The reports of my demise are highly exaggerated!

AliceW · 2009-09-09T23:30:02+00:00

I'm ok, really, but I now know what a heart attack feels like - but it wasn't one.3:30am on 8/30 I wake with a horrible pain in my left shoulder. Figured I turned wrong in bed; took some Aleve and went back to bed. Meds worked great. Had coffee and toast for breakfast.Noon that day, the pain returns. Took more Aleve and it went away. Went about my daily chores. Skipped lunch.6:30pm the pain returned with a vengeance; took more Aleve - I know, I know, should have known I had taken too much already. I doubled over with chest pain and difficulty breathing. Listening to my body and knowing that women may have different symptoms of heart attacks, I take a baby aspirin and call my DH from downstairs who was fixing dinner. He calls 911. We had our 5 yo grandson with us and I didn't want him to see me in that kind of distress but he said "Nana, when you have pain, you have pain". Gotta love the young'ns!Two police cars, and EMT unit and an ambulance arrive within minutes. My life was no longer my own from then on. IV lines were started, cardiac monitors hooked up, nitroglycerine sprayed under my tongue. Pain diminishes.Arrive at the ER and pushed to the head of the line. More IV lines, more monitors, chest x-rays, more nitro. Blood draws too. Have I ever told you I don't tolerate needles very well?Shoulder pain returns full force - more nitro, pain diminished. They need to monitor my enzymes overnight so I am admitted to the cardiac care unit. Blood draws every 3 hours (felt like one of my pincushions in my quilting room - see and you thought it was going to be an OT post!); vitals every 2 hours since nitro lowers blood pressure big time and I am on the low side on a normal day. Blood draws can't be taken from one of my lines. Still no food since breakfast.Enzymes keep coming up normal. I sleep some but scared about what is going on. I had several EKGs, an echo-cardiogram, a stress test with and without thallium. All tests are negative - no cardiac...

Sep 09, 2009 20 Replies

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Michelle C. 16 years ago

Hi Alice,

Great news on being pain free. :-) Also great news on the stress-reducing measures!

Knitting IS good. I've done a little, and it is quite relaxing, I agree. And what could be better than making something for your new grand-daughter? :-)

Best regards, Michelle

AliceW wrote:

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The reports of my demise are highly exaggerated!

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