is normal.

I exercise every day - 4 to 5 mile walks every day, light strength training a couple of days a week. Eat healthy - mostly vegetarian but sometimes chicken and fish. I do drink wine or beer - 2 - 3 glasses every night.

Getting a little frustrated…has anyone gone through such a thing before? I was told that I need to heal more and that the inflammation is causing the fluid buildup. Is there anything other than colchicine I can take? Can I take a stronger dose of colchicine? Doctors say it will stop eventually. But I need it to stop sooner rather than later.

Could wine be the problem? I am considering quitting alcohol completely to see if that makes a difference.

I am going to ask all this to the docs in 3 weeks time but just thought I’d get some feedback on experiences from this community.

TIA!

I am applying AndroGel 1.62% for my hypogonadism. My doctor asked me to do bloodwork three hours after applying the gel.

I checked my total T two weeks ago when I was applying 4 pumps/day and the total T was 1091. I had applied the gel at 8 AM and tested at 11:30 AM.

So I reduced my dose by half i.e. I was applying two pumps of gel for the last two weeks and tested yesterday again. My totsl T was 1743!!

I am going to talk to the doctor but wanted to check if anyone has seen anything like this before.