2:49 p.m. - 2006-08-14
A weekend to remember???
My weekend �. where do begin �..
On Saturday I convinced my husband to take a motorcycle ride with a buddy and go up island. It didn�t take much to convince him, but he wasn�t too sure about leaving me behind. I encouraged him by telling him he needed this kind of testosterone event once in a while. This would allow him to ride the way he likes without having to worry about me. I�m not sure if that swayed him at all, but it sounded good to me.
I was able to connect up with a friend that I hadn�t seen in a while. So, as T was getting his testosterone build up � I was getting my feminine equivalent. Yay! All in all I think we can both say it was a good Saturday.
Sunday was going to be a casual one. The weather has been wonderful and I really felt the need to do very little. I went to church in the morning. We went out for lunch after I got back � which is a Sunday tradition for us. Once home again we settled into a lazy, sunny August afternoon. I read and T worked on a model train project.
Late afternoon I began to experience sharp pains in my jaw, followed very quickly with sharper, more intense pains in my chest. After about 10 minutes I thought I should try some Tum$ to ease, what I felt was going to be a long bought of heartburn.
Three Tum$ and 20 minutes later the pains had not abated. I had tried several positions, lying down, sitting up, and walking � nothing changed. I even got on the Internet to see what these kinds of symptoms might mean � I didn�t like what I read. I didn�t want to alarm T, and my brain was feverishly trying to figure out a way to bring a conversation around to this present condition I was feeling. Finally I just said �Hon�, I�m having some severe chest pains and I don�t know what to do.�
We called a friend of ours who is a nurse, just to run the symptoms by her. She got quite concerned and strongly suggested we go to emergency. By this time I had been experiencing the discomfort for over 45 minutes.
I realize that no one likes going to emergency, and I have no idea how things work in other places, but here in Victoria � if you�re contemplating going to Emergency and NOT via an ambulance � you need to gird yourself up for a long wait.
We arrived around 4:30 (and by this time the pain had subsided). I waited for 15 minutes to speak with a Triage nurse. Her report taking and the taking of my vitals took a few minutes. Then on to the Registration Clerk who took my address and made me a pretty bracelet. The Triage nurse told me that they would take a ECG first � take a quick look at my heart beats, the the real wait would begin.
I waited to get the ECG for approximately half an hour. That procedure took minutes. Then was directed to sit back out in the waiting room until a doctor could see me. So we waited�. and waited �. and waited � by now it was 8 o�clock and people that I knew had been there since before me were still waiting.
It didn�t seem busy � at least not the television show kind of busy. Steady, to say the least, but not busy.
Closing in on 8:30 and I suggested to T that we just go home. I had been feeling � ok � for sometime and felt that it would probably be at least another hour or two before seeing a doctor. He agreed and I spoke to the Triage nurse to let her know that we would be going. I promised her that I would be contacting my doctor first thing in the morning, and I�d made a promise to my husband that if I�d had any returning signs that I would let him know and we would return quickly.
She didn�t really like my idea, but didn�t fight it hard. She asked if she could take my vitals one more time just to see where I was at. I agreed and my blood pressure was 177 over 111, which was an improvement of 188 over 112 when I�d arrived. She again asked me if I thought my leaving was a good idea. But it seemed apparent to me that I wasn�t going to be able to see a doctor any time soon � unless of course I really did have a heart attack right there and then.
We went home.
I felt fidgety and frail (emotionally) for the rest of the evening. This was/is a real wake-up call for me. This is something that I cannot ignore any longer. My father died of a massive heart attack, heart disease is something that I cannot take lightly. High blood preassure and hypertention has been my mother�s bain for years. Why did I think these things would escape me? Especially when I don�t reflect a healthier eating habit or excersice rigime.
I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon to see my doctor. I can already see her face, as she gives me that stern look of �I told you we needed to change things�� I should probably be getting myself ready for a whole lot of tests and such. We�ll see.
I haven�t told anyone at the office about my little scare. I�ll wait until after I�ve talked to my doctor, that way I may have a little more information. Then again, maybe not. Who knows?
I will, however, keep you all posted.
