Wednesday, August 12, 2009

E.R. experience.

I have always had a sensitivity to caffeine. Since high school when I first started enjoying caffeine in whatever form, I often get heart palpitations which has always freaked me out. I have always intended to get it checked out by the doctor, but put that on the back burner. Needless to say, coffee has always been more of an occasional treat for me than a regular 'pick me up' every morning. However the last maybe month or so I have had a cup (yes, one) everyday either at work or later in the day just for fun, thinking it would give me a greater tolerance for it. Bad idea!

I guess it all came to a peek yesterday when I got a big scare about it. All night (Monday) I could not get an ounce of sleep because my heart was beating ridiculously fast, hard and so painful. It was a very sharp pain and I had no idea how to manage it. I tried to control my breathing, raise my arm for circulation etc. but nothing worked. So I had no sleep. Then all day yesterday (Tuesday) I had the same problem. ALL day my heart was pounding super sharp pains, it was like a huge ache in my side. I cried all day long. Then what really scared me was after the baby I nanny had been asleep for about an hour, I sat down to read and experienced numbing in my left arm. Kind of a tingling / asleep arm feeling I couldn't shake off. Left hand started turning a bit purple etc. I was so scared! Then on top of it I got a massive head ache and tons of pressure behind mainly my left eye. I cried, prayed, cried, prayed didn't know what to do because I haven't purchased health insurance yet. It was horrible. Later in the evening, at life group, the left arm tingling came back for about 3 hours straight and the heart, still painful. My friends convinced me to go to urgent care (which was closed) then we went to the E.R.

At the E.R. I got a cool gown, an EKG, heart monitors, blood drawn, x-rays and many interviews from nurses and doctors. After all was said and some everything looked healthy and normal. They couldn't really figure out what I had experienced, other than having a super sensitivity to caffeine. Kind of extreme pain, in my opinion, just from caffeine, but that's all they could suspect. Still experiencing sharp pains in my heart today, but it's a bit better than yesterday. Mkkk that is my exciting story! I am at peace after all that happened last night, still needing to be wise, however, of my decisions in food and drink. Thanks everyone for your concern and prayers! I could still use the prayer about the sharpness and discomfort.

Thank you Lord for parents and friends who care so much about my health and well-being. Thank you that nothing horrible turned up in the blood test and x-rays last night. Please heal my heart.

1 comment:

the name's emily. said...

Hellooo! This is Emily Brown :) I just found your bloggie through Vanessa's!

Did they do a Holter Monitor? I had almost the exact same thing happen to me for over a YEAR before I mentioned it to one doctor, who did absolutely no tests or anything and simply said I was fine. After another year, I finally went to a different doctor (who is now my primary) and she immediately ordered an EKG. Unfortunately, at the time of the EKG (in other words, during the MINUTE or so that the machine was recording my heart rhythm), I wasn’t feeling ANY palpations, and it came back completely normal, which was expected. She said it is very difficult to pick up on heart arrhythmias with an EKG unless they are happening constantly. So, she ordered a 48-hour Holter Monitor. I wore it for 2 days, waited 2 weeks for the results, and sure enough I was diagnosed with frequent PACs (Premature Atrial Contractions), which thankfully are not a big deal, at least as of right now. She said when I get back (I’m in Washington, D.C. for 2 months right now), that I can come back and see her to discuss possible treatment options, but if they aren’t bothering me (or causing dizziness, lethargy, etc, which could indicate that the PACs are disrupting normal blood flow) that everything should be fine  She did tell me to avoid heavy amounts of caffeine (which is was my LIFE, by the way. I used to drink a cup of coffee a day {sometimes 2+!} AND green tea all the time, which has almost double the amount of caffeine). She wants to see if my heavy caffeine intake effects the frequency and symptoms of my PACs.

Whew. That was a long explanation. Sorry, I didn't mean it to be so loooonng. Anyways, in all of that, what I really was saying is that you might consider requesting a Holter Monitor…?

Glad I found your blog!!