More Drama than CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX Put Together!

Hi everyone ...

More drama added to my story today. I keep praying it's all going to end, and then more gets dumped into my lap.

Fell asleep for a few minutes yesterday afternoon in my chair, sitting up. When I woke up, I had this tightness in my chest. I figured it was my medicine stuck in my throat (you all can probably relate to the feeling of something lodged just below your breastbone). I went on to work and when I walked in felt terrible. Met the therapist in the office who demanded I call the campus nurse. She wanted me to call 911 as she thought I might be having a heart attack. I managed to drive myself to urgent care where they checked me out, ran an EKG, gave me baby asprin, and called the ambulance. Off to the hospital I was raced.

Called Tim upon arrival to alert him of the situation. Had blood drawn to check cardiac enzymes. Had a chest x-ray. Spoke to the ER doc and then a cardiologist who advised me the tests were fine but they were keeping me overnight to monitor my heart.

Tim arrived (having taken a taxi, bless his heart) and I was taken upstairs. Tim eventually reached my friend Barb and she came and took him home. She also brought him back today, picked me up, and took us back to our car at urgent care.

Today I spoke with the doctor on call for my doctor's office. He said he feels many over reacted, but at least my heart seems to be okay. Always better to be safe than to be sorry. Then I had an echocardiogram. Spoke with the cardiologis who said that my heart seems to be just fine. To be sure, I have to call and set up an appointment to have a nuclear stress test done. Oh goody! Then he goes on to tell me the chest x-ray shows an enlarged nodule which may be nothing but I'll have to see a pulmonary specialist. That person showed up a bit later and said he feels the nodule is a calcium deposit, but it will have to be checked out further. I'll need a CAT scan. It can wait 3-4 weeks while I deal with the leg situation. Thanks for the small things!

I've been discharged and am at home now. Spoke to the manager at work and work was a living hell yesterday with many staff not showing up or having some sort of problem. The campus site director had to work in our home along with the clinical director. I say good enough for them to have to get involved and see how things really are than to sit in their offices always telling us what we're doing wrong. At any rate, I don't go back to work until Tuesday afternoon. *sigh*

I'm pretty tired. They had to poke me many times. The IV the paramedic started in the ambulance blew the vein. Then the IV therapis had a difficult time establishing a new IV. It was very frustrating and I have a HUGE purple bruise on my left forearm now. Also had to have shots in the tummy (blood anti-coagulant). Was not in a private room this time and the older woman (age 72) was restless and kept me awake. I did take a nap with Tim a bit ago.

Anyway ... I still have to see the surgeon on Wednesady. Have to call the cardiologist on Monday to set up the stress test and eventually call the pulmonary specialist for the CAT scan follow-up. One fun thing after another, it seems.