So ...... For those of you who thought they had a Halloween to remember , I think this will be the one for me . As we drop off Timmy and Patrick at the Greenes for what we think is a couple of hours of trick or treating , Carol quietly says to me she is still having chest pains , which she says had started around 1:00 in the morning , which I had not known . Now this is something that has happened before , and yes she has been under a doctors care for a irregular heartbeat for several years . However she proceeds to say , this is different and maybe we should call a doctor . Tommy in the back seat gets quiet , and she and I chat for 30 seconds , at which point we head to the emergency room at Anne Arundel Hospital for our Halloween . Its now 6:00 am as I type this , so if you hate long stories , you might want to move on. It does have a Happy conclusion though . We get to the ER and prepare for a long wait . Tommy waits in the car , as I parked very close to the entrance . Oh by the time I get the car parked and I walk in , Carol is already being seen by a doctor . There are about 30 people there waiting , but chest pain moved her to the top of the list . I am trying to be slightly light hearted , but to be honest , this really makes you reflect as you walk into an ER . I say this , so any of you that ever go through this will NOT do what we did . I go to the front desk , ask where she has been taken , and am ushered in to where she is . They have already hooked her up to monitors , and we await an EKG . Its 7:14 when I get there . Its 9:15 and we finally see a doctor who says they need to run more tests . Not what you want to hear . I leave the ER and race to get the other 2 kids who are trick or treating at our friends house .They told the kids we were held up eating . They had not eaten ,so we run to McDonalds ( have not eaten there in at least 6 months ) and by that time its 9:45 , so I head home to drop them off and tell them I will be back and to go to bed . I head back to he ER , and find she has been moved to await more tests , blood work , chest X-ray , and a digestive track test . They all come back like the EKG , negative , which is good news . Its now 12:45 , and we get news that she needs a nuclear CAT scan , so thats done .Its also negative which is good news again , and its 1:15 am . However there is one small problem .... Whats the cause ? That the doctor tells me , is the reason she will be spending the night , to under go more tests in the morning . So off I go , her purse in hand home . Its 1:30 . I get home , kids are asleep , and I fall in bed .....I roll over at 3:20 and the phone rings . I grab it on the 1st ring . Its Carol ..... Come and get me as they have discharged me . I dont need to be told twice , so off I go . I pick her up at the ER , and she tells me she has been diagnosed with an inflammation of the lining of the heart , which is a viral infection , and can be treated with antibiotics . She still is uncomfortable , and has minor chest pain . We got home at 4:30 am , and the alarm went off at 5:30 for the boys to head to school . I drove them to the bus , and here I sit , with Patrick getting ready for his bus at 7:15 . Carol is sleeping ...... The point in ALL of this ,is to tell you .....dont wait when you think there is a problem , and you know yo should see a doctor . We were stupid .....this all has ended well , but it could have been a mess .if you have chest pain , dont assume its indigestion , or acid reflux , or just simple gas .....get he hell to the doctor , and DONT wait until night time to do it . Do it ASAP . I am sorry this is so long , but I thought it was important ....it really is better to be safe than sorry . Oh and I hope you had a Happy Halloween .....
Posted on: Fri, 01 Nov 2013 11:03:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015