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I never want to wake up to pounding on my door at 4am again, good thought please


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I never want to wake up to pounding on my door at 4am again.

 

My kindle died last night so I wasn't until a little after 1am taking to amazon, so I was really tired when I went to bed. We have new phones that I haven't learned to work yet so the ringer was off. At 4am I woke up to someone pounding on the door. My DH was taken to the ER from work last night with severe chest pain. They tried calling for two hours before they sent someone else from his shift to come and get me. We are lucky to have good friends that he works with that stayed with him until I got there and with the kids so I could leave right away.

 

They were able to rule out a heart attack, but they are unable to determine what is causing the pain (it's not reflux or anything like that either) so he's been given morphine for now. He is home right now sleeping until we see his primary care doctor in two hours or until he wakes up with pain. We are in a small town so unless he's having an active heart attack they won't keep him in the hospital if morphine controls the pain even though we have no diagnosis. If willing please send good thoughts his way today. DH has a really high pain tolerance so pain for him at 7 out of 10 is a big deal. I'm cleaning and checking on him because I can't relax.

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How terrifying...

 

My younger brother is in the hospital right now with myocarditis. It's an infection in the lining of the heart that was a reaction from a recent virus. His first symptom was stabbing pain in the chest. Just a thought?? BTW, he is doing well now with meds.

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Definitely :grouphug:, first of all.

 

I also wanted to add that I ended up in the ER about 1 1/2 years ago with chest pain. It was the craziest thing. Never had heart problems, nothing heart attack-ish in my life. I woke up in the night with pain in my chest and I felt an awful feeling that I cannot describe, but I absolutely knew something was not right. It ended up being my appendix. I was definitely :huh: & :confused1:. That is just the way it presented in me. Just fyi. After several rounds of that Nitroglycerin and a nice pounding migraine to go with it, they finally did some kind of scan and caught the appendix. It was out the next morning.

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:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

 

 

Did they do a scan to look at the gall bladder / appendix / kidneys (stones)?

 

This is my concern right now. They did not scan his abdomen but are relying on blood work. He had mid and right sided upper abdominal pain in the ER, which they brushed off, but he also did not have a fever or nausea so fingers crossed. He spent 10 days in ICU after complications from his last surgery. We are waiting now, but it might be a while. Thank you for all the good thoughts and prayers.

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My DH went in a few weeks ago thinking he might be having a heart attack, but it was a gall bladder attack. He had tightening in his upper abdomen and around to his back, shortness of breath, and elevated blood pressure.

 

<<HUGS>>

Edited by ChrisB
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I never want to wake up to pounding on my door at 4am again.

 

My kindle died last night so I wasn't until a little after 1am taking to amazon, so I was really tired when I went to bed. We have new phones that I haven't learned to work yet so the ringer was off. At 4am I woke up to someone pounding on the door. My DH was taken to the ER from work last night with severe chest pain. They tried calling for two hours before they sent someone else from his shift to come and get me. We are lucky to have good friends that he works with that stayed with him until I got there and with the kids so I could leave right away.

 

They were able to rule out a heart attack, but they are unable to determine what is causing the pain (it's not reflux or anything like that either) so he's been given morphine for now. He is home right now sleeping until we see his primary care doctor in two hours or until he wakes up with pain. We are in a small town so unless he's having an active heart attack they won't keep him in the hospital if morphine controls the pain even though we have no diagnosis. If willing please send good thoughts his way today. DH has a really high pain tolerance so pain for him at 7 out of 10 is a big deal. I'm cleaning and checking on him because I can't relax.

 

I pray he is just fine and that it is some minor, weird thing that never happens again.

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I just had my gall bladder out, at one point I looked at my husband when I was having an attack and told him that I thought I was having a heart attack.

 

I ended up having tiny gall stones that floated around everywhere they didn't belong! Gall bladder was completely healthy! Gall stones in my pancreas almost killed me. They also liked to travel down to my liver too!

 

I'm so happy it's out now. I wouldn't be surprised if you came back and told us it wasn't a heart attack in the end.

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Thank you everyone. We are home now. DH has been put on family medical leave until he can have a stress test with radioisotopes and an ultrasound echocardiogram. They also want to schedule an ultrasound of his gallbladder. These cannot be scheduled before Tuesday of next week because our insurance has to approve the isotopes. Now I just need to get him to relax and not stress until then, and obviously he returns if his pain returns. Right now he is just sore and has a headache from the nitroglycerin. I get the feeling it will be a very long weekend. ;)

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Mel, has he been more tired that usual, short of breath? My husband ignored the signs, until he had chest pain. He also passed all the blood tests, but I insisted that our reg doc send him to see a cardiologist anyway. I demanded a heart cath to be totally sure. It was a good thing I was so insistent. My husbands heart was blocked in three areas at 99 %, 98 % and 95%. They put him on nitro and we waited 3 days for surgery. The day after surgery he was back at his very physical job. Now 6 years later he is still doing wonderfully.

 

Don't take blood tests for an absolute that it isn't anything to do with his heart.

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Mel, has he been more tired that usual, short of breath? My husband ignored the signs, until he had chest pain. He also passed all the blood tests, but I insisted that our reg doc send him to see a cardiologist anyway. I demanded a heart cath to be totally sure. It was a good thing I was so insistent. My husbands heart was blocked in three areas at 99 %, 98 % and 95%. They put him on nitro and we waited 3 days for surgery. The day after surgery he was back at his very physical job. Now 6 years later he is still doing wonderfully.

 

Don't take blood tests for an absolute that it isn't anything to do with his heart.

 

Thank you for the post. He had been tired, so much so he's using his CPAP without argument. He is off work until they can do the nuclear medicine stress echo. The isotopes should show any blockage of any vessel without having to have a cath, but I will be sure to talk to his doctor afterwards. The cardiologist sent DH's step-dad for one recently and it showed 99% blockage in one of his vessels, so I know exactly what you mean. DH has risk factors and he works sliding twelve hour swing shifts which are very hard on the body so I am concerned. He is feeling pretty good today, his chest is just sore like yesterday, but no headache.

 

I am better today, the kids took pity and let me sleep in today. Chronic illness and stress suck so I'm starting steroids this morning, but I don't care as long as DH is ok and stays that way. I'm grateful that his supervisors are being understanding at work.

Edited by melmichigan
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Thank you for the post. He had been tired, so much so he's using his CPAP without argument. He is off work until they can do the nuclear medicine stress echo. The isotopes should show any blockage of any vessel without having to have a cath, but I will be sure to talk to his doctor afterwards. The cardiologist sent DH's step-dad for one recently and it showed 99% blockage in one of his vessels, so I know exactly what you mean. DH has risk factors and he works sliding twelve hour swing shifts which are very hard on the body so I am concerned. He is feeling pretty good today, his chest is just sore like yesterday, but no headache.

 

I am better today, the kids took pity and let me sleep in today. Chronic illness and stress suck so I'm starting steroids this morning, but I don't care as long as DH is ok and stays that way. I'm grateful that his supervisors are being understanding at work.

 

HUGS to you all. I understand it was amazing the change in hubby after the stents were placed. It was like he was 20 again, he didn't know how run down he felt until it was done. Keeping you all in my thoughts !

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