Heart Scare

I had heard that stress can manifest in our bodies, but I never expected the weight of desire to be a working, productive citizen with the ability to pay my rent, insurance, utilities, other bills and necessities could cause enough pressure to feel like a heart attack. The other night as I was visiting a friend in an effort to escape the harsh realities of my inability to have any control over my financial situation, we were watching a movie and I felt a tightness deep in my chest that lasted for several minutes. The pain moved to the space between my shoulder blades and lingered there for several more minutes. I tried to breathe my way through the pain and eventually felt a little better, only to have the cycle repeat. This pain cycle lasted for over an hour and by the time the movie was over, I felt well enough to try and sleep, but not comfortable enough to drive home. It was a restless night.

My friend mentioned the possibility of a heart attack and though I refused to believe it, I worried about it all night. When I woke up the following morning, I went home and did some research on heart attack symptoms in women. Everything I experienced was included in the lists. The thing that concerned me the most was the fact that even a small attack can cause heart damage. When the EMTs asked me why I waited to call, I told them I was afraid. I don't have a job, money, or insurance, but I called anyway because I don't want a damaged heart at my age, or any age. I had forced myself to call 911 just for advice, but they sent out a team to check me out and I got my first ambulance ride to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center.

At ARMC, all sorts of nurses, interns, and doctors checked me out and they recommended I stay the night. Now, if you have a choice, do NOT check in to the hospital because they never want to release you! Even after a chest X-ray and numerous blood samples determined that my heart was okay and my only problem was a 201 total cholesterol score and an obvious financial stress overload, I practically had to fight my way out of there to get back home. Lots of gas was wasted by family members who drove out to Colton to bring me home but were not allowed to because the order had not been made. Finally yesterday, the doctor made his morning rounds at 3:45 pm. He said to expect to be discharged soon, but when I still heard nothing after an hour, my sweet nurse took the time to track him down and I finally got the order and was out of there by 6:45 pm. That gave me 15 minutes to get to the pharmacy and get the too many medications prescribed (antidepressant not being one of them!). Lucky for me the registry nurse did not listen to the staff nurse who recommended I stay yet one more night.

Today, I am still so sad because all the issues are still in place: no money, no job prospects, and a huge pile of bills to return to. But, I comforted to know that my heart is healthy, my blood is good, and I have a whole lot of people who were concerned about me.