posted on May 4, 2007 07:52:45 PM new
one post. don't freak - I'll let everyone know how it turns out. however I believe in the power of prayer.
it's 9:50 Friday evening and I feel kind of bad. I'm waiting until DH gets off at the airport control tower @ 10 and I'm going to have him take me to the emergency room.
At first when I woke up this morning @ 1:30 I thought maybe I had slept on my side in one position too long.
Now I feel like I've got an elephant sitting on my chest. It's gotten progressively worse all day and I know I won't be able to sleep like this. I can barely breathe.
I don't think it's heart related but more like walking pneumonia or something.
posted on May 4, 2007 07:58:26 PM new
I believe in the power of prayer too and you definitely have mine. Walking pneomonia hurts like anything! Make sure they give you something to help you sleep tonight.
posted on May 4, 2007 08:37:08 PM new
I had the same exact symptoms - anxiety attack but the doctors didn't diagnose it as such - I figured it out from a Readers Digest article and later, doctors agreed.
Edited to add: at the time I had excellent insurance. My primary care physician referred me to a well-known cardiologist. She was a friend who dismissed anxiety as a relevant factor. I had a stress test as well as an angiogram (nasty) and three days in the hospital. Diagnosis: abnormal heart rythyms of unknown origins. When I left the hospital, I still felt as if an elephant was sitting on my chest. It wasn't until I read the Reader's Digest article of similar symptoms that I could recognize the stress I had denied- my company was relocating me, my husband quit his job, we just bought a beach house, our tenant died.
[ edited by pixiamom on May 4, 2007 08:57 PM ]
posted on May 4, 2007 09:38:39 PM new
LB, you should not have waited for your husband to come home.
It's probably not heart related, but you can not sure of that.
Don't forget the "golden hour" when it comes to pain or feelings of chest pressure.
posted on May 4, 2007 09:47:21 PM new
A few years ago I was wandering all over Tokyo thinking I have a heart attack,it turns out to be GAS,I have a bad case of acid reflux.
I hope everything is ok,let us know in the morning.
*
Lets all stop whining !
*
posted on May 4, 2007 10:11:20 PM new
That's definitely how a panic attack feels. Pressure and pain and not being able to get a full breath. It's pretty scary even when you know what it is.
posted on May 5, 2007 02:26:55 AM new
eek LB you sound like me . I always wait till the last dang minute for the hospital/doctors office run. We both need our butts whipped . Please let us know your alright and know your in our prayers.
that was the dr's diagnosis after everything. I did have really bad heartburn all day.
I knew it wasn't heart related but it was kind of scary.
I had a sister that died a few months ago from an enlarged heart but I'm pretty sure she did all kinds of drugs like meth etc. But she was only 2 years older than me. My family hasn't had any heart problems that I know of.
Weird huh? Acid reflux. Felt more like double pneumonia.
posted on May 5, 2007 08:45:27 AM new
Glad you are feeling better and that it was not something more serious.
I was taken to hospital a few months ago. It was my first ever ride in an ambulance ( and I'm retired!) and it was scary. Huge chest pain, turns out it was a spasm of the eosphagus (sp?).
The Doctors agreed that we should never ignore chest pain so you did the right thing.
posted on May 5, 2007 08:59:19 AM new
Very glad to hear it wasn't worse! Tip to all: if you have chest pains, take an aspirin (if you can tolerate them) and get to the emergency room (don't drive!) A simple blood test will tell if you are having or had a heart attsck.
posted on May 5, 2007 11:15:38 AM new
So glad to hear that you are okay glassgrl, I am sure it was pretty scary. As an RN I want to tell everyone never to ignore chest pains. Women especially get the pain in odd places like the jaw or neck. It is much better to find out that it's nothing serious, than to leave it too late. My husband has been rushed to the hospital twice, and it turned out to be a gastric ulcer, but it is much better so be safe than sorry.
posted on May 5, 2007 01:03:27 PM new
Glassgrl, glad to hear your news.
Also to repeat the advice given in a thread a few weeks ago.. Do not ignore the signs of a stroke or blood clot.
As I explained in that thread, my husband had a pain in his calf and it was swelled and warm to the touch. Those are the symptoms of deep vein thrombosis. We were lucky to find that it was a ruptured Baker's cyst behind his knee. The doctor said no treatment was needed if the swelling went down by itself. It is finally gone. He did tell us that he would have been in the emergency room in a flash if he had the same symptoms.
-----o----o----o----o----o----o----o----o
“The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as of the pen.”
Maholy-Nagy, Vision in Motion, 1947
posted on May 5, 2007 05:15:26 PM new
I have had the same problem for more years than I can count. The pain goes across my left chest into my left armpit and down my left arm. Eventually toward the end of the pain it settles under my left scapula which means the gas is moving slowly through my stomach and small intestine but moving. I got tired of taking malox etc and now I just swallow half a glass of a carbonated drink of some sort or other. Eventually I burp and it goes away. Inbetween the swallowing and the burp I sometimes take acetaminophen to kill the pain. Works every time. More people rush to the ER with pains like this thinking they are having a heart attack than you could imagine but people with heart attacks usually break out in a profuse sweat as well plus the pain from a heart attack is not that prolonged.
buyhigh
posted on May 5, 2007 05:22:03 PM new
Whewwww ! Glad to hear you just had gas [grin] not something people are normally happy about hehe ! Better safe than sorry tho , you did the right thing. Many blessings to you and your family ,the stress levels were probably high last night.So make sure you get some rest.
[ edited by toasted36 on May 5, 2007 05:22 PM ]
posted on May 5, 2007 05:37:50 PM new
Buyhigh,
Have you seen a gastro doctor,he will suggest you get an endoscopy exam,he may throw in a colonscopy too !
Have you ever taken a H Pylori bacteria breath test,these days you can have it done in your office?
All the OTC and prescription acid reflux medications have side effects (constipation,diarhea,headache ,bloating ),
keep your bowel moving and chew gum all day will help neutralise gas in your stomach.
You also have to 'baby' your stomach,you dont want to eat too much of the food which irritates the lining such as tomato sauce,dairy,chocolate,caffeine,soda pop,spice,greasy food,deep fried stuff.
posted on May 5, 2007 07:03:17 PM new
No because I have an HMO called Kaiser and my internist ( gatekeeper) is not about to order all that stuff nor is going to refer me to a specialist. I have been seeing him for well over 6 years and I know just how he operates but on the other hand he is very highly regarded and in demand. A routine appointment is a 8 week wait when one calls for one.
Besides I have had this condition for years and years and sometimes it is stress related. Doesn't occur more than a couple times a month and anyway they have signs in the Clinic elevators about GERD. Too many people rushing to the ERs and acute care clinics with it.
PS worked in the medical field in hospitals for over 40 years so I have a pretty good idea of what to worry about.
buyhigh
posted on May 5, 2007 09:01:52 PM new
Glad you're okay, Glassgrl!
I've only had heartburn once but I will never forget the experience. I was seven months pregnant and I ate a whole plate of chile verde burritos. I thought I was going to die and take my baby with me. How people live with that kind of pain on a daily basis is beyond me.
posted on May 5, 2007 10:33:49 PM newWeird huh? Acid reflux. Felt more like double pneumonia.
Glassgrl,
Now you know what people with Athsma feel like when they have an attack. One thing you might not have known is most people that have Athsma, also have Acid Reflux. I have both and know exactly what you went through. You will want to watch your breathing in the next few weeks for possible additional problems.
You will also want to treat any reflux problems you maybe having. Tums are very bad and usually add to the problem. Rolaids do offer very short term relief and can be used until stronger medicine takes effect. Pepcid AC is very good and can be taken while you are having an attack, but also use the Rolaids for your short term as the Pepcid will take about an hour to work.
Also, if you need to take Pepcid more than 3 times a week, you will want to see your Doctor for stronger treatment options as this is almost always a sign of severe Acid Reflux disease. If untreated, it can cause Athsma or Athsma related problems, and it has been linked to many cancers.
I did read one extremely bad piece of advice here though.
NEVER, EVER USE SODA POP AS A FIX FOR REFLUX What reflux does is erode the lining of your esophagus. Soda pop does the same. The carbonation is very corrsive and will only add to the problem.
I just thought of one more thing. You should not wait to go see the doctor if this happens again. Even though you may not have been having a heart attack, you were likely having some kind of Athsmatic attack. This can be just as dangerous. If you don't treat this type of attack early, it can be fatal. I have emergency inhalers at home, work, in my car and usually I carry one with me just in case. Hopefully you don't ever get to that point, but don't ignore the symptoms either.
[ edited by ST0NEC0LD613 on May 5, 2007 10:46 PM ]
posted on May 6, 2007 02:30:56 AM new
Oh, glassgrl... just read all of this... i'm so glad to hear that you're going to be alright. Hope you had a restful night.
posted on May 6, 2007 06:20:19 AM new
Soda pop and caffeine are both bad for acid reflux sufferers,baking soda works but it contains salt ,so does alka selzer.
You may want to stock up on extra strength GAS-X,it will remove the gas in your system but it wont stop your stomach from producing more gas.
Zantac has been around for eons,and the latest 150mg is strong.
Prilosec is now OTC,but it does not seem to work as well as the prescription version.
Try to take a few pieces of gum(sugar free if you like) and chew them together,your own saliva contains bicarbonate and will neutralise the acid in your stomach,the motion of chewing somehow is good for the esophagus.Dont throw the gum away and rechew it the next day.
As we get older,our stomach produces less acid ,the symptom of not enough acid and too much acid is similar.
If you feel bad as soon as you eat,you may suffer from a case of not enough acid to digest your food,not too much acid.
Try drinking OJ,pineapple juice or cranberry juice,if you feel instantly better,then you dont have enough acid to digest food,esp meat,pasta .dairy and high fiber veggies.
*
Lets all stop whining !
*
posted on May 10, 2007 09:36:27 PM new
Here is a link to the Prilosec site. It gives some quick details about GERD. It will tell you many of the foods & drink that cause it and what you can do to improve your symtoms.
posted on May 12, 2007 06:12:14 AM new
Most people (and lots of doctors) treat GERD as a nuisance problem - in the early stages that is true. However, the longer this condition persists the more damage it causes. I suffered from GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease) for many years and the pain was horrendous. I wound up in the ER several times thinking I was having a heart attach. It turns out that the acid was eating ulcers into my esophageous. I was on several times the normal amount of the strongest acid preventor and nothing worked. My doctor said the only alternative was surgery. Smartest thing I ever did!!!!!. The procedure is done by laproscope so there are only 5 small wounds. The esophageous is pulled down and turned to the left to prevent stomach contents from rising back up into the esophageous. The results are immediate - NO MORE ACID PAIN!!!!! No more burning - no more pain through the back - no more waking up every half hour through the night choking on acid. It is a wonderful piece of surgery.
All that said my comfort was not the issue. GERD left to do its damage can and will cause esophageal cancer - not something anyone would want to have happen.
Only drawback from the surgery is the inability to release gas through the esophageous (comes out the other end) and the inability to vomit. Small price to pay to save someone from all the constant pain and the chance of cancer.
If you suffer from constant reflux ask your doctor about surgery. The tests to see if you can have the surgery are not fun but the payoff is incredible and the recovery time is short.
. Please let us know your alright and know your in our prayers.
not something people are normally happy about hehe ! Better safe than sorry tho , you did the right thing. Many blessings to you and your family ,the stress levels were probably high last night.So make sure you get some rest.