Nothing Like a Heart Attack Scare

Warning, fair amount of cursing ahead…

I have been really out of the loop the last several days because Thursday night into the wee hours of Friday morning we were at the emergency room for me. Chest/arm/shoulder/neck pain, cold sweats, severe nausea, light headed & fatigue that started Wednesday night are what sent me there.

As always this was a time I had to be my best self patient advocate even though I felt like I had been run over by a train. Even though I know a lot of the stuff is in my medical file at the hospital I also know they skim over and miss stuff, important stuff. So as always I am trying to make sure they know the important things when all I really want someone to do it make the damn pain stop.

They did an EKG, drew blood & chest xray. Why do they always try to move the needle when the blood stops flowing into the tube when I told them NOT to before we started? It never works on me & I end up with a nasty bruise/swelling that doesn’t go down for days.

 Thanks for not listening to me phlebotomist…

Once I finally got back to see a doctor he let me know that the tests they had so far all came back ok but they were still waiting on one test. Though he also delivered the good news that he was going to give me something for the nausea & pain. Sweet hallelujah! He asked if I wanted a pill or a shot. Let’s see after hours & hours of pain, the shot DUH…

They shot me up with Morphine & Zofran to no avail. I told the doctor that neither seemed to be working when he came back in so he added on Percocet & another Zofran in pill form. The Zofran finally kicked in about the time we left the ER and helped with the nausea but the pain meds weren’t doing anything to help with the actual pain. Morphine makes me cuss a LOT: I’d forgotten that. Even with Morphine & then Percocet I was still hurting but I was at least much more mellow about it all. Lol

The final test came back ok the doc said and they didn’t know what’s causing it all. At least it wasn’t a heart attack. (Looking for silver lining on this expensive storm cloud). The “diagnosis” when I left the ER was “Chest Wall Pain”. Well no shit Sherlock…

The ER doc wanted me to follow up with my cardiologist right away for a stress test within a week. I was already freaking stressed the fuck out about finances with us on one income. So sure, more financial and health stress is good.

Michael was a champ. He walked in from work & being stuck in awful traffic. (Thanks to the section of I-85 falling due to the massive fire.) I got him up to date & he rushed me to the ER. He was so loving and supportive the whole time. I love that man so much!

6-8 more weeks and I’d have had insurance again…

I apparently slept through Friday thanks to Phenergan & Flexarill and Saturday felt like groggy hell. The nausea just won’t quit, though as long as I take it easy I can manage the pain. They didn’t send me home with anything for the nausea and I forgot to check. Thankfully I had some Phenergan still from post knee surgery (hence sleeping all day yesterday).

I have an appointment Monday with the cardiologist & Wednesday I see my rheumatologist. I am just taking it super easy until we know what’s going on. With so much still to do before the wedding, that’s a tall order for me.

Thanks to mentioning on FB what was going on I had a friend mention Friday that they had been through something similar. They said to check with my doctor about Costochondritis. It sounds a lot like what happened to me and so I will see what the cardiologist thinks tomorrow. If this is what it turns out to be I want to know how to differentiate in the future without the expensive ER visit, should it happen again. Because if it is Costochondritis that shit mimics heart attack symptoms like a freaking BOSS!

I am tired but also extremely relieved it wasn’t a heart attack!