Chest pains at 71 you just don't know what they are for sure. Signs of a up coming heart attack possiably? So Tuesday morning about 9:30 I have left side chest pains so sever it hurts to draw a breath. Not being a spring pullet any longer more like a very old stewing rooster slighty dinged up I tell Kare she needs to take me to ER ASAP. First what do I need to take and what should I leave home. Leave my hat home it isn't needed and I have went nakid before. Need a ID, BCBS Medical cards, Medicaid card for starters no need to take a wallet with my favorite tractors picture or my car even the grand kids could stay home in the wallet. Next time the car pictures go. I could also leave my cell phone home no need to worry about keeping track of it. I also sure didn't want all those yahoos I hunt with calling me and giving me a bunch of crap over dieing from a summer heart problem after all, after all the snows we have worked thru in winters just to kick off from walking my dogs thru a bit of mud. I know those guys, never give any one a break least they start thinking you care about them. Walk in ER sign my name and problem is chest pains and go sit down in the waiting area and see a dozen or more ahead of me. Ha cheast pains is a no wait, over rideing all other problems there at the time and I jump to the head of the line. Room one I detail the pain and from 1 to 10 where am I. Thats easy question in ER, ok a 9 then if you want a number. Get loaded in a wheel chair (I could have walked, really could have.) wheel me down a couple hallways not bounceing off to many times into a room. Very narrow with a padded bench to lay on and a chair for Kare who has decided she is't going to care for me a few years ago they have homes for that stuff. First thing Strip to under wear I left my jeans on, and a gown is given to me I am given a Asprin full strength, quickly followed by a glycerin tablet under the tongue. Then the blood pressure is taken and a Exray team is called, two chest exrays are taken. A short wait and the doctor comes in and says they are not seening any thing wrong with the heart but wants to keep me over night and also have a ctca done and a stress test possiably. I really like the little nurse who is telling me her 13 year old daughter says she isn't cool. Then in the next breath says mom buy me this it is cool. Mom replys I am not buying you that because I am not cool. As she has me lay back on the gurnny and starts wheeling me out in the hall to the elevatore she says I want you to know you were my first. I have never did a IV in any ones hand before, thanks, didn't want to say any thing to make you scared. I tell her she did a great job and I would let her stick an IV in me any time. Up starirs I am turned over to the crazys who work the isles like gamblers on slot machines. I get wheeled in a room near the window and alone a private room so far. Told to get in the bed and showen the controls and told to get comfey. They then gang up on me one asking questions, ever had a heart attack before (am I having one now) have you had chest pains before ya a couple times. While I am getting the 3d degree I am getting a second IV line installed in my right forearm. And a IV started, as another one is drawning viels of blood from my right hand after pokeing the elbow and finding nothing there. I have a forth show up and ask what I want for supper, What no dinner it is only 12:30. Nurse says I have a turkey sandwich you can have the cute one who I was her first.She say no it isn't her lunch but a few she trys to get from the kitchen every day for emegerancys like this. I am hungery so say Ok thanks. I get a cold fresh out of the fridge turkey sandwich on white in a brown paper bag a chocolate chip cookie and a small can of soda pop lemon and lime. Beat the heck out of a poke in the eye with a sharpe stick, even a kick in the tail with a frozen boot. She wishes me luck and says good bye as the new ones are taken over with a blood pressure cuff now and is 117 over 72 normal for you? No lots of times it is even lower so Kare pulls out my medical history book and reads off several 112 over 70's to them. The new doctor walks in and says hello see you are in good hands and leaves. Two hew girls walk in (any one 70 or less is a girl in my eyes) tells the other girls they have a taxi coming to get me soon so make ready for transport. A young fellow arrives with a wheel chair I am loaded on and wheeled out down the hall to a elavator to go down. Going to get the ctca done here. Much discuessin on where to do the IV it has to be bigger IV neddle for the die. They start trying to get it in the right elbow. I tell them they are wasteing their time there as I have been getting blood draws for over 20 year every 3 months for my simbastatins and they have never gotten a drop from there. They finally settle on the right arm and get an IV in and fuushed, tell me about the die how it will warm my body and make me feel like I wet my pants as they wheel me into the machine. 3 times and they say they are finished. they leave the big IV in the right arm. Becomes anoince to me as it is where it catches on every thing. The new nurses come in and start givening me meds I ask what they are and they tell me for my dibetis and I don't know any of the names. At 6:00 PM my blood sugar is 440. I am given a shot they said was novalog but name didn't look like nova log to me. Same with the 100 units of levemer I take in the evening only gave me 75 units despite my saying it was wrong. A blood check at 7:30 PM was taken and was over 500. The doctor was called and i explained to him we had given them a list of my meds and the doasages I take and I suggest you get your stuff together unless you want to kill me!!!! Got the remaining 25 units of levamear but they didn't check my blood gain till just before breakfast. Anyway a long discusstion with my afternoon nurse and wife going over what I have been doing this past week and the nuse admited I had been busy but it was the new lawn mower that made me think I wa shaving a heart attack and I had pulled my chest mucles pusing the thing about 145 yards by hand. This morning the Doctor who had read the report agreed that had probably did the trick, next time use one of my tractors to move it. He was thinking he would. relese me but a big problem had showed up on the ctca and a doctor was going to talk to me about it the doctor showed up and i learned why I have been spitting up those big green goobers of late. I need to make an appointment at his office The heart doctor showed up and gave me great news my heart is in great shape and he was sending a crew prove it was indeed a Heart and not a rock with the cookie monster utrla sound. I was releast at 12:30 PM today with been nice having you around. don't you ever sleep amd more nice comments from those girls. Al
trail twister Glad it wasn't anything serious with your heart. Soon you will be back to the CSS'ing we all enjoy.
Love your description of the trip to the hospital. especially the part that said there was no problem with the heart. Scary stuff!
Glad to hear every thing was/ is good, i bought my new mower 2 wks ago, guess i'll have to let the wife break in on it, if that's what yours did to you, lol. About the IV, the nurse did great, when i had my hip replacement they had a new male nurse come in to stick a needle in me for my IV, honest, it took him 5 try's and i told him no big deal, take a deep breath, calm down, take a break, i'm not going to punch you , and just relax, he got it the 5th try. I felt sorry for the poor guy.
Chest pains are scary as heck. I've even worn a recorder for a week. Heart doc says heart is fine but I still get the pains. Told my wife to sue him if I croak.
big green goobers can be a bacterial infection which can be a low level infection and you could have been fighting it for quite a while, but hey, it could be many things, even a reaction to meds, so, hope whatever it is they put you on a course of remedy to clear it up.
Goopers are a result of emposima(sp) need to see a scpcialest on that. Guess ya'll didn't read about my new mower. It isn't running so I pushed it to the back of the house closer to my pole barn and tools. Al
Good times! I went through similar, but without the overnight last week. As for those Turkey sandwiches, I swear every hospital must have those on standby. I lived on turkey on white and the cookie that came with it when my daughter was born, and again a few days later when my wife was back in the hospital. They were self serve in the maternity ward refrigerator.
Oh..... I can see why it was so hard to push......it appears to be tied down to something........no wonder why you got hurt .......
Glad to hear all was well. Got to like that mower! Comfortable pull-start handle. And the degree of engineering in the cart’s hitch looks like there’s no worry of it wearing out. Now about that tie-down job... I sometimes get a very sharp, special pain, the kind that makes you stop everything and wait for it to subside, often while bent over working on a piece of equipment. The dr says intercostal muscles, and maybe something sliding over something. I think the general message was I’m getting on like that mower and need to act accordingly.
I have had the mower here before for a no start. Once started I liked how it cut and the places I could get it like under low hanging tree branches then back out. But now once I get it running I don't have to return it. I am to sore to be fooling with it right now how ever. That thing came with a tiny ball on it the cart had a tiny hitch that fit it. It had broke before and the dealer fixed it back stock. Second time the hitch part would not move. I drilled a hole in the hitch and used my grease gun to push it out. I suggested he buy a reagular trailer hitch ball so he did. been working that way now for 8 years. Al
Only the heart is OK, still dealing with some thin. Went to the family doctor Monday had a temp of 99F, she scribed anti bodies for penmonia just to be on the safe side. Also still coughing up big green goobers. Have an appointment with a pulmonary doctor Thursday. I am getting tired of the pains in my cheast, freezeing to death in 80F plus temps and sweating buckets when it is in the 60F plus. I don't get sick often but when I do it is a doozy it seems. I have work to do and can't keep laying on my fat back side. Al
Take of yourself and follow the doctors orders, That work will still be there, it always is. The important thing is that you are still with us trail twister
pneumonia sucks. I've had several nurses(maybe a doctor too) say NOT to curl up in a ball in bed or lay flat on your back with pneumonia. To either get one of those adjustable beds and elevate the chest or sleep on the recliner chair so your body is at least somewhat up. Also had a nurse say if I wanted out of the hospital last time I was there to stay out of the bed. I walked just about every corridor of MassGeneral and read two or three books in the ward lobby.
Don't have a comfirmed case of Penmonia by a doctor. She said due to th big green goobers and the fever she was going to treat it like it is. Told me the Pulmonary doctor is a good one and he can either confirm or say Nay on it. Al
