So you think your having a heart attack

Your working and get some pressure in your chest. Being young, " everyone feels too young to be having a heart attack", you keep working for awhile. You find yourself starting to sweat a little and catching your breath is strangely difficult. Sometimes you feel a little sick to your stomach.

Sitting down you go over what you ate for lunch. Was it questionable? Too spicy, too rich. Maybe you start to feel better so you get back to work. But the pain starts to become a nagging thing. Leaving work early you go to bed hoping to feel better in the morning and hoping your not coming down with the crud. But you can't get comfortable and pressure starts to get worse, real pain even. Your loving family member convinces you to be seen in the emergency room.

Laughing nervously you joke with the nurse that your wife or husband insisted you come in, but you know there is nothing wrong with you. But we never let that stop us.

When you arrive your promptly shown to a cot and your clothes are swiftly removed. Faster then you can say heart attack we have you in bed and hooked up to a monitor. While one nurse puts some oxygen in your nose another starts a IV just in case and the EKG tech is waiting to get to you next. As soon as the EKG tech is done a lab person draws your blood.

A nurse brings you a pill for under your tongue and baby aspirin. Your hooked to a machine that takes your blood pressure every few minutes. And happily the pressure goes away and you feel completely normal and fine. Just gas after all your thinking and let me out of here.

But no, a doc comes in and suggests you spend the night for observation. They want to repeat the blood work a couple of times and make sure the pain doesn't come back. Arguing that your only in your 40's does no good and your wheeled upstairs to your room.

Hi, my name is Julie and I am going to be your nurse tonight. Welcome to my floor. I listen while you tell me you feel silly for being here and I hook up your heart monitor. I ask you the exact same questions they just asked you down stairs and I take your vitals again. And I tell you I want to know immediately if you get any pain. On this floor I want your pain level at zero, not 2 or 4 but zero, no chest pain. I tell you how everything works, what you lab says so far and what we will be doing for you.

In the middle of the night the pain comes backs. But this time it is 10 times worse. Your having trouble breathing and your sweating up a storm. You turn on your light and I come in. Taking one look at you I pop a nitro under your tongue and get a set of vitals. You still have oxygen on. I reassure you that I will do all I can to make you feel better. In 5 minutes your pain is better, but still not gone. You have a feeling of doom, your left arm feels a little numb. I give you another pill under your tongue and order a EKG and check you vitals again. We order your lab to be drawn again I compare your new EKG to the old one. I give you morphine.

Breathing easier you feel less scared, but the pain is still in the middle of your chest. Not zero. But so much better. I call the doctor, hang some Nitro in a bag and because your lab work comes back positive I give you a blood thinner and more medication, a beta blocker and take away your water. Now your lucky enough to have me at your bedside the entire time. Your not going to get any sleep tonight you can tell.

The doctor comes in and I update her and because your still having pain decide you need to go the cath lab right away. So besides no sleep you are now getting bathed shaved and signing paperwork. Your family is called and more IV's are hung and before you even know what happened I am telling you your going to be alright and that I will see you later and I walk part way down the hall with you when they come to take you to the cath lab.

I check on all my patients real quick and start to chart all that had happened with you. I know you will be fine, your in good hands. A call light goes off. Julie, your patient in so and so room just called and said they are having chest pain. Some nights are just like that..

I am glad you didn't ignore the pain. I am glad your here so we can help. If you have chest pain always get it checked out. And if it isn't your heart that's great, but if it is. We can help.