phorsenuf
Not so New Rule author
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
I post this every year here to share my story. Some of you may be tired of seeing it but I get a couple PM's a year saying how my story prompted them to go to the ER and get checked when they normally would not have. If it can help at least one person then I'll share until my dying day.
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It was a Friday, just a regular day. I got my kids up for school and went along on my normal morning routine. One of the boys got picked up and the other was was lagging and missed his ride. He asked me if I would drive him in. I said yes and headed upstairs to get dressed.
As I got upstairs my back, between the shoulder blades, started to ache. Figured I'd somehow twisted my back going up the stairs. I tried to stretch it out but no luck and it kept getting worse. After maybe 10 minutes my arms started to ache but just down to the elbows. This started getting strong so I woke my other son up and asked him to come upstairs. By the time he came up my left arm hurt really bad and I started having pressure in my chest. I figured I'd better go to the ER. I was hesitant though because I do suffer from anxiety and panic attacks that have landed me in the ER before. I've always felt like such an idiot when that happens.
So I decide yes, we need to go. As I was walking to the car I kept thinking maybe I should call an ambulance. But the hospital is pretty close by and if it got too bad we can pull over and call from the side of the road.
By the time I got there I was bent over in pain. They brought me right to the back and hooked me up and gave me some nitro. Then another dosage, and then another. That started to help. After a bit they gave me more and again that seemed to help. So they ended up putting a nitro patch on me and that really helped so much with the pain.
They did the usual tests and the ER Doctor came in and said everything checked out fine. BUT because you are a woman and women present differently with chest pains I'm going to admit you and rerun your blood work in 6 hours. There is an enzyme that your heart releases if you've had a heart attack but it can take up to 6 hours to show.
So after 6 hours they reran my blood work. The Doctor comes in and says "you've had a heart attack." Well you could have knocked me and my husband over with a feather. I was 44. I don't smoke, very very rarely drink, maybe 15 pounds overweight. I have no significant risk factors.
I had to stay in all weekend and on Monday they did a cardiac cath. The results from that showed no blockages. I didn't need any surgery or even any stents put in. There was a little blockage, which is normal, but nothing that would cause a heart attack. Thankfully my heart only suffered minimal damage.
They still, one year later, do not know why I had my heart attack. It's possible a piece of plaque broke off causing a temporary blockage of blood flow. I could have had a spasm that cut off my blood supply. They just never found anything conclusive. I've only had to go back 2 times with issues and both turned out ok. The Drs don't think it's anything that will happen again, but it's unnerving that it even happened in the first place. I mean it happened one time for no reason, why not a second?
So after my long tale here I want to say to say to all the women here if you go to the ER with chest pains and they run your blood and it checks out, ask to have it rerun in 6 hours. Whether you go home and come back, go home and then see your PCP or just get a lab slip, whatever, just do it. Insist on it. If they didn't rerun my blood I would never had known I had a heart attack. I would have brushed it off as a panic attack and again felt foolish. It probably would have prevented me from going back next time it happened and who knows how that may turn out.
If you stuck through this long long post, thank you. And if this helps even one person than what I went through was well worth it.
***********
It was a Friday, just a regular day. I got my kids up for school and went along on my normal morning routine. One of the boys got picked up and the other was was lagging and missed his ride. He asked me if I would drive him in. I said yes and headed upstairs to get dressed.
As I got upstairs my back, between the shoulder blades, started to ache. Figured I'd somehow twisted my back going up the stairs. I tried to stretch it out but no luck and it kept getting worse. After maybe 10 minutes my arms started to ache but just down to the elbows. This started getting strong so I woke my other son up and asked him to come upstairs. By the time he came up my left arm hurt really bad and I started having pressure in my chest. I figured I'd better go to the ER. I was hesitant though because I do suffer from anxiety and panic attacks that have landed me in the ER before. I've always felt like such an idiot when that happens.
So I decide yes, we need to go. As I was walking to the car I kept thinking maybe I should call an ambulance. But the hospital is pretty close by and if it got too bad we can pull over and call from the side of the road.
By the time I got there I was bent over in pain. They brought me right to the back and hooked me up and gave me some nitro. Then another dosage, and then another. That started to help. After a bit they gave me more and again that seemed to help. So they ended up putting a nitro patch on me and that really helped so much with the pain.
They did the usual tests and the ER Doctor came in and said everything checked out fine. BUT because you are a woman and women present differently with chest pains I'm going to admit you and rerun your blood work in 6 hours. There is an enzyme that your heart releases if you've had a heart attack but it can take up to 6 hours to show.
So after 6 hours they reran my blood work. The Doctor comes in and says "you've had a heart attack." Well you could have knocked me and my husband over with a feather. I was 44. I don't smoke, very very rarely drink, maybe 15 pounds overweight. I have no significant risk factors.
I had to stay in all weekend and on Monday they did a cardiac cath. The results from that showed no blockages. I didn't need any surgery or even any stents put in. There was a little blockage, which is normal, but nothing that would cause a heart attack. Thankfully my heart only suffered minimal damage.
They still, one year later, do not know why I had my heart attack. It's possible a piece of plaque broke off causing a temporary blockage of blood flow. I could have had a spasm that cut off my blood supply. They just never found anything conclusive. I've only had to go back 2 times with issues and both turned out ok. The Drs don't think it's anything that will happen again, but it's unnerving that it even happened in the first place. I mean it happened one time for no reason, why not a second?
So after my long tale here I want to say to say to all the women here if you go to the ER with chest pains and they run your blood and it checks out, ask to have it rerun in 6 hours. Whether you go home and come back, go home and then see your PCP or just get a lab slip, whatever, just do it. Insist on it. If they didn't rerun my blood I would never had known I had a heart attack. I would have brushed it off as a panic attack and again felt foolish. It probably would have prevented me from going back next time it happened and who knows how that may turn out.
If you stuck through this long long post, thank you. And if this helps even one person than what I went through was well worth it.
