Been a little sick...

Last week, on Monday evening Daryl picked me up from work and took me to the ER..
I had been having chest pains that started severely on the way to work, and I couldn't get deep breaths.. I was panicking a bit thinking it was heart attack... Since last March the nurse practitioner at my Doctor's office said I had "angina" I worry when I have chest pains...  

So we get to the ER, they triage me very quickly, do a quick EKG it looks OK.. they do my O2 sensor, its about 85%, they then take me back to the biggest ER space I have ever seen, and it did need to be large, it was full of people.. at least 6 people, one of them a Dr, then nurses, aides, I don't know who all else.. They hooked me up immediately to a blood pressure machine, gave me oxygen, and put the o2 sensor on my finger. I started setting off the alarm on the machine.. my blood pressure was very VERY high.. (like 197 over 125 or something like that)   They gave me a "nitro" pill under my tongue, but it didn't help the chest pain.. They told me if it WAS my heart, that should have helped.. I had a chest xray, and lab work, and an iv put in my arm (very painfully too!)

The Dr said he didn't think I was having or HAD a heart attack, but he wanted to keep me to watch me, so they admitted me to the Cardiac Care unit.  I felt awful, my head hurt, my chest hurt, I wanted to just scream at everyone how bad I felt, but I didn't have the breath to even do that.

The next morning early they took me in for a CT scan of my chest.  The doctor came in, told me it looked like my heart was OK, but my lungs looked a little cloudy on the CT Scan.. (what that meant? no one said) ..  I threw up that morning, so they started giving me something for that.. (But I think it was all the OTHER stuff they were giving me that made me throw up!) She did say she thought it was some "esophageal" problems, and IF she was still working at the county hospital (John Peter Smith) she could just arrange me to get a scope down my esophagus and take a look.. but at this hospital, with our insurance, it wasn't an easy thing to get done.. (But in my opinion.. IF she thought it was a problem, WHY not get the scope done? Insurance would have paid?? ) But anyhow.. her diagnosis verbally to Daryl and myself, was gastro stuff, and anxiety/stress....  (with the anxiety causing the High blood pressure and headaches I was told)

By Tuesday afternoon with the exception of still having chest pain, and my O2 levels being sort of low, (was measured at 94% before I left the hospital) I was doing OK. I ate a little supper, watched NCIS marathon on the USA channel.. (Big excitement for me, we don't have cable, and I have missed the entire last season of NCIS because I work nights)

The nurse came in and visited with me a bit during the night, I couldn't sleep, and she had some "free time" so she sat and talked to me, it was so nice having someone be so kind. I do have to say EVERYONE at Harris Southwest Hospital was awesome, nice, caring and kind.

Wednesday morning, the doctor came in, said she would LIKE to keep me another night, (I had been having a lot of REALLY bad headaches) but there wasn't a lot they could do for me, except get fluids in me and let me rest..  I didn't tell her my chest was still hurting a lot, nor did I mention the headache was still there, they didn't seem concerned with it. They had the idea it was all gastro.. and I just wanted to go home..

Basically all that came from the 2 day hospital stay was - I found I DIDN'T have any heart issues going on at this time ( I do still have to have a stress test) And I did have anxiety/stress for sure...  But that didn't explain the chest pain, or shortness of breath. They DID send me home with an RX for antibiotics - which they said was to treat whatever the "cloudiness" in my lungs was, and also blood pressure medicine, and an inhaler, which they didn't say WHY, just that in case I needed it...  but why? I wasn't wheezing, coughing, or anything.. just had chest pain and couldn't breathe well...  

So come home, get an appointment with my doctor.. have to wait till today (Tuesday, after going home on Wednesday) I walk in, tell them what was going on, what the hospital Dr said, etc.. she pulls up info from the hospital (Got to LOVE electronic records for this! They had EVERYTHING there on the computer! )

Then the doctor comes in and says.. Well, you know what's wrong?? You have Pneumonia.. I said WHAT???  He said , yep, right there in black and white on the hospital records is a diagnosis of pneumonia, along with the xray and ct scan results to back it up..   He did say he thought I had some GERD issues, and probably stress/anxiety as well, BUT the main problem, chest pain/shortness of breath was from the pneumonia.   The doctor today listened to my lungs, measured my O2 .. (was 94% - which is low), and told me I could NOT go to work at least until next week, and even then that was iffy.. and when I did go back, I need to go back at half time, I AM physically exhausted, I am not coughing a lot.. a little congested and have a little cough, which I just thought was from germs at the hospital..  but I am tired.. my chest hurts, my back hurts too, and I have been attributing it to not sleeping well since the chest pain started, but the doctor said it was from the pneumonia... and my immune system is just shot to heck. My blood pressure was still a little high.. even on the Lopressor. Today it was 155/95 which while high, is not as bad as it was in the hospital.

BUT -  -  --  NO ONE at the hospital ever mentioned that I had pneumonia...   so THAT was why I was given an inhaler... Pity no one told me that, I didn't use one at all since I have been home, because having 3 kids with asthma, I know what wheezing is, and I wasn't wheezing... so didn't think I needed it.

But I have taken my antibiotics... I did the inhaler today, didn't notice a lot of help in relieving the chest pain, but I did notice a LOT more "racing" of my pulse..  and I rested.. I rested a lot, and I have a wonderful husband who rubbed my calves when they were cramping, and takes such wonderful care of me.

I am just glad to have an answer to WHY I have been having such severe chest pain the last week..  I have had chest pain before, but they pretty much didn't make a huge deal out of it. They said it was angina, avoid stress.. eat healthy and get exercise...  But at least now I know what THIS chest pain is caused by... Just wish it would just go away.

So that's been my lovely week...  started out on the 29th thinking I was having a heart attack, and 8 days later I find out I have bronchial pneumonia... :)  Off to my sofa to sleep a while now...  even sick mamas have things to do during the day, and tomorrow is no exception.. Jessie to bells, then art class.. Becca to class, then I am going to park to visit my friends..  THEN I need to take the toyota down to get inspected..  Maybe I will get a nap sometime.