trip to ER

[debhun]

Monday night I was sitting up in bed looking at TV and this pain hit me in my chest and went up in my jaw. I thought OMG what in the world is going on. about 15-20 min later it went away. So I thought okay maybe heart burn. But I haven't ate anything to give me heart burn. So I went on to sleep. I was okay Tuesday. But yesterday about 12.00 I just sat down to my chair and it hit me again. The same pain and it went up into my neck and my jaw. I know it sounds dumb but I had hubby hit me back like a baby to see it it was gas or heart burn. But it hurt worse but he keep doing it. then I told him to stop. After about 15-20 mins it went away. I might want to say the bad pain went away. But I still had pain in my chest. But over time it went away. I call my Daughter who has heart burn all the time. I asked her and she told me to go to the ER. I asked her again. Don't you thing it is just heart burn? MOM GO TO ER. MOM CALL YOU DR. So I call them. Becky called me back and she said Deb go to the ER. I ask her Becky do you think it is just heart burn? She said hold on. She came back on the Phone and She said Dr C said to get your A$$ to the ER. So I went. I sat out in the waiting room for 30 mins. Hubby got mad went and asked. when he did. they called me back. It was a mad house. They didn't seem to have things in order back there. she checked me in then I had to go check in for Ins. then they told hubby we would have to go back out and wait that some one took my bed. Hubby said we will go to Wilm then. They had a bed right then. So they took me back to the room. I sat there for a hour. They did nothing. Then they sent me to a new room. they hooked me up on a monitor. They did not watch the monitor cause I had 1 lead that wouldn't stay on.3 hour later they took blood. than 2 hours after that Dr came back he was nice. He said it was angina attack. He said I could do 2 things. 1 go home and call my Dr or they will keep me and do more Blood test on the enzymes. I came home. I home things will be ok. I feel ok. But I felt ok before it hit me. So It never stops.
Steve do you thing that maybe the methadone might be what caused this?

Deb

[Pharmacist.steve]

There was a report released in the past week that suggested that women - in general - get less aggressive treatment when presenting cardiac symptoms.. I would encourage you to follow up with your PCP

[suede]

Deb,
Please listen to Steve as it is the truth and I can testify to it. They do not take women serious when it comes to these complaints and never have..

Long story short I had heart problems all my life the older I got the more frequent they were and painful and the longer the attacks lasted.
My heart rate would go
up over 220 and stay there some times for a couple of days and the pain was awful.

I saw Dr's in many different states and all were mystified and the last one after running a lot of expensive test with me having no ins. patted me on the head and said," if you sit around long enough and think about being sick you will make yourself sick, my advice to you is to go get a pap smear and a mammogram".

I was finally dx'ed at the Cleveland clinic from the very test that Dr. gave me and had surgery and have been okay since.

Don't let them give you any crap you know your pain and your symptoms.

Take care and get help.

Linda

[jtroy]

Hey Deb,

Dr. Troy here....listen...I've been dealing with similar type of chest pain for a while now. The first time it hit me it was just pressure but some tingling in my left arm, very little in my right. I checked my bp and had a systolic above 200mmHg so I went in completely thinking it was nothing as well....continued to tell them it wasn't painful just alot of pressure. So, enzymes and all were fine other than a bp through the roof however my normal cp causes my bp to rise just never that high. My rate was fine and there was some very occassional atrial fib which a completely normal person can live a long life with and never be affected by....so I began to think it was something GI...have had difficulty swallowing since way before the disability and pain.

Anyway, happened again except this time very painful and tingling in both arms....ended up being transferred to a larger hospital in Tulsa and went through the "chemical" stress test as they call it...same thing, ticker fine, just occassional at. fib. Was referred to a cardiologist...one of the most brilliant docs with respect to all medicine other than ticker medicine....he convinced me that I needed a heart cath although I was sure my heart was fine....used the whole "I'm too young to have significant heart dz" which docs don't buy anymore for a good reason. It was normal.

Long and short I see a GI doc for scoping and motility testing on the 'ol esophagus and the ticker is fine. However I'll say this: DON'T PUT SYMPTOMS THAT DEAL WITH YOUR CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM OFF EVEN IF YOU FEEL FINE. Do you know how many people who were completely healthy with no symptoms have keeled over with heart attacks??

I've learned to listen to my body and act when necessary even though I completely hate hospitals (actually very terrified and hate them after having to spend as much time in them as I have), going to new "ologists" and so on. As a person like that...as many of us get to be....I can say that it isn't worth dying over.

I'm actually surprised that the ER docs even let you out without doing the enzymes right then...moreover, it floors me to think someone with the symptoms you presented with went as long as you did without all the diagnostics available there immediately. It's true...docs will listen to men over women bc men tend to be more forceful with the whole establishment when it comes to these things. Don't let your gender make you sick....if you need to raise your voice and make a scene make a big one....if you need to sweettalk them (which usually works better) than do that....either way, you need to have some further diagnostics.....

Take it from me....sure, it could be heartburn....I thought perhaps I had something GI going on as well....however, I was willing to let them stick another catheter in my groin while totally unsedated after they had given me their "maximal amount of sedation"....knowing ahead of time that would happen just as it did when I had my cerebral ateriogram. I'm saying that only to maybe give you the strength to be forceful about it and get the diagnostics that you need.

Anyway, I hope that it is all nothing but heartburn and angina...either way I'm keeping you in my thoughts and prayers.

Regards,

T. Jones, DVM

[Kira]

Deb,

My intent isn't to scare you (and I really hope it DOES end up being nothing)... but I just wanted to make sure you know how serious this could be. I know the ER didn't take you very seriously, but it sounds like they did check an EKG & bloodwork eventually. The reason I am concerned is because of the pattern of your chest pain, especially because the ER folks did agree it is angina, and also because you have had super high blood pressure in the past. High BP puts a lot of strain on your heart muscle. Angina means your heart muscle is hurting because it is temporarily needing more blood/oxygen than it is getting... angina is temporary & goes away, but is still serious. I would really encourage you to follow up with your PCP as soon as you can, and also to go to the ER if it happens again before you can see your PCP.

With all of that said... it is still possible that it could end up being something simple. A little while ago, my dad was driving in his work truck when he got really intense chest pain and had to pull over because it hurt so bad. It scared him a lot because his own father died of a heart attack at a relatively young age. Long story short, my dad went to the ER and did all of the tests... then followed up with his PCP, had a stress test, etc... and it turned out not to be his heart at all. He got an upper endoscopy and they saw he had really severe GERD. Put him on Nexium and he was fine.

So... while it CAN be serious and you really should take it very seriously... it could also end up to be something really fixable, like my dad's GERD.

I hope it's nothing serious, because you deserve a break from all of this health stuff.

[Kandra]

They did not watch the monitor cause I had 1 lead that wouldn't stay on.3 hour later they [quotetook blood. than 2 hours after that Dr came back he was nice. He said it was angina attack. He said I could do 2 things. 1 go home and call my Dr or they will keep me and do more Blood test on the enzymes. I came home. I home things will be ok. I feel ok. But I felt ok before it hit me. So It never stops.

Deb,

I echo what the others have said...women are vastly underdiagnosed for cardiac problems. I can't believe they didn't do a troponin or subsequent cardiac enzymes on the blood they drew and to leave you unhooked to the monitor floors me...actually the entire situation astounds me...even the diagnosis of angina. Did they give you some medication for that?

Please go to your doc ASAP.

[debhun]

Thanks all I am taking it seriously. I call my PCP and the lady there called me back at 5PM after hours. Told her that I was to get up with my PCP ASAP. She told me will they sent you home so you sould be ok till next week. call Friday for a Apt for next week. Do they really know my body? Do they know how I feel? I am so done with all this crap. I didn't ask to have all this. I would be fishing not sick from pain.


Let you know how things go.
Deb

[Kandra]

Thanks all I am taking it seriously. I call my PCP and the lady there called me back at 5PM after hours. Told her that I was to get up with my PCP ASAP. She told me will they sent you home so you sould be ok till next week. call Friday for a Apt for next week.

Deb,

I'm again astounded at this reaction. I'm really glad that so far so good. If the pain returns you may want to get to the ER ASAP and don't let them blow you off!

[Mark N]

Deb, it is good you are going to follow up with your doctor on this but to give you some good news about what you had done I will tell you about mine. I have had to see a cardialogist for each surgery so I know my heart is okay but my thoracic spine causes heart attack pains so it is something I deal with on a regular bases. One night it hit me again but this time the pain and symptoms kept getting worse instead of peaking and slowing getting better like usual. it finally got so bad I had my wife take me to the ER. Just like you they hooked me up to the EKG and took blood at different hours. I had enzymes in one blood test indicating I had a heart attack but the other one didn't have any signs of having one. They kept me for another couple hours to check my blood again and it was clear again. So your treatment was done like regular diagnosis for heart attacks. You still should follow up if you haven't been checked out in the past. It is another issue with our spinal issues when it starts causing hear attack pains because we can't [ or I can't] run to the ER every time it happens but if one time we are having a heart attack then we are hurting ourselves by not going. It isn't an easy call but one that we need to learn. The way to learn is to have your heart checked out to be sure there isn't any other issues with it and then to pay attention to the pains and how bad they are to be able to tell when the pains are different letting us know it is a heart attack.

[debhun]

Thanks Mark. My PCP call early this morning and wants me to go see a cardiologist. So they are making the Apt for me. so he must have got the paper work back from the ER to have changed him so fast.
My Daughter has to see a cardiologist her whole life. she has had two surgery one when she was 6 months and than at 8 years old. She has transposition of the great vessels. She is 32 now with 3 kids. 2 of her own and 1 adopted. She fussed me out the other day. Mom you know more than others. Why did you wait? But when it is yourself you think oh it is going to be okay it is just heart burn. I had a friend that took 2 weeks before they said yes you had a heart attack. All her work up would come back normal. The last one did show. she even worked. Walmart called her son the last time and they call rescue.She had a 4 way bypass done.
But Like most have said on here it don't take that long to get back there and hooked up.

Now for the best part for last. The ER nurse called me yesterday morning and asked me how I was. I told her Okay so far. She asked to to give them a ratings 1-10 I was being nice and said a 8. She got upset and asked me why only a 8. I told her why but she couldn't believe I would only give them a 8. I would have gave a 3-4 but I was trying to be nice. Told her that I had to sit in waitting room till I was checked in. She told me that they look out to see if people or in destrest or not. If they are laughting and talking they will not bring back that fast. I was not going to act like a fool. When I was in labor with all my kids I didn't act the fool then either. I did sit and looked at a movie when I was in labor. I have been moving my mine away from pain for so many years. My Daughter told me to not do that but let them see my pain.They did not have their ER in order at all. Had people lined up on the walls. I have never seen any thing like this ever. They didn't know it they were going or going. At one time the Doc came in and said that he had good and bad. Good was I had a blader infetion but the enzymes was fine. They only did my blood once. This lady that cleans Greg saids sat down in a chair in my room and shook her head and said they can't even fine their patient. That is sad. There was 2 doc there and 5 nurses. Now I asked this lady about why the Doc didn't give me meds for my blader. She said she would call back. She did. The Doc had read wrong chart. Now what if I had something else and they gave me meds for that and turn around that he read the wrong chart. He could have killed me. There is not excuse for this. This is a very small hospital and is more of a band aid place. People that are really sick are sent out to bigger hospital's

[Tbackpain1]

Deb,

If you're really concerned with occured and you want to report it, please write a letter to the hospital President, and cc copies of it to the nursing supervisor. Find out if the hospital has a patient safety department and send a copy to them too. Also, report to the state, Division of Health Service Regulation. Notify them of the facility that it occured in, a detailed account of what occured, date, time, etc. Here's a direct link to NC DHSR complaint unit: http://www.dhhs.state.nc.us/dhsr/ciu/complaintintake.html

Being overlooked when you have a potentially acute medical situation is NOT acceptable. Do not let this go...it may not affect the care you recieved this time, but it may the next time and it may save someone else's life.

Theresa

[debhun]

I have already have done so. They have stoped my bill till they have gone over what happen. Like I told them I don't want someone to die next time. There should not be a next time. I don't care if they smile to some one in the waitting room it don't mean they really are not hurtting or something really bad going on.

[Boxerlover]

Deb, I am astounded reading your post. I'm glad you have filed a complaint. I have heard and read all the stuff that said that women don't get the same treatment when they complain of chest pain and I thought it was just bunk.

About 2 years ago, on a Saturday morning I was awoken from my sleep with a pain in my chest that I had never felt before. My auto-immune effects my heart and lung so I am used to pain and problems and I usually wait it out and it gets better. But then right after this horrible pain, I got so nauseas. I called my hubby and we took my pulse and it was around 170 so I said call 911. When the paramedics got there I was feeling better and they checked my vitals and leads and said it looked OK but I should go anyway. I said no I'm OK and if it gets bad again I'll have my hubby go. As I was finishing talking, i got another waive of pain. The medic said I went white as a sheet and I AM going.

When I got to the ER, I was given immediate and concerned care and as I am only 37, I thought they would blow me off. Turned out I was low in potassium and that's what was wrong, but if it was more than that, I got good treatment.

So I CANNOT believe that happened to you. I tell you, things really vary by hospitals and doctors.

I hope you are feeling better and you get the all clear by the cariologist!

Take care
Melissa

[debhun]

I seem to be doing ok right now. I did get the flu or sometime from the ER I am sick as a dog. it is all in my head. sore throat and can't talk my ears hurt.