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So last night at work I started having some mild chest pain, a kind of hot, fresh bruise sensation on the left side of my chest. I ignored it for half an hour or so and then started to get dizzy and light-headed, so I stood up to go splash some water on my face, but only made it a few feet before slumping to the floor. If I lost consciousness, it was only for half a second. But I was clammy and buzzy and weak, so I decided to stay put. Boss came over, called 911, ambulance took me to the ER. I was there until 4 in the morning as they did blood tests, EKG, and a chest x-ray. No identifiable source, just "unspecified chest pain." It was not a heart attack. My main reason for deciding to go to the ER, even though it didn't feel like what I've heard a heart attack feels like, is because I have family history working against me; my father has had two heart attacks and heart disease is a thing for us. Because of the family history, the ER doc recommended I go see a cardiologist.
During one of the times they were drawing blood, the nurse couldn't get the IV to work, so straight drew from a fresh vein instead. I nearly fainted then and went into what the physician's aide said looked like vasovagal syncope (which felt very similar to the original fainting spell), which is a thing that can apparently just happen in high stress situations. So my working hypothesis is that for some reason I freaked out over having chest pain (because I've always worried that my poor self-care and family history would catch up with me) and drove myself into a kind of anxiety-induced fainting spell. Maybe. I'm not a doctor.
Anyway, I haven't scheduled an appointment with the cardiologist yet, because I slept through most of today. Tired, weak, and a headachey because they wouldn't let me eat while they were doing the blood tests. So in the meantime, does anyone else have any speculative, inexpert, unsubstantiated ideas for what happened to me? Anyone ever had anything similar happen?
Also, I hope this Obamacare thing works. Otherwise I'm probably screwed.
During one of the times they were drawing blood, the nurse couldn't get the IV to work, so straight drew from a fresh vein instead. I nearly fainted then and went into what the physician's aide said looked like vasovagal syncope (which felt very similar to the original fainting spell), which is a thing that can apparently just happen in high stress situations. So my working hypothesis is that for some reason I freaked out over having chest pain (because I've always worried that my poor self-care and family history would catch up with me) and drove myself into a kind of anxiety-induced fainting spell. Maybe. I'm not a doctor.
Anyway, I haven't scheduled an appointment with the cardiologist yet, because I slept through most of today. Tired, weak, and a headachey because they wouldn't let me eat while they were doing the blood tests. So in the meantime, does anyone else have any speculative, inexpert, unsubstantiated ideas for what happened to me? Anyone ever had anything similar happen?
Also, I hope this Obamacare thing works. Otherwise I'm probably screwed.
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