woops! *slaps forehead - duh!* i'm sorry i neglected to tell you all WHY i was hospitalized.
i was in the midst of a regular routine MD visit and i started having chest pain. it felt like a squeezing sensation, and the pain was radiating along my (L) jaw, my neck, and in between my shoulder blades. i had been having this pain off and on for about a week, and whenever it hit me, i would chew an aspirin (81 mgs). my doc felt i should be admitted to rule out an MI (myocardial infarct, otherwise known as a heart attack).
not wanting to take any chances, she had me sent to the ER, where they could do an ECG [or EKG] (electrocardiogram) of my heart rhythms. while in the ER labs were drawn (i already knew the drill from having performed both EKG and blood draws while working as a tech on the Telemetry unit), labs being cardiac enzymes, CBC and one other one i cant think of right now. then the nurse put in a heplock (or IV port if you will) and started a sodium chloride drip. then i was taken to Radiology for an X-ray of my chest (both anterior (front) and lateral (side).
the stress test results were good, they found no sign of any heart problems, my EKG was normal and my blood labs were normal. i was discharged home with a follow-up visit with my doctor in 3 weeks. i was sent home with an increase in the cholesterol med i take (Lipitor) from 10 mgs to 20 mgs taken every night, and a new script for my BP med, Benicar HCT, which is an ACE inhibitor and diuretic combined, and a script for Levaquin, an antibiotic to clear up a UTI they found in my urinalysis and also a trace of chlamydia (WTF??), which i didnt know i had. i mean, i'm not sexually active (at least with a man), so i was a bit puzzled as to how i got chlamydia and a UTI (urinary tract infection), because i drink a lot of water and cranberry juice every chance i get. oh and i am on an 81 mg aspirin regimen too.
so there you have it *smile*
3 comments:
Thanks Genelle! I've had similar symptoms, long before I had heart trouble ... turned out to be anxiety attacks. Also, the pain in the jaw stemmed from impacted wisdom teeth bothering me at the same time.
Glad it was nothing serious and just requires a medication change.
Im very glad that everything turned out ok. The day I had my first heart attack, it started with pain in my jaw, a weird ache in the jaw bone..as the day progressed, the pain in my jaw didn't go away, and then my arm started aching also. Then the pain in the chest started, it didnt go away and got worse, and I got nausious and started to hyperventilate. 911 was called, I was takin to the local hospital and then life flighted to a major heart hospital. Open heart surgey.
Do not take chest pain lightly. Know the warning signs, and get help fast.
If you keep getting those chest pains sweetie, you just keep going right back. : )
I'm so glad you're home & safe. Isn't it kind of reassuring when they do these tests, just to know the plumbing's still good. I wonder if it was anxiety or something. Take care.
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