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My dh is in the hospital. Please pray for him. (cc)

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My boys are waiting for me to join them for their 'camp out', so this will be quick. (I had to think of something fun to do for the night to distract them from the fact that daddy is in the hospital, so we're all sleeping in the living room, and having cookies and milk while we watch a Blues Clues video.)

 

We spent seven hours in the emergency room today. I took Dh there because he was having severe chest pain. EKG was normal, they checked his blood for some sort of 'marker' that he had a heart attack, and that was negative. They took an ultrasound of his gallbladder and liver, those were fine. They're thinking perhaps an ulcer, but the've got a bunch of other tests they're running in the morning.

 

I'm at home with my boys. Dh is comfortable (they gave him some medication). I feel like I've been hit by a truck. Seven hours in an emergency room with two small boys and a husband with chest pains can really take it out of you. :tongue_smilie: And we still don't know what's wrong with him.

 

If you could, would you pray that they figure out what is causing my dh such pain? Thank you.

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TravelingChris

TravelingChris

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Prayers here.

 

I have had esophageal spasms that feel like a heart attack. (Not just my opinion but also a gastroenterologist who wrote a book about it). THe treatment for me was nitroglycerin pills after they decided what it was but I spent a good eight hours in the er that day. My enzymes were fine and my EKG was fine too. THe underlying cause was long time NSAID use because of my arthritis. I can never use NSAIDS again because of this.

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No news yet. They got him up at 7am for a stress test, plus some other test where they put this crazy dye in your veins. Maybe they are the same test? I'm a bit sleep deprived, so I'm having a bit of trouble keeping up with everything today. Dh wants me to wait until after lunch to come to the hospital. The boys and I are cleaning up the house.

 

I called my stepkids last night to fill them in. We were supposed to have gotten them for the evening last night; obviously that didn't happen. I finally lost it when my stepdaughter said 'So what can I do?', I said 'Oh nothing honey, dad will be fine, they're just running the tests, they gave him medicine, he's not in any pain', and she said 'No, I meant I'm worried about YOU!' What a sweet girl. She could tell even over the phone that I was having trouble holding it together.

 

I'm anxious to be up at the hospital with him, but he really wants me to stay home for a few more hours. The little boys are with me, of course, and will go with me to the hospital. Dh says there's nothing I can do there, I should keep them home for a while.

 

I think I'm having some anxiety. Last night, when I finally got the boys settled in, I laid down on the couch. I had really sharp pains in my back, and I felt like I couldn't take a deep breath. Like there was some sort of heavy weight on my chest. I never have back or breathing problems, so I figure it was just stress or anxiety. I didn't sleep well, to put it mildly. :tongue_smilie: More like I didn't sleep. I still have really sharp pains in my back. I feel like I'm just barely holding it together, but I can't go falling apart, the boys need me.

 

So, prayers for strength would be much appreciated. And any suggestions on how to calm the anxiety would be great, too. Usually stess doesn't bother me much physically, but it's getting to be a bit more than I can handle today. I'm wondering if I called our family doctor if he could call in a prescription for something to help? I hate to take pills for it, but I don't know what else to do.

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i.love.lucy

i.love.lucy

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Is there any way you can call a friend to take the boys for a couple of hours? I would guess that would help you to be able to go to the hospital to focus on DH for a while and give the boys a break from anxious mommy and sick-appearing daddy. I don't know, just a thought. Sometimes if the kids are anxious too they won't want to go play somewhere but be with you instead.

 

Definitely eat. You can't fight off anxiety and stress without proper nutrition. Eat a good lunch, have a cup of tea, find a quiet 10 minutes to pray if you can, and maybe even read your favorite Psalm. I like 145 as a reminder of God's awesome power and strength.

 

:grouphug:

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MariannNOVA

MariannNOVA

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:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

Thoughts and prayers are with you!

 

As far as the stress/anxiety, it IS very real. When you get 'that' feeling, if you can, change your location, i.e., if you are inside, go outside, take slow, deep breaths, and tell yourself that it IS stress, continue the breaths, focus on something (a star in the sky, the temp of the air, something) while breathing -- it should help. Anxiety attacks are scary -- I'm so sorry!

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:grouphug:

 

Can your step-daughter watch your boys for a few hours while you go to the hospital?

 

I thought about this; when I called yesterday, I talked to their mother, who insisted that I let her know if there was anything they could do (we get along well). But dsd goes to public highschool, and is in honors classes. I'd hate to ask her to miss a day to babysit. I'd take the boys somewhere, but dh doesn't want his mother (who has chronic health problems, along with anxiety attacks) to know that he's in the hospital. And we really only leave the boys with family. Dh wouldn't want the boys left with anyone right now. And really, anyone the boys would be comfortable staying with would be family that dh doesn't want to know that he's in the hospital.

 

We'll be leaving soon to head up there. I'll update when I get a chance. Thank you all so much for the prayers.

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The Governess

The Governess

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:grouphug::grouphug:

 

I get a tight chest when I am anxious. What helps me the most is to stay nice and warm, it loosens the muscles up a bit. Maybe you could put a heating pad or hot water bottle on your back and chest. Hot drinks help too. Also, making sure you are exhaling completely might help. I tend to inhale too much and not exhale enough when I am stressed, and then feel like I can't get a good breath in, because my lungs are still full of air. I sometimes make myself exhale twice for a few minutes (exhale normally, then exhale again until there really isn't anything left) and then I feel better. Sleeping is the best thing because your body will reset itself, you will unclench all those muscles you didn't even realize you were clenching, and start breathing normally again for a while. I hope you'll be able to get a little sleep soon.

 

I'm praying for your family. I hope the doctors figure things out quickly. :grouphug:

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Dobela

Dobela

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:grouphug:Several years ago my friend's dh passed out briefly and then began complaining of chest pains. We were with another friend who was a nurse and she just knew he was having a heart attack - his pulse was wacky, his skin was doing weird things, and some pain in his arms among other things that are commonly associated with a heart attack. After several days in the hospital running tests it was found that he actually had over 100 ulcers and the body had to radiate the pain somewhere so it radiated it up. After treating the ulcers, the pain never came back. And he was found to have an incredible healthy heart. He has since worked hard to reduce stress and pay more attention to body signals so his health won't get so out of wack again.

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Tree House Academy

Tree House Academy

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Just wanted to let you know that I am praying for you and your dh. I know, all too well, how hard it is to hold things together in a situation like this. There is no shame in asking for medicine to help you. I have panic and anxiety often and when it gets too much, I take about .5mg of ativan. It really helps.

 

Update on your dh when you can! *hugs*

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gsanmb

gsanmb

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Praying for you and your family!

 

Bach's Rescue Remedy might be a good thing to try for your anxiety.

 

I had pains like this right after dd2 was born and it turned out to be a terrible case of reflux. The pain radiated throughout my chest and down my arm, and I really thought I was having a heart attack. We called 911 and everything.

 

I hope it's something easily solved and wish your husband a complete and speedy recovery!

 

I agree with the PP. Saying psalms when in distress is very comforting!

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We are home. We brought dh home late yesterday afternoon. His heart is fine. All the test they ran on his heart came back with good results. He did get a lecture about his cholesterol being on the high side, so now he's all 'on board' with the healthy eating I've been pushing the past year or so. :glare: :D

 

So, good news is that it's not his heart. Bad news is, they still don't know what's causing the pain. They're suspecting either ulcers or something else with his esophagus. The next test is they want him to get an upper gi scope. So that's the next step.

 

It's a bit frustrating not knowing yet what's causing the pain. He's had some pains since being home.

 

All the while, I'm fighting a terrible sinus cold, and I've not been able to sleep for the past few days. Between being sick and worrying about dh, I'm about wrung out. But we're thanking the Lord for the report of his heart being healthy, and believing that we will find answers soon.

 

Thanks for all of your support. :)

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