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Well my long-standing accomplishment of having never been admitted to a hospital is now broken. :(
Apologies to everyone for not getting to posts and things. I've been... it's been a weird weak.
I was working on Saturday, taking dumbass calls as usual when my doctor phones me out of nowhere. He tells me that he is looking over my chart, my EKG and my symptoms again and suggests that I check myself into an ER to get my heart tested.
Somehow I get the feeling that my doctor was either in a staff meeting or talking to his supervisor or whatever and they were going, "You know, if she dies than you're liable..." thus the phone call.
So I tell my sister (who works at the same place) and go in and check myself into the ER. My sister can't come because of the strict attendance policies at work. I still might be in trouble for leaving, but I'm not worried about that right now.
... It was strange. They put me through tests, another EKG, an Xray of my heart (that was some freaky shit looking at my own lungs and heart), some blood tests and piss tests. My mom and my dad got wind through the grapevine and came down... and it was bizarre having them in the same hospital room with me. My parents divorced when I was 19, so all my memories of a kid are with them together and my ones as an adult are with them separated. So it was comforting having them there, and also made me feel like a kid again.
So anyway! The news! Crappy news first: I do have a leaky valve in my heart, and I will have to go to the cardiologist for further testing to see if it's leaking, like, a few drops, or gushing like a damned water hose.
The really good news: It's not uncommon at all. The ER doctor told me in no uncertain terms he had never seen a 25 year old woman in good health die of a sudden heart attack, my pain in my arm, chest and jaw is probably nothing (muscle related and, you know, cavitys) AND AND AND the weird spurts of random heart-pounding craziness I've felt all my life (and learned to ignore) are probably due to the valve acting up and can be fixed with medication.
Also my dad spoke up at the exact right time and managed to score me some pills to take the edge off whenever I get freaked about my heart. *wink* They'd hate to hear it, but I was reminded again that they're a good team, my mom and dad. My mom's all confrontational, asking direct questions to the doctor including stuff I'd never think of -- can I still run around, scuba dive, do everything I am used to doing without having to worry about my heart? (Yes, yes, and yes). And my dad gets the drugs. I love them both.
Thanks flist for all the words of support on my other post. It's been a really long week, and I'm glad to put all this stuff behind me. I still have to get it tested and figure things out, but I no longer am afraid of my health. Actually, now I really feel motivated to shed the twenty pounds I've gained working in the call center. I guess if my heart has this thing, I'd better make sure I'm as fit as I can be so I last well into my old age. ;D
Apologies to everyone for not getting to posts and things. I've been... it's been a weird weak.
I was working on Saturday, taking dumbass calls as usual when my doctor phones me out of nowhere. He tells me that he is looking over my chart, my EKG and my symptoms again and suggests that I check myself into an ER to get my heart tested.
Somehow I get the feeling that my doctor was either in a staff meeting or talking to his supervisor or whatever and they were going, "You know, if she dies than you're liable..." thus the phone call.
So I tell my sister (who works at the same place) and go in and check myself into the ER. My sister can't come because of the strict attendance policies at work. I still might be in trouble for leaving, but I'm not worried about that right now.
... It was strange. They put me through tests, another EKG, an Xray of my heart (that was some freaky shit looking at my own lungs and heart), some blood tests and piss tests. My mom and my dad got wind through the grapevine and came down... and it was bizarre having them in the same hospital room with me. My parents divorced when I was 19, so all my memories of a kid are with them together and my ones as an adult are with them separated. So it was comforting having them there, and also made me feel like a kid again.
So anyway! The news! Crappy news first: I do have a leaky valve in my heart, and I will have to go to the cardiologist for further testing to see if it's leaking, like, a few drops, or gushing like a damned water hose.
The really good news: It's not uncommon at all. The ER doctor told me in no uncertain terms he had never seen a 25 year old woman in good health die of a sudden heart attack, my pain in my arm, chest and jaw is probably nothing (muscle related and, you know, cavitys) AND AND AND the weird spurts of random heart-pounding craziness I've felt all my life (and learned to ignore) are probably due to the valve acting up and can be fixed with medication.
Also my dad spoke up at the exact right time and managed to score me some pills to take the edge off whenever I get freaked about my heart. *wink* They'd hate to hear it, but I was reminded again that they're a good team, my mom and dad. My mom's all confrontational, asking direct questions to the doctor including stuff I'd never think of -- can I still run around, scuba dive, do everything I am used to doing without having to worry about my heart? (Yes, yes, and yes). And my dad gets the drugs. I love them both.
Thanks flist for all the words of support on my other post. It's been a really long week, and I'm glad to put all this stuff behind me. I still have to get it tested and figure things out, but I no longer am afraid of my health. Actually, now I really feel motivated to shed the twenty pounds I've gained working in the call center. I guess if my heart has this thing, I'd better make sure I'm as fit as I can be so I last well into my old age. ;D
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