Wow, I can't believe I'm at 5000 page views in 7 months. Thank you to all my readers. Your support has made every day struggles a little easier. I"m happy you continue to stop by.
On my way home Thursday evening around 4:50 I pulled over on the side of the road and just sat for a few minutes. Then I called my daughter and she called 911. I had tried my husband but couldn't reach him. The ambulance came and B, D and myself were in the ER until 11:45 that night. Here is what happened.
I was with baby C on Thursday. I had started taking the medicine the gastroenterologist prescribed the day before. It seemed to help for a few hours but the chest pains would come back a few hours after each dose. That particular day I had taken it at 5:30am so I could eat breakfast before leaving. ( your supposed to take one hour before meal on empty stomach) The morning went well but around 2pm the symptoms started. I text my husband and told him. He said it will last longer when you've been taking awhile. Ok, so what do I do meanwhile? The more time passed the worse it got. It's really scary to not be able to seem to catch your breath. It made me think about my son when he was young with his asthma. I could hear him trying to breath down the hall into my bedroom. I realize how difficult it is for people with breathing problems. I was a day away from it being a week dealing with this.
Baby C's mom was home early and she was worried about me. She didn't want me to drive. She offered to bring me home. I assured her I'd be fine. I told her I've been driving like this for days. I assured her the medicine would kick in soon and I'd be fine. I was trying to wait til 5 but I couldn't take chest pain and breathing problems any longer. I took it around 4:30. I left and promised her I'd text her when I made it home. Unfortunately I never made it there.
I called my husband as soon as I got in my car. I wanted to talk to him on the way home because I was really feeling strange. Even if I had reached him I could hardly talk because I just couldn't catch my breath to save my live. A few miles down the road and I started feeling tingling in my fingers and following that it moved up arms to my neck and into my face. I really thought I was having a heart attack. It got to the point that I had no control over my fingers and started having trouble holding the steering wheel. Apparently I was going slow because people were blowing their horn at me. Within minutes I pulled to side of road and called my daughter. I don't know what I was thinking. What could she do for me when she was 20-30 minutes away? I guess I thought she could tell me what was wrong. By this time, I now realize, I was hyperventilating. I couldn't get anything out to tell my daughter. It took her quite some time to understand where I was. She called 911 and talked with them until someone came.
I remember people passing by and just staring at me like I was crazy. After what seemed like forever a police officer tapped on my window and asked me if everything was ok. Before I could get out what was going on a nice lady in some sort of uniform who had just got off of work came to the door and took over. I remember her giving me instructions on what to do and assuring me it was going to be ok help was on the way. I managed to get across to her about my fingers arms and neck. She told me until I got my breathing under control it was only going to get worse. She gave me an oxygen mask but it didn't help. I wasn't much help by the time the ambulance arrived I couldn't talk at all. They asked about medications but my daughter wasn't sure about everything. I managed to reach in my purse and feel around for my list.
After that I don't remember much. I don't remember the ride or getting there. What I remember first after leaving my car was being in the hall in the hospital and a nurse taking my temp another blood pressure then one came to draw blood. My husband got there around that time. My breathing was under control at that point but my entire body was shaking. D kept grabbing my foot trying to help me. I put up a fuss about the blood work because I had just been stuck the day before at gastroenterologist office. She convinced me to do it then left the darn thing suck in there in case they needed it and they did. Then they wanted the sample in the cup. Not so bad if your legs are working. I got up to walk and almost fell. I would have if D wouldn't have been there to catch me. EKG, Chest x ray everything my GP had ordered on Monday. Of course they were all negative. I knew that because they were negative on Monday.
He wanted one more test and if was negative I could go home. Cat scan, with and without contrast. At least they didn't have to stick me again for the contrast one. It was negative also. We left the hospital at 11:45. Thanks to a dear friend and my daughter my car was already home. They went back and got my car and brought it home for me. It had been moved to the median, doors unlocked, flashers still on and a sticker on the back saying it will be towed if not moved by..... it had a date on it. I don't remember.
I haven't left my house since then. Everyday it starts at the same time and continues until I go to bed. It's been a long and wasteful week end. I'm not any better after 4 days of the medication and the ER doctor upped the dose to 40mg instead of 20. I'm just dealing with it. A few times over last three days I've lost it. It really starts to get to you gasping for air continually for days.
I've been working on this post all day long. I started this morning. I realized today that the same day this all started I had started a new medication for sleep the night before. I did some searching today on and off when I felt well enough to be on the computer. I found on the drug site and patients who had the same problem who were taking this medicine. The drug company even lists trouble breathing and chest pain as a side effect. I've lost my voice and can't clear my throat no matter how hard I try. I'm stopping the medication until after the scope on Wednesday to see if there is any change without it.
Thanks again for all your support in my journey.
God Bless, Theresa
Every day is a new battle, you can either fight on, or put up your hands and admit defeat.
No comments:
Post a Comment