What I Haven't Told
So a couple of years ago, about a month before my brother's wedding, I woke up with incredible chest pain. I couldn't get out of bed, and when I did, it was in agonizing pain. I could barely stand from the pain, and would collapse to the floor trying to walk. It hurt to BREATHE.
Understandably, I decided to go to the hospital. Understandably, my housemate B decided that I shouldn't take a bus or taxi (I had no car then), and called me an ambulance. So to my somewhat embarrassment, a team of paramedics came into my room and checked my heart, made note of my CPAP, and then got me bundled up into the ambulance and taken to the hospital. To date, it has been the only time I've been in an ambulance.
The waiting room for the ER however, even in the morning, is still hell. And I didn't bring a book, and my iPod had very little charge on it.
I stayed in the ER waiting room for a while, I can't remember how long, before being taken to a private room (I always get the private rooms, mainly cause I only come in when I think it's serious, but there might be the possibility that there's "Autism" or "asthma" and "allergies" are written on my file and protocols say private room. Or it might be that serious-issue business where they either don't want things to spread, or serious business equipment is in that room).
For the next few hours, a doctor and/or medical student (teaching hospital, yay!) would visit me time to time, checking my heart, asking me about the pain, which steadily went down to a tolerable level.
Since it seemed to be related to how I moved, and was somewhat responding to ibuprofen, the doctor at the hospital concluded that it was a "chest wall inflammation", which I think might more commonly be known as Costochondritis. Don't quote me too much on that, I haven't seen the doctor's notes; they did EKGs and examined my outside, had me stand and move to tell them when and how it hurt, but did no other tests. They let me out with instructions to take it easy and continue taking ibuprofen.
I took the bus home and over the next few days, took it as easy as I could, and luckily, the pain went away in time for the trip and everything was dandy.... until about the time I got diagnosed with migraine headaches. By then, the pain had returned.
Luckily, not as bad as before, but still rather alarming to have spikes of pain in one's chest when I try to lift things, or get myself out of bed, or get myself out of a chair. And there's a constant tightness. And every once in a while, there's a painful POP in my chest.
Well, I did the reasonable thing, and I went to my doctor, who had the report from the hospital. And we tried me on a higher dosage of naproxen. Unfortunately, I do not respond well to it, and had to take myself off uncompleted due to nausea, severe lack of appetite and abdomen aches. (I have since tried over the counter Aleve, and I handle that better; I think on combination with everything else I take, the higher dosage has my body going "fuck that").
Since then, I've been much had chest pain of various degrees, off and on. I've tried acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen (I can't take aspirin); all they do is take the edge off the constant pain so I can get up and work, but they do nothing about the popping pain. The other day, I was at the pharmacy at the grocery store, looking at pain killers, and I turned to the pharmacist to ask about Aleve. She looked shocked when I described my chest pain, and told me to go see my doctor, to get tests done, cause it can be so much more, especially if it's not fully responding to medications.
So. I have a doctor's appointment. It's not until the 24th. So, here's to then.
Understandably, I decided to go to the hospital. Understandably, my housemate B decided that I shouldn't take a bus or taxi (I had no car then), and called me an ambulance. So to my somewhat embarrassment, a team of paramedics came into my room and checked my heart, made note of my CPAP, and then got me bundled up into the ambulance and taken to the hospital. To date, it has been the only time I've been in an ambulance.
The waiting room for the ER however, even in the morning, is still hell. And I didn't bring a book, and my iPod had very little charge on it.
I stayed in the ER waiting room for a while, I can't remember how long, before being taken to a private room (I always get the private rooms, mainly cause I only come in when I think it's serious, but there might be the possibility that there's "Autism" or "asthma" and "allergies" are written on my file and protocols say private room. Or it might be that serious-issue business where they either don't want things to spread, or serious business equipment is in that room).
For the next few hours, a doctor and/or medical student (teaching hospital, yay!) would visit me time to time, checking my heart, asking me about the pain, which steadily went down to a tolerable level.
Since it seemed to be related to how I moved, and was somewhat responding to ibuprofen, the doctor at the hospital concluded that it was a "chest wall inflammation", which I think might more commonly be known as Costochondritis. Don't quote me too much on that, I haven't seen the doctor's notes; they did EKGs and examined my outside, had me stand and move to tell them when and how it hurt, but did no other tests. They let me out with instructions to take it easy and continue taking ibuprofen.
I took the bus home and over the next few days, took it as easy as I could, and luckily, the pain went away in time for the trip and everything was dandy.... until about the time I got diagnosed with migraine headaches. By then, the pain had returned.
Luckily, not as bad as before, but still rather alarming to have spikes of pain in one's chest when I try to lift things, or get myself out of bed, or get myself out of a chair. And there's a constant tightness. And every once in a while, there's a painful POP in my chest.
Well, I did the reasonable thing, and I went to my doctor, who had the report from the hospital. And we tried me on a higher dosage of naproxen. Unfortunately, I do not respond well to it, and had to take myself off uncompleted due to nausea, severe lack of appetite and abdomen aches. (I have since tried over the counter Aleve, and I handle that better; I think on combination with everything else I take, the higher dosage has my body going "fuck that").
Since then, I've been much had chest pain of various degrees, off and on. I've tried acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and naproxen (I can't take aspirin); all they do is take the edge off the constant pain so I can get up and work, but they do nothing about the popping pain. The other day, I was at the pharmacy at the grocery store, looking at pain killers, and I turned to the pharmacist to ask about Aleve. She looked shocked when I described my chest pain, and told me to go see my doctor, to get tests done, cause it can be so much more, especially if it's not fully responding to medications.
So. I have a doctor's appointment. It's not until the 24th. So, here's to then.