Gonna be a long meandering post, so bear with me…or skip it.
So back in 2003 I was living in Portland and working wherever the boats were throwing their lines. I had just gotten back from Virginia and getting the shit kicked out of me, and not paid much at all with various hurricanes.
As was standard every time I cross the Mason Dixon line I get a nasty cold. This one was the WORST, I was essentially on my back for almost two weeks with common-cold symptoms turned up to 11. When the cold started to break my right arm and throat were achy. I assumed the pain was from coughing and excessive video game play….but it kept getting worse, so my Mom brought me to a clinic.
The clinic looked at me like I was crazy (my arm hurt, but it wasn’t tender anywhere, and there was no weakness) until they hooked me up to an EKG…then they called an ambulance to take me to the hospital because I might be having a heart-attack.
I was 24, no family history, non-smoker and I don’t do cocaine. They believed all of that but the cocaine part. Seriously, they asked it a million times, because coke is the only thing that will make a 24 year old with no family history, in good health have a heart attack.
Turned out I had a bout with Pericarditis, I spend the night hooked up to a heart monitor getting my blood drawn, and then they turned me lose with an advisory to take ibuprofen for the pain, and don’t strain myself.
I told you that story so I could tell you this one.
Last night I was headed up to bed when my left shoulder started to ache. I lifted weights the night before, and had been slacking so it could have been some soreness.
But the pain was VERY general, and more of a dull ache, and it seemed to wander into my upper arm and neck.
It reminded me of the bout with Pericarditis, so I talked to Mrs. Weer’d, and my Mom (who’s an RN), and at this stage I was getting myself a bit worked up guessing and second guessing.
So we decided to take a little trip to ye local small hospital…which is awesome by the way as the lines were short and the staff was awesome.
Fast forward 3 hours, my EKG was normal, blood work was normal, and the Ibuprofen I took before bed were working and there was no discomfort.
I was discharged with a referral to a cardiologist just-in-case.
Frankly I think I probably pulled something, but thought it felt like dissociated chest pain…which if read anything about it doesn’t feel like anything in particular, and can feel like anything.
So yeah, we got to bed at a little after 0200 this morning.
Alarm rang at 0600 so we could go into Boston to go to Mass General Hospital to talk to Mrs. Weer’ds new Epileptologist who is awesome (and because I’m a racist I think because he’s Indian that also makes him a better doctor…Her Surgeon was Arab of some sort…Brown makes good Doctors, yo!) and thinks are looking good for going forward with Weer’d-lings! Yayyyy!
So yeah that’s been my Friday so far, how’s yours?
Glad you’re doing OK. Heart problems are not something you want to ignore.
Weer’dlings? Is the universe ready for that?
YAY WEERDLINGS!!!!
I’ve got a *primo* babysitter for you in a few years. Just sayin’…
Had a bout of Pericarditis when I was in college, just turned 22, not over weight, in good health…..drove myself down to the local tiny ER not having a clue what it was, but being very freaked out by it. Spent a few hours being hooked up to all sorts of things and having a set of chest Xrays done before being sent home and told to take ibuprofin. Definetly a freaky experience.
Glad to hear that your latest bout wasn’t an emergency after all!
Interestingly enough, kinda similar to yours… Crashed my motorcycle on Tuesday, broke my right (of course my right…) radius, and just got home earlier today after yesterday’s metal plate insertion. Not having a whole lot of fun…
Hope your scare is over too, and oh god… We’erdlings! Aieeee! 😉
OMG Gen! That’s the real deal! Glad you’re OK, and speedy recovery!
That’s what can happen when you overindulge in Getyourownies. 🙂
Actually had an incident back when I was 18 going through a Navy School (1977). Had played a little B-Ball, my chest was sore, wouldn’t go away, went to the Base Clinic, they hooked me up to an EKG, and they discovered I have a Systolic Heart Murmur. Since 1 in 3 people supposedly have one, it didn’t disqual me for Duty, but they said to keep an eye on me Pump. Fast forward to ’84, start passing Gall Stones, spent 2 days in ICU at the old Pease Air Force Base Hospital (I was stationed up at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at the time), all because of that murmur.
So yeah, I agree, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
So how’s sleeping on the couch working for you?
None of this makes any sense to me. I’m going to go read Joan’s blog…..
LOL I see a trend here.
BTW if this blog doesn’t make sense to you, but Joan’s post-menopausal banshee wails do, you might want to consult a psychiatric doctor….
Tee hee! Now you’re getting it!
Crossing fingers for Weer’dlings………
Thanks dude! 8)
Glad your episode wasn’t anything serious. Just got out of the ICU myself a few weeks back due to another round of atrial fibrillation. Not fun when the heart is racing along at 210 while laying down. I knew I should have stopped at three lines of coke!
As for Weerdlings, are they live birth or hatched from a nest in the sand?
So you get to untie the knot in the hog? When you do, keep a grip on it so it doesn’t slip back inside.
LOLWUT???? 😀
Glad you are “more gooder” than you thought and, frightening as it may be, little weerdlings running around will be outstanding.
Dude! Really glad you’re not dead!!!!!!
Glad you got that sorted out. Chest pains are not to be ignored.
Now…don’t do that anymore!