>> How to have a heart attack. Well, not.
Yesterday started semi normal for me. I woke up, fumbled for the alarm and took a shower. I was a little sore on the left side of my chest, but I thought I had just slept funny. It hurt a little more intensely an hour later, and I began trying to figure out if I had fallen out of bed the night before. My chest felt like I had sore, bruised ribs at this point. I kind of shrugged it off and decided to go to church.
I didn't feel any worse than I did at home when services started, but about 45 minutes into the service, I was feeling much worse. My ribs had gone from feeling bruised to cracked. The pain was also bad enough that I couldn't breathe properly. I thought, this is not a side stitch, as the pain begain to radiate to my shoulder. When the sermon was over I tried to stand and sing with everyone else, and only made it about 3 lines into the song before I felt extremely dizzy. I had to sit, but I could still not breathe and I felt really nauseous. My friend asked me if I was excited about going home on Friday to bring my wife, two boys and new daughter back to our home in Louisiana, and I whispered "Yes." She looked at me and asked if I was ok, and I said I didn't know. I told her how bad my chest was hurting, and she went to find some help. There happened to be a visitor sitting on our back row, and she also happened to be and RN.
She had me lay back and took my blood pressure. My pain was intense at this point. My ribs felt like they were being crushed whether I was breathing or not. My BP was 140 over 108, after taking it a few times. That freaked me out a little bit, since I am in shape and know that is too high for a 28 year old guy thats 5 ft 10 and 160 lbs.
The RN (I am protecting her privacy, I will call her 'M') asked me about family history and I told her baout my mom, and how she has been on heart meds since she was 18 for heart problems (irregular heartbeat among others)
They decided to call EMS to be safe, as my pains were not getting better. 'M' found some asprin and had me take it. Everything after this point is a blur, kind of fuzzy. I remember the EMTs talking to me and asking me my age and stuff, and they did several EKG readings. They didn't like them and decided to take me via ambulance to the nearest hospital.
I finally agreed to let them call my wife, I just didn't want her or my parents scared. What do you do when something like this happens? I prayed, and I know that everyone around me was praying. I wasn't scared of dying, but I was worried about what would happen to my family. All I could think of was making it, and staying calm.
(Or as calm as one can be in the midst of severe chest pain and an ambulance ride @ 28 years old)
Another EKG was done in the ambulance, and I heard the EMT say, I still don't like this. At the ER in the hospital, another EKG was performed, and a cardiologist looked at it. I was given the news that it wasn't my heart, it was something else.
I don't know how to pronounce the name, but all I knew was it hurt and it came on fast. Costochondritis, or an inflammation of the cartilage joining the ribs and the sternum/breast bone. They told me it wasn't serious, but it was very painful.
I had heart problems in the Navy, and I was starting to wonder if they had missed something. I kept asking are you sure it is not my heart, since my mother has had heart problems since she was 18. I don't like taking the first diagnosis with a knife and fork. It's my life and health, and I want to be sure that they are sure.
I was given 2 doses of Toridol by IV, which took around 30 minutes to work. I was feeling a little better, but I still couldn't breathe right and was very sore.
I was taken back for a chest X Ray, which was "normal" according to the doc.
I immediately called my wife and let her know it was not heart related and I was doing better.
I was released and was given a ride over to the preacher's house, since my house was about a 30 minute drive from the hospital. I rested for a few hours and talked. I drove home and discovered that I waited to long to fill my prescriptions. The pharmacies close at 6pm on Sundays. I was given a script for Ketoprofin and Darvoset.
They told me it would be a couple of weeks before I was feeling better, and that I should not go to work on Monday. Turns out they are so right about that. I am really hurting, after venturing out to Walgreens and leaving my script there. I am walking around like a 90 year old man. At least I am alive, and it wasn't heart related.
I was thinking about Joe (Attaboy)yesterday at the preacher's house, and I don't know how I would have handled a real heart attack. I kept saying "Not me, Not me" in my head while lying on that bench at church when I was in pain. It just goes to show you, you don't know when, and you can't choose when. GOD still has plans for me, and if anything, this has made me closer to HIM for it.
I didn't feel any worse than I did at home when services started, but about 45 minutes into the service, I was feeling much worse. My ribs had gone from feeling bruised to cracked. The pain was also bad enough that I couldn't breathe properly. I thought, this is not a side stitch, as the pain begain to radiate to my shoulder. When the sermon was over I tried to stand and sing with everyone else, and only made it about 3 lines into the song before I felt extremely dizzy. I had to sit, but I could still not breathe and I felt really nauseous. My friend asked me if I was excited about going home on Friday to bring my wife, two boys and new daughter back to our home in Louisiana, and I whispered "Yes." She looked at me and asked if I was ok, and I said I didn't know. I told her how bad my chest was hurting, and she went to find some help. There happened to be a visitor sitting on our back row, and she also happened to be and RN.
She had me lay back and took my blood pressure. My pain was intense at this point. My ribs felt like they were being crushed whether I was breathing or not. My BP was 140 over 108, after taking it a few times. That freaked me out a little bit, since I am in shape and know that is too high for a 28 year old guy thats 5 ft 10 and 160 lbs.
The RN (I am protecting her privacy, I will call her 'M') asked me about family history and I told her baout my mom, and how she has been on heart meds since she was 18 for heart problems (irregular heartbeat among others)
They decided to call EMS to be safe, as my pains were not getting better. 'M' found some asprin and had me take it. Everything after this point is a blur, kind of fuzzy. I remember the EMTs talking to me and asking me my age and stuff, and they did several EKG readings. They didn't like them and decided to take me via ambulance to the nearest hospital.
I finally agreed to let them call my wife, I just didn't want her or my parents scared. What do you do when something like this happens? I prayed, and I know that everyone around me was praying. I wasn't scared of dying, but I was worried about what would happen to my family. All I could think of was making it, and staying calm.
(Or as calm as one can be in the midst of severe chest pain and an ambulance ride @ 28 years old)
Another EKG was done in the ambulance, and I heard the EMT say, I still don't like this. At the ER in the hospital, another EKG was performed, and a cardiologist looked at it. I was given the news that it wasn't my heart, it was something else.
I don't know how to pronounce the name, but all I knew was it hurt and it came on fast. Costochondritis, or an inflammation of the cartilage joining the ribs and the sternum/breast bone. They told me it wasn't serious, but it was very painful.
I had heart problems in the Navy, and I was starting to wonder if they had missed something. I kept asking are you sure it is not my heart, since my mother has had heart problems since she was 18. I don't like taking the first diagnosis with a knife and fork. It's my life and health, and I want to be sure that they are sure.
I was given 2 doses of Toridol by IV, which took around 30 minutes to work. I was feeling a little better, but I still couldn't breathe right and was very sore.
I was taken back for a chest X Ray, which was "normal" according to the doc.
I immediately called my wife and let her know it was not heart related and I was doing better.
I was released and was given a ride over to the preacher's house, since my house was about a 30 minute drive from the hospital. I rested for a few hours and talked. I drove home and discovered that I waited to long to fill my prescriptions. The pharmacies close at 6pm on Sundays. I was given a script for Ketoprofin and Darvoset.
They told me it would be a couple of weeks before I was feeling better, and that I should not go to work on Monday. Turns out they are so right about that. I am really hurting, after venturing out to Walgreens and leaving my script there. I am walking around like a 90 year old man. At least I am alive, and it wasn't heart related.
I was thinking about Joe (Attaboy)yesterday at the preacher's house, and I don't know how I would have handled a real heart attack. I kept saying "Not me, Not me" in my head while lying on that bench at church when I was in pain. It just goes to show you, you don't know when, and you can't choose when. GOD still has plans for me, and if anything, this has made me closer to HIM for it.
posted by nEo at 2:30 PM
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