Topic: Emergency room for experience (update)

[TwoTired]

So, the upshot is that I'm still alive. So, that's something.
Last Wednesday I went about the task of getting the trailer loaded, as well as doing work on the house getting it ready for sale.  These are the same activities I've had for the past few months.  But, this day was different.  My left arm began aching.  Then both my upper and lower left jaw.  It subsided during a work break.  So, I went back at it.  The pain did return, though.  I called it quits for the day and went to watch tv.  The arm and jaw pain returned.  And not much later, dull chest pain began.  The pain would come and go in periodic waves.  But, the high points were getting more intense.
 I suspected a heart attack.  But, these things happen to other people.  At about 7 pm, I asked my wife to drive me to the hospital.  Pulled up in front and walked in.  Told the desk person I thought I was having a heart attack.  They said I'd go in right away. The pain was building to another peak.  But, the security guard blocked the way insisting on an ID card. My wife fumbled, then showed him my card and we went to get an EKG, which showed no heart attack!   At least not a massive one.  Still hurt, though.  But, I was now the little boy who cried wolf.   Before putting me back out in the crowded lobby for an hour, they did do blood samples. During which time the pain ebbed to quite low.  Sitting in the lobby, it built back up to intolerable levels, then subsided to nothing in about 10 minute intervals.  This was most entertaining for a small halfwit boy allowed to wander about the lobby and watch people's pain and suffering up close.  Eventually, I was brought out of the lobby to have a doctor consultation in an inner hallway among passing traffic.  Here he explained that blood test troponin levels indicated heart muscle damage, (heart attack) and I was being admitted to the hospital...not by him but rather my primary physician when told of the proceedings, ... and When they could find a room.  In the mean time, back to the lobby and wait. .. To entertain small halfwits.  Another 20 minutes and they called me in to wait in an emergency room bed, while they searched for a standard hospital room.  I must say that the pains ebb and flow progressively reduced as I laid in bed.  At 2 am, they took me to the hospital room, shared with another patient.  Part of the experience to be awakened at least hourly, of course.
Next day a cardiac catheterization was scheduled.   This is where they send a probe up your femoral artery to the heart (or enter through the right wrist) and have a look at the artery insides.  They squirt a dye/contrast and take xray imaging to see where the dye flows within.  I had a 90% blockage which starved the heart muscle and caused damage.  So they inserted a smal.l ballon to expand it, and then placed in a stent to hold it open.
So, here it is the day after.  Feeling ok and waiting to go home.  I have a new batch of pills to take so the stent won't form scar tissue (causing a new blockage).

Worse yet, I'm on restricted activity.  How am I supposed to finish the move and sell the house in Ca?  Arggh

Cheers,

[dave500]

man that's a real big bad bummer loyd,i guess just rest up?

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Glad you made it through. Don't worry about the house for now, just get well. You can always hire someone to do what work you need and/or sell as is. You won't need the house if you're dead  I know how analytical you can be so don't second guess the doctors (yet) LOL.

[Gene]

Horrible news but you're still above ground, so you survived it. Right now you rest and worry about the other things later. Heal or you're no good to anyone. Follow orders and take the pills.

[Yamahawk]

Lloyd,
     glad you are still with us! 4 1/2 years ago, I was at Nelson Ledges race track for a weekend of fun and racing! I had done a friday night open practice, and my chest was a little sore, I figured it was from bending the handlebars around the 2 mile race track for 3 1/2 hours. So, I relaxed, took it easy, and saturday I just talked to other fellow racers,and worked on my race bike, getting ready for two races Sunday.
    Saturday night, I went into Garretsville for some pasta, and as I drove by the Rite Aid I had this pain down both arms... and yeah, I figured out what it was. So, I went inside and bought some low dose aspirin, chewed a couple up, typed 'hospital' into my GPS, and drove 22 miles to Ravenna Ohio... a little hospital, and they weren't too concerned when I told them I thought I was having a heart attack! Well, the nurse said, have a seat, we'll be with you shortly. Now, mind you, there are three other people there... 10 minutes later, the nurse comes up and asks again what the problem was, and I stated again, I'm having a heart attack! She then took me back, they started an IV drip of nitro, and kept me overnight. Next morning, the pain was down from a 9 to a 1, and they said they were going to transfer me to Akron for a heart cath... I said, what about St. V's in Toledo... Yeah, thats a good heart hospital we can get you there. I told them I would get myself there, and drove back to the race track and my friends and my daughter's finance loaded everything up for me, put the bike on the trailer, and I drove 165 miles back to Toledo, on 3 nitro tablets.  I got into my driveway at 4:30pm, and my wife drove me to the hospital where they had a room waiting. Next day, after more IV nitro, they did the heart cath, and my 'Widowmaker' was 99% blocked, and they couldn't do a stent. So, I got a single bypass the next day.  They cracked me open, and boy was that an experience! But today, I am in pretty good health, I take a blood thinner and a low dose aspirin every day, and something for cholesterol, and thats all. Got rid of the Lisinopril and Metoprolol Tartrate...
    I am sure that your Dr. told you about diet, etc. as mine did  
I believe you are going to be fine, and I pray that God look after you brother.  Your family, as well as the guys and gals here in this forum, need you

Charlie
    the Chaplain

[ekpent]

 Sorry to hear about your situation Lloyd but also glad that you got this wake up call and did not get a major debilitating attack that may have hit harder while you were alone. Hope your healing goes well, good chance you may be feeling better then ever in the near future. Take care.  Eric

[Steve F]

Sounds really familiar! Glad you're on the road to recovery  I had a heart attack, SuperBowl Sunday, 2011.  We had a massive snowfall the day before, and I WAS OUT SHOVELING.  Came in and felt my sternum was in pain, and I passed it off as something the shoveling did.  After an hour or so, I was getting concerned since the pain was getting more intense.  I asked my wife to get ready to take me to the E.R..  As she was getting ready, I told her to call 911 instead and within 5 minutes, the paramedics were there and I was hooked up to an EKG.  About ten minutes later, I was enroute to the hospital.  When I got there, it was fast track right up to the cardiac floor, and within seconds, I was seen by a doctor, and tests were ordered.  Blood draws, EKG..etc.  I had a stent put in about two hours later, and spent two days in the hospital.  I'll be on certain meds for the rest of my life, but I am thankful that was all I needed so far.
MY ADVICE TO ANYONE SUSPECTING A HEART ATTACK.....CALL 911!!!!!!!!  DON'T WAIT OR THINK YOU'RE TOO TOUGH TO HAVE SUCH A THING!

[BobbyR]

LLoyd, first of all I am happy you are OK. I had a simimlar expereince with pain. I was at work and it was the pain in the jaw and breaking a sweat that told me this was a heart attack. I knew I needed to get to a decent Hospital with a Cath Lab rather than a community hospital that would essentially waste my golden 90 minutes. I drove 20 minutes and got to where I was going.

There was no messing around, they took me right in and had be on a table set up for cardiac. They told me I was having a heart attack shoved a bunch of aspirin and nitro in my mouth, set up IVs, put a defibrillator on my chest   and 3 Nurses went in the elevator with me.

They wheeled me into the cath lab and the Doc said his name and they got to work. They cut the artery, sent the cath up there and the Doc said he was vacuuming out the blockage so I would feel pressure, Then he said the stent was going in and expect some pressure.

He started squirting contrast all around and had everyone look at the screen "look at this guy, everything is wide open everywhere else, highly unusual.  Unfortunately I was laying there while they were taking a tour and rolling videotape. They wheeled me into a room and that was that.

I am appalled when i hear about delays in treatment as I read these. Time counts. I have no damage that they can find because they got there quick and stopped the heart attack.

 

[jgger]

Glad you caught it in time, Lloyd. Now just  follow ALL the maintenance steps or you might void your warranty............and we need you here!


 

[HondaMan]

Lloyd!
Sure glad you're still here!
Will lift you up tonight: my father-in-law went thru this, and ended up with a fourple bypass...22 years ago. He's still doing well today, at 85. Rest up: talk them into fixing you up right. Don't let them talk you out of it: you're the smart guy in that room, remember that.

[MoMo]

Very happy to hear all is well Lloyd.  Continued success on the recovery road...Larry

[Johnie]

Thanks for keeping your friends at SOHC in the loop Lloyd. Just cut back a bit and let the body heal. Then you can get back at it with your normal gusto! Get well soon friend.

[Spanner 1]

Here's to the next  19,962 posts by our beloved TT... get better now and school us as we deserve, who else is gonna do it ??

[Kevin D]

Good on you for having the courage to take yourself in.
Best wishes for a speedy and thorough recovery and the best outcome.

[Yamahawk]

This was me back then. 
Charlie

[MoMo]

Oh what a lucky man he was ^^^^

[Yamahawk]

Oh what a lucky man he was ^^^^

Emerson, Lake and Palmer... 

[Bailgang]

I'm glad to hear you made it through with out too much ordeal and hope you recover soon. An older brother of mine had issues like you described last summer except for him the next thing he knew he was airlifted to another hospital and quickly scheduled for a quad bypass.

[dhall57]

Just saw this Lloyd. Man thats tough, praying for you. Good to hear your on the mend. Chill out and take it easy for a while 

[dusterdude]

Good to hear you're ok,hang in there

Sent from my R1 HD using Tapatalk

[TwoTired]

I want to thank you all for your well wishes.

The new pill regimen has my head in a floaty sort of way.  I was promised they would only be needed for a finite time period.  I can still deal, with a bit of extra mental focus.  It's just annoying when you wake up normal and 1/2 hr after the pill volley things get swooney.  I still have full awareness.  It's just that things look different, sort of haloed, perhaps some tunnel vision, for lack of better descriptions.

I think doctors sometimes focus more on keeping the body intact than the mind, and that part of the value of living is to be able to enjoy the lifestyle chosen.  After living almost 70 years, the choice for living an entirely new and alien way is hardly attractive.  When you lose 90% of your capabilities, you begin to question just what the point is?  There is comfort in familiarity.  I just may just know too much to begin over from the start.  At least physics principles won't change.  But, doctors are trained to attend non-physical, barely predictable biological contraptions.  They can take liberties and get away with it , since some things are self healing/ tolerant, regardless of their "meddling".  "We'll try this drug on you and see if that helps".  Wait, what?  An educated guess?  Certainly not the Engineer's way...  Could it qualify as a logical way?  Or is this just the equivalent of the guy with the hammer who now sees' nails in every nook and cranny?

But, I suppose I ramble...


In reflection,  I've surmised that the Hospital Emergency center is primarily involved with whackos, so that is how they initially see anyone who walks through the door.  It's a wacko til proven sane (or docile) mindset.  At the very least, a confined assemblage of refugees begging for mercy.  The only way to get around that treatment/attitude is via the local EMTs.

I think the advice given in prior posts above is quite valid.  An ambulance ride is right in the emergency center wheelhouse and the EMTs can bypass the 10 ft poles most of the attendants in the emergency center have incorporated to distance themselves from anyone outside of their unit of influence.  The people being "handled" is just a means to an end.  A necessary evil needed to get paid and fit into their tight social network under their overseers purview.  Only the EMTs can hope to crack that armor, because they are almost "one-of-them" and encounter similar "whackos" on a regular basis.

What with hospitalization and health care in general becoming ever increasing very big business, you are far better off to lead with yet another big business front wave, insurance coverage proof, than with an actual medical, human need, emergency.

Humans are resilient and there are lots of them.  No real need to save them all.  That's just not profitable.  Charity and compassion don't pay the bills or get me vacations on tropical beaches.
Altruism has been highly marginalized in the "modern" health care system which sports a $3 trillion industry.  And those in control (administrative) absorb 30% of that.  CEOs get $9.8 billion.  I can imagine they "care" about that.

I used to think that one could get better health care options in a larger city.  More people, more doctors, more support systems, etc.
Now, I'm not so sure.  The old adage "I will" being more important than "I can".  I'm thinking my move to AZ might ultimately be a net gain in health care benefit.  If for no other reason that they are simply far less overwhelmed and desensitized?

Yeah, best I think of it that way... 

Cheers,

[dhall57]

A co-worker of mine wasn't has lucky and catch his health issues in time Lloyd. He hadn't been feeling up to par for several weeks or more and just thought it was a bad case of the Gout he wasn't able to shake off. When he finally went to the doctor they put him in the hospital right away because of heart problems and and a blood clot. He had gotten in such a weaken state before they could do anything for him he passed away He and I were the same age 60.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Well Lloyd, I see that your mental acuity does NOT seem to be affected 

And, yes, much of today's medical biological engineering is in fact educated guessing unfortunately. "it works like this but we're not sure of the why part".

Take it easy on them though 

[Yamahawk]

Lloyd,
  It's why they call it a 'practice'...unfortunately, it doesn't make them perfect. In today's healthcare system, those with advanced age, or disease, are expendable... oh, you need oxygen to keep you alive?  Well, it's only available for a certain time period, then, if you can't breath by yourself, its goodbye Charlie... I saw a friend suffocate after they destroyed his lungs with chemotherapy (a BIG dose) and then he had to have that mask on, at all times. After 10 days, they stated that they were going to remove him from oxygen, and 10 hours later he was dead. His family had me do the funeral for him... and his daughters still call me at the time of year he passed away, just to have someone to talk to who knew their dad. If I hadn't stuck up for my mom, she would be dead now, as she was 85 and had some health problems, and needed a feeding tube. They didn't want to do it, as they had coded her DNRCC without my knowledge... but she is still here today, 2 years later, because I said something... One of these Days, we will all have to deal with death... and then it doesn't matter who is right, and who is wrong... only Who is Savior. Do you Know Him?

[754]

Lloyd , sorry to hesr about  this. Takecthe time you need to get through this and I am sure you will do it properly and get through it.
 Sunny days ahead, after you heal up. .