You'll Never Take Me Alive
Saturday I woke up with chest pains, again, a reprise of something that had been randomly going on for over a week. This time it really hurt. Maybe it's not indigestion or asthma!? All week, I'd been gobbling aspirin, tums, eating little, drinking pedialyte and nibbling bananas thinking perhaps I was dehydrated or had low potassium. I check my peak flow find that the asthma is pretty much as it always is. My pulse is fast (of course, now that I've scared myself) but it also is skipping beats and rattling around. Whaaat? Then I think "If I die from a heart attack, they won't let me in the pearly gates for being stupid." So I called my son Dave.
Dave says he is coming after me and to call 911 if anything gets worse. Yup, I was going to drive myself, just what your NOT supposed to do. Then it went through my mind that I'd be embarassed for the neighbors to see me getting carted off in the Medic van, and does that get paid for by my insurance? Where did my common sense go? So I took two aspirin and found a book to take with me. I unlock the door and sit at my computer to distract myself and what comes up? A cartoon of a guy peeping out his mail slot at the grim reaper. He says "You'll never take me alive," and the reaper replies, "OK." Now I'm laughing, how cosmic is that? We are our own worst enemies.
David dropped me off at the ER and went to park the car and I checked in. I got scooted right in and wired up. I wanna go home. Dave comes in and entertains me and the whole ER staff while I'm getting EKG's, nitro glycerin, giving blood samples, and having a chest x-ray. He can be very funny. I have not had a heart attack; I am not having a heart attack! YEA! I may have GERD (Gastric Reflux) and, my blood pressure is low, my temp is 3 degrees below normal, and I have a persistant arrythmia. They hook me up to a heart monitor and check me in for a night of observation. My son Chris comes in and spends the evening with me until I go to bed, well, go to sleep, I am stuck in bed. The MD says my heart looks healthy but they don't know what the arrythmia is. The end result is I am now home on a beta blocker and Prilosec and have to go back to the doctor next week. I also have a bottle of nitro glycerin for pain with instructions to come back if three tries with the nitro doesn't stop it. Actually, not come back, call 911. No driving myself or waiting around.
Here's the warning signs for heart attack, stroke, or cardiac arrest. Call 911, do not pass go, do not collect $200 and don't drive yourself. You may, like myself be lucky, attack free, but the most frequent symptom of heart attack is not pain, it's death. So be grateful if you get some warning and hustle up some help.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Conditions_UCM_305346_SubHomePage.jsp
I am grateful that it turned out this well. I hope this isn't permanent, and I hope I find out exactly what it is. Excepting occasional emergencies, I've lived well with lifelong asthma, this last year I learned to live with Type II diabetes and have gotten down to half the meds for that and lost about 25 pounds. I may have to learn to live with something else but now I've had some practice. Meanwhile I am so grateful for my children, my two sons and my beautiful daughter-in-law. What is truly beautiful about them all is their hearts and their caring. Love you bunches kiddies.
Dave says he is coming after me and to call 911 if anything gets worse. Yup, I was going to drive myself, just what your NOT supposed to do. Then it went through my mind that I'd be embarassed for the neighbors to see me getting carted off in the Medic van, and does that get paid for by my insurance? Where did my common sense go? So I took two aspirin and found a book to take with me. I unlock the door and sit at my computer to distract myself and what comes up? A cartoon of a guy peeping out his mail slot at the grim reaper. He says "You'll never take me alive," and the reaper replies, "OK." Now I'm laughing, how cosmic is that? We are our own worst enemies.
David dropped me off at the ER and went to park the car and I checked in. I got scooted right in and wired up. I wanna go home. Dave comes in and entertains me and the whole ER staff while I'm getting EKG's, nitro glycerin, giving blood samples, and having a chest x-ray. He can be very funny. I have not had a heart attack; I am not having a heart attack! YEA! I may have GERD (Gastric Reflux) and, my blood pressure is low, my temp is 3 degrees below normal, and I have a persistant arrythmia. They hook me up to a heart monitor and check me in for a night of observation. My son Chris comes in and spends the evening with me until I go to bed, well, go to sleep, I am stuck in bed. The MD says my heart looks healthy but they don't know what the arrythmia is. The end result is I am now home on a beta blocker and Prilosec and have to go back to the doctor next week. I also have a bottle of nitro glycerin for pain with instructions to come back if three tries with the nitro doesn't stop it. Actually, not come back, call 911. No driving myself or waiting around.
Here's the warning signs for heart attack, stroke, or cardiac arrest. Call 911, do not pass go, do not collect $200 and don't drive yourself. You may, like myself be lucky, attack free, but the most frequent symptom of heart attack is not pain, it's death. So be grateful if you get some warning and hustle up some help.
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/Conditions_UCM_305346_SubHomePage.jsp
I am grateful that it turned out this well. I hope this isn't permanent, and I hope I find out exactly what it is. Excepting occasional emergencies, I've lived well with lifelong asthma, this last year I learned to live with Type II diabetes and have gotten down to half the meds for that and lost about 25 pounds. I may have to learn to live with something else but now I've had some practice. Meanwhile I am so grateful for my children, my two sons and my beautiful daughter-in-law. What is truly beautiful about them all is their hearts and their caring. Love you bunches kiddies.
Labels: cronic disease, health care, heart
posted by Celia | November 08, 2010
10 Comments:
I'm wondering if there was a bit of a panic attack in there. I had that one time and it scared me to death. Of course, I'm sure the doctors would have thought of that. Hang on, Celia and don't go anywhere.
Whew! That IS scary. I am glad it didn't turn out to be more serious, but now you'll always be wondering. I hope the beta blockers help. I am on beta blockers (but for migraine retardation).
I hate indigestion and heart burn. Good luck.
thoughtful and useful post! Thanks for your nice comments and take good care of yourself!
Marcia - I did have panic attacks years ago, when my first husband was recovering from a heart attack. I'd forgotten about that. Big time chest pains.
Peruby - they told me that beta blockers also block stress receptors, and stressed I am.
I was told there was no reason not to exercise so this afternoon I am going back down to the 24 hour gym here and reupping. Seems like that ought to help a lot.
Boy, you had me scared there. Glad you are home. I'm glad too that I got hauled off to the Er, but remember that I drove myself. LOL
Hugs, and keep us posted.
Glad to know you are heading for the gym. Please keep us updated. We care.
Gas can do some really weird things but good you got it checked out. The older we get, the more we have to not take symptoms for granted.
Rain - no kidding about gas, one of the things you can do is drink some pop and try burping, often that ends the speculation right there. And, as a habitual gum chewer, I was told you swallow air when chewing and can give yourself chest pains that way too.
girl, i am glad you are ok! this getting older is just not the fun we were told it would be!
remember I am right around the corner, but unlike the ambulances i do not come equipped with medical knowledge or life-saving accouterments; but if push comes to shove i can drive fast. hoping all will be well.
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