Do not mess with chest pain!!

**Mom23boys** · 07-07-2008, 07:21 PM

I found out the hard way! Saturday evening, I started having chest pain, but thought nothing of it. I figured it was indigestion and took a couple of tums. I was able to finally fall asleep only to wake up on Sunday with the same symptoms. The pain wasn't just in my chest. It was in my right arm as well and I was having trouble breathing. I took 2 rolaids and a pepcid complete at different times of the day still thinking it was indigestion. I refused to eat anything all day because if it was indigestion, I wanted it to clear up. I also used my inhaler a few times because I felt like I couldn't breath and thought well maybe it was my asthma since the indigestion wasn't clearing up. Sunday evening, I finally decided it was time to visit the ER for relief. When I walked in the triage nurse called for the EKG and after the EKG immediately sent me back to a room because it showed abnormalities. My BP was 168/110 and my heart rate was 211. I could feel it beating so rapidly, I thought at any minute it was going to explode. They gave me some nitroglycerin and three shots to bring down the BP. Of course they took lots and lots of blood to run several test.

To make a longer story short. I ended up staying the night in ICU for observation and was sent home with the diagnosis of an infection somewhere in my body. They do not know where, but they said my white blood count was very high. AND I had a blood clot move to my lung which caused the shortness of breath. They had to give me shots in the stomach to disolve any and all blood clots which was not pleasant. I am fine and am glad to be home where I CAN get some rest because believe me you can not get any at the hospital!

So, my advice to all of you is to listen to your body. It is trying to tell you something. If you haven't already, make an appointment with your physician for a physical exam. It could save your life.

**itsahumanzoo** · 07-07-2008, 07:23 PM

Wow that sounds scary! I'm glad you're okay. Now get off that computer and go get some rest!

**Michelle** · 07-07-2008, 07:24 PM

Wow, how scary, Michelle. I am glad you are feeling better. Take care.

**earthymom** · 07-07-2008, 07:28 PM

I'm glad you are feeling better -- and I hope you recover completely. Thanks for the reminder that we should listen to our bodies.
I'm glad it wasn't a heart attack. Take care of yourself.

**Jamauk** · 07-07-2008, 07:48 PM

go lay down......NOW!!!

**Missy** · 07-07-2008, 07:51 PM

Scary stuff! Ia m glad you are home. Get some rest!

**AmyBoz** · 07-07-2008, 08:01 PM

Oh Michelle! That's so scary!!! I'm so glad you are okay now!

Take it easy!

**PrairieRose** · 07-07-2008, 08:31 PM

I'm so sorry to hear it Michelle. My mom had a pulmonary embolism as well

I hope you rest up, feel LOTS better soon.

**Megareader** · 07-07-2008, 10:11 PM

Oh my goodness!! I hope you're doing better now.

One of my step-sons had a blood clot that went to his lung about a year ago, he really had a time with it.

Please take care of yourself.

**Marie78** · 07-07-2008, 10:53 PM

I'm so glad you are okay, I hope everything is cleared up for you.

**Edna_E** · 07-07-2008, 11:22 PM

Glad you're ok Michelle. One of the awkward things about chest pain is that we have no ability to tell the difference between a heart attack, indigestion, infection, or several other potential causes. Some are trivial and some are deadly, but I'd rather go in and find out which one is going on when I need to that be the one who freaks everybody out by insisting that it is "nothing" when it show signs of being. I have had a few such scares over the last decade or so - Pleurisy, cardio malfunction, panic, spastic colon, and a slipped disk. None were fun. All were survivable, and I consider myself lucky to have ambulance guys who joke with me about my unusual history while at the same time truly caring about my well-being (and you should have heard them yell at the medic who commented that he didn't know why they brought me in because I looked ok to him, when they had pressure pumped 2 bags of saline into me to get my BP off 65/30 about 5 minutes before he said that!)

**Momof3girls** · 07-07-2008, 11:50 PM

What a frightening ordeal for you!

I think you are right, we do have to listen to our bodies about our health.

**Darlene** · 07-08-2008, 08:37 AM

Whew. So glad you got there and they could keep & eye on you. They going to do further tests? You must have been so scared & your family, so worried.
You take good care, listen to your docs & feel better, ya hear?! :hug: