Receta February is American Heart Month
February is American Heart Month~
A Scare and Doctors Orders~
Yesterday I had a bit of a scare...in the form of a heart attack.....at least that's what it felt like and that's what I thought I was having.
How ironic that this happened to me in the month of February.....
American Heart Month
February 6th is National Wear Red Day~
One in three women dies of heart disease,
But we have the power to prevent it.
Show your red this National Wear Red Day~
Let me back up here for a moment.....Four Weeks Ago....
I had a Doctor's appointment
This appointment was for routine blood work and to have my medications refilled
Two weeks later, I went back to the Doctor to get the results of my blood work and
Also for any changes made to my medications
Besides the usual blood pressure issues,
Cholesterol woes and fluctuating sugar levels
My blood work was relatively "good"
I have been on high blood pressure medication for at least 12 years
(I was put on high blood pressure medicine when my daughter was a teenager,
but that's a whole different story:)
Anyway, my Doctor added a new blood pressure pill to my regiment,
I already take two
Along with one new high blood pressure pill,
I was to start taking two new cholesterol medications and
One new type 2 diabetes pill
Four new pills in all.
I was to stop taking the high-blood pressure pill that I had been on for 12 years......or so I thought....
I started this new regiment on Wednesday, January 28th
By Thursday afternoon, I was starting to feel "funny" or "off"
By Friday morning, I wasn't feeling "myself"
By Saturday morning, I still wasn't feeling myself...
In fact, I wasn't feeling well at all...
I had a pounding headache, I was dizzy, had loss of appetite
And was extremely exhausted
Now I was having heart "flutterings"
Along with shortness of breath
I want to explain something here, before I go any further...
I am never sick...aside from the usual flu,cold, and sore throat
I have never been "seriously" ill
Other than having high blood pressure and cholesterol issues....
And the usual scolding from my Doctor...
"You need to lose a few pounds and get more exercise,"...
I'm in great shape, for someone my age..
I have never been admitted to the ER
I have never been hospitalized or have had surgery.....
Except to have my children, my wisdom teeth removed when I was 17,
And to have my tonsils taken out when I was 4....if that counts..
I have had two "womanly-type" procedures done,
Both were done in the Doctors office
I have never broken a bone or have had stitches
I've turned left at life's corner and I'm walking towards 60....
So that's pretty darn good...Knock on wood~
Why am I explaining this tidbit of information?
If your like me and never get sick,
When you do get sick....Stop and think...
Don't ignore any symptoms that are unexplained
And go on with your daily life
Don't tell yourself, everything will be fine in the morning
Because....
By Sunday morning, everything wasn't fine,
In fact, things were getting worse, I wasn't feeling fine..
The dizziness was getting worse
So were the heart flutterings or palpitations
I felt nauseated and exhausted
If I was sitting still or laying down, I felt fine....
As soon as I got up and started moving around,
I became winded and my heart started to flip flop
My chest felt heavy....like some one was sitting on it...
And I still had my pounding headache
I have suffered from migraines since I was a teenager
So I am no stranger to incapacitating headaches, but these were different
I was afraid to take my migraine tablets, because of the caffeine in them..but
It was Super Bowl Sunday,
My hubby was going to be home
He said he'd take care of the dogs and
Do the cooking......Thank God I wasn't hungry:)
My hubby is a huge Packers fan, but he's also a huge Pat's fan
So I went to lay down and he proceeded to yell at the TV.
When I got up on Monday morning,
My symptoms had gotten worse
Now I could hardly breathe..it was hard for me to catch my breath
I'm a former 2-pack a day smoker, having quit seven years ago,
I have never had this much trouble breathing, even then..
I was completely out of breathe and shaky
I love my morning coffee, I mean love it....
I can't think until I've had my morning coffee
This morning, I was afraid to even drink a cup.....
I promised my hubby I would call the Doctors office
To see if I could either get in today to see him or
To leave a message with his nurse
I called his office and I left a message with the receptionist
I waited for a call back.
Within 10 minutes, the Physicians Assistant called me back.
I was not prepared for what she was going to say next....
The phone rang...
I answered the phone, "Hello?"
"Hi Lynn, this is Nurse So-in-So from Dr. So-in-So's office.
"I received your message"
"Could you please explain to me what symptoms your having?"
I said, "Sure, I'm having shortness of breath, my heart is fluttering,
my chest feels heavy, I'm dizzy, nauseated and exhausted"
Nurse So-in-So asked, "How long have you been having these symptoms?"
Me..."Since last Thursday..when I changed my medications"
Nurse So-in-So said, "What medications were changed?"
Me..."I stopped taking one of my blood-pressure medications
and started taking a new blood pressure pill, plus a few others"
Nurse So-in-So, "I don't mean to scare you but you have described the top classic symptoms that women experience when they're having a heart attack."
Me... "ok"....
Nurse So-in-So, "Women don't usually experience the same symptoms that men experience"
Me, "ok"...
Nurse So-in-So, "Most women have symptoms for days before they get help"
Me, "ok"...
Nurse So-in-So said, "I want you to leave for the hospital within the next 5 minutes"
Me, "Now?"...
Nurse So-in-So, "Yes, I don't want you to wait, you need to get to the hospital asap"
Me, "Can I drive myself?"
Nurse So-in-So, "No, Is your husband home? Can he take you?"
Me, "He's already left for work"
Nurse So-in-So "Do you have a friend you can call to take you?"
Me, "No, not really."
Nurse, "Can you call a family member?"
Me, "No, well yes, but no, they all live an hour away
Nurse, "A neighbor?"
Me, "Yes, but no, no one's home.....I guess I could call the guy who plows our road"
Nurse, "Should I call you an ambulance?"
Me, "Good God, No"...."I'll call my husband and he'll have to turn around and come back home"
Nurse, "How long will that take?"
Me, "No longer than 25 minutes."
Nurse, "I feel you shouldn't wait that long and you should leave now. I really don't think you should drive either. If your husband isn't there within 30 minutes, call back and we'll send you an ambulance"
Me, "ok"
I hung up the phone and called my hubby
He turned around and headed back home
I wasn't sure what to think....I'm never sick!
This can't be happening to me......
I'm not the one who goes to the ER, everyone else does.
I didn't call Bob or Kim because I knew they where both at school...
They're both teachers
I didn't want to worry them until I knew exactly what was going on
I called Fred, because I knew he was off this week
I knew he was at home watching the kids,
While my daughter was at her Doctors appointment
I told him what was going on and
We would call him later,
When we had more information
Off to the hospital we went....
The minute we walked into the ER and
Told the lady behind the desk what was going on...
I was in a wheel chair and was being whisked back.......
Handing my hubby a sheet of paper....
I barely remember signing...
Hospitals evidently don't mess around with heart attack symptoms.....
I was laying in a bed,
With a hospital gown on,
Having my blood pressure monitored,
My temp taken and
I was being hooked up to an EKG machine
Blood was being drawn from my arm,
A catheter was put in my arm,
In case they had to inject any medications directly into my veins.....
I'm assuming the medication would go directly into my heart..
This entire process took under 10 minutes...
Throughout this whole process I was being asked questions,
After my EKG,
Which was normal and showed no signs that I had had a heart attack
It also showed that I had no blockage or abnormalities of my heart.
Thank you Jesus~
After the EKG and while we were waiting for the results from my blood work-up
The ER Doctor and I were discussing my medications.....
We went through my medications, one at a time...
What I was taking, how often, how long have I been taking them and so on
Within a few minutes
The mystery was starting to become clear....
- One of the blood pressure medications I was taking was 50 milligrams
- That medication is called a beta-blocker
- The new medication I was taking, wasn't a beta blocker
- It was used for blood pressure and for kidney function, it was 5 milligrams
- The Doctor asked if I was still taking the 50 milligrams of beta blocker
I told him no, I didn't think I was suppose to...
He left the room and said he'd be right back..
He came back into the room and said he got the results from my blood work
Everything looked fine....
He went on to say that the reason I was having heart attack like symptoms..
Was due to the fact, that when your taking a beta blocker,
You can't abruptly stop taking it, like I did....
I told the Doctor I felt silly for being there,
That I should have asked my Doctor more questions...
To make sure I understood what medications I was taking and
Why I was taking them.
He reassured me that I wasn't being silly...
The best thing to do when you have unexplained symptoms,
Or your having any of the symptoms I was experiencing,
You need to call your Doctor or
Go to the hospital, ASAP.
He said women don't take heart-attack symptoms seriously...
Many times women have mild heart attacks and
They don't even know they've had one.
I wanted to share my story with you....
To make you more aware of the symptoms of a heart attack...
Heart attacks are very serious...
And should be taken seriously...
Also....
The importance of following your Doctors Orders....
To ask your Doctor questions,
No matter how silly or stupid you might think they are...