My little adventure at the E.R.

[nytemare]

Sooooooo, on the weekends, I stay up pretty late. About 10:30, I had a bowl of soup. At about 11:30, I set up my dvd player to watch "Robot Chicken", walk to my bedroom to flip off the light, and "AAaaaaaaaarrgh". ;( A sharp, pulsing pain shot through the lower left side of my chest. For a minute, I was thinking I would have to call an ambulance. Then, I think, I can drive myself. So, the chest hurt worse leaning forward. I got ready and drove to the hospital. Left hand turns were a real bitch. I had to lean back a little in my seat.

I got to the hospital, and they were doing an EKG, I was not thinking it was my heart, because it was lower left side, but they do them for chest pain. So, I had to lie down to do the test, and my chest was hurting like a son of a bitch. Tears were streaming down my face. Mind you, I did not cry when I broke my wrist, tore my ACL, or broke my ankle. This shit hurt. She did the EKG once, and had to do it again because I was shaking. As she was finishing up, I heard and felt a "click" in my chest, and the pain fucking VANISHED. Gone. Poof.

They did a chest x ray that came up negative, and I was released. They way I was telling the doc the pain went followed a nerve. I feel absolutely fine now, and my 100 dollar co-pay is in the tubes because I had a fucking muscle twitch that felt like my spleen burst. I feel like an idiot, though, I am seriously happy I am not in pain. ;(

[Heidi]

1. I'm glad you're OK.

:hug:

Something similar happened to my dad a few years ago. He over-indulged in my mother's famous Mexican chicken casserole, and found himself awakened in the middle of the night by alarming chest pain, which later was diagnosed in the emergency room as heartburn. :eyes: Better to be safe than sorry. :thumbsup:

[nytemare]

5. Thank you.

It really was just bizarre. I was feeling peachy. I used my spin bike earlier, and was just chilling out, and BAM. The doc was pretty bright. She figured it was a muscle spasm. It was odd how the pain just totally vanished after that little click. I wonder if the click was the nerve going back where it was supposed to be...lol.

:hi:

[Nicole]

2. That must have been scary

I'm glad you're o.k. :)

Better to feel like an idiot than to ignore something like that. It could have been much more serious.

[nytemare]

6. No kidding.

For me to actually think I needed an ambulance, it was pretty bad. I drove myself to the ER after a broken ankle and ACL, and didn't consider an ambulance.

:hi:

[radwriter0555]

3. Sounds like you popped a rib head... OUCH, Been there, done that...

Major ouch. I had to get around with my head tilted and my left arm up over my head, my right hand pushing me up off the chair. Not a comfortable manner to manage.

Glad you turned out okay. You may want to consider a chiropractic adjustment...

[nytemare]

8. Maybe that was the click.

I remember driving to the hospital thinking it felt like my rib was poking into something.

:shrug:

Sounds like your incident was painful, and awkward!

[radwriter0555]

13. It was as painful and awkward as yours! I'm sure that's what it was for

you... and I'm glad you're okay and didn't have to suffer long with it.

Mine wouldn't be manipulated back in for anything! It took about a week.

[nytemare]

15. Ouch!

:cry: I bet you felt relief when it popped back, especially after that long. I felt so relieved when mine was ok.

[Broken_Hero]

4. I'm glad that you are feeling better

ER experiences are a stress...:(

[nytemare]

7. Thank you.

I am feeling much better. The worse part was lying down for that EKG. The poor nurse was telling me to be still. Overall, I was impressed with the ER, though. It wasn't too bad.

:hi:

[Broken_Hero]

9. I know the feeling

over 3yrs ago I had a blood clot in my upper left lung, but it hurt right next to where my heart is, and I was freaking out, and they did the whole routine on me...I could barely even take half a breath, because breathing, felt like somebody was stabbing me with a number 2 pencil...

I was in and out of conciousness, for about half an hour, when they got me in, and after they shot me up with that generic liquid morhpine stuff, I was just floating in and out of myself...didn't become coherent for 18 hrs...I'm glad that part of my life is over, it hurt like a bastard...plus, I had a clot in my left calf also...at the time, I could barely walk, and breath...

[nytemare]

12. One of my co-workers recently had that.

A pulmonary embolism(sp?). I think that is one of the reasons I made a dash for the hospital, partial paranoia.

Glad you made it through that. Those are dangerous, if they get to your heart or brain, you are a goner.

[zonkers]

10. Dont feel bad. I once reached under the seat of my car while driving,

cut my hand, saw blood, got faint, pulled into the emergency room, saw a nurse. She handed me a bandaid and told me to leave immediately, that there were real sick people who needed care.

But un your case, better safe than sorry. You did the right thing. Ya dont mess around with chest pain.

[nytemare]

16. Glad you didn't need stitches!

If you did, she just sent you on your way without them.

[SeattleGirl]

11. You did absolutely the right thing

Don't feel like an idiot. Things like severe chest pain should NEVER be ignored. And I'm so glad you are okay. :hug:

[nytemare]

14. Thank you!

It was just so damned strange. One minute, I am in severe pain, and poof, I am fine. I was actually laughing about it when I left the hospital. I am glad it doesn't hurt any more, and that it wasn't something serious.

[SeattleGirl]

17. I went to the ER twice in the space of a year, thinking I was having

a heart attack. On my second visit, the doc I saw figured out that it was anxiety, which can often have the same types of symptoms as a heart attack, but he said that it was good that I had come in.

[nytemare]

18. Anxiety can really build up

Funny thing is, those anxiety attacks seem to hit when you are just trying to chill out. I have known a few that have gotten them, and they all could have sworn they were having a heart attack. They had sweaty, short of breath, chest pain and all.

Hope the doc was able to help you.