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Phunky_2003

Member
Joined
May 18, 2009
Messages
1,470
Location
Bonham Texas
This past Wednesday I woke up about 2am with what I refered to my wife as a "Funny sensation down my right arm" and my chest felt a little tight. She took my BP (190/120). So just to be safe we go to the hospital. They did the poking and proding that they do and come back and say your good to go home but go see a cardiologist.

Thursday I spent the day at the cardiologists office. They did all sorts of tests. They determined that something must be wrong with the lungs. They do a CT scan of the lungs and send the test to a radiologist to be read. They will call with results Friday morning.

Friday afternoon rolls around and still no word about test. Wife calls and apparently they close at noon on Fridays. So we figure.... they didnt call so must not be too terribly bad. About 4 I start feeling bad again and decide I need to get to next town over (bigger hospital better service) so have my son take me to hospital.

They do the routine again blood for this, poke for that, yada yada yada. Dr comes in and says I've got elevated levels of some sort of protein that indicates heart attack. They call a cardiologist who comes in and does an echocardiogram. 5 minutes later I am going in and having a stint put in.

From what I found out the pain from heart attacks and stuff needs to be more widely explained. Pain on the left side is from the front part of the heart having trouble. Pain on the right side is from the back part of the heart. It really never dawned on me I was having heart trouble while laying in bed since all the feeling was on the right side.

I'll probably be away from turning pens and such for awhile. They really havent limited me from it. Just cant do anything strenuous for the next few days. Then they will put me on an exercise program and conditioning thing. I was already on a limited budget on social security. They've added what we paid out of pocket yesterday for prescriptions 198.
Before I was able to get maybe 2-4 kits a month, now that probably wont be possible.

James
 
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Hope you get better soon. Listen to the doctors and pinch a few nurses. You should be better in not time. And thanks for the info on the right and left side. I never knew that.
 
Does your state government have a reimbursement program for the hospital premium?

I know here in Ohio we have a reimbursement program that will pick up the $96.40 or $110.50 depending on your enrollment date. Not a lot, but every little bit helps. The qualifications are very lenient as well.
 
James I hope you feel better soon.

I was 23 or 24 when I had a cardiac catherterization to try and figure out what was the cause of the chest pains I was having. Nitro helped. They said it shouldn't becuase I wasn't having that kind of problem (what ever "that" is). I'm now 34 I still have random problems I have not been to a doctor in 4 or 5 years and dont plan on it. 3 years ago I had a headache for 3 months from wake till sleep. I have health insurance I just don't care anymore. They never can figure out what the problems are unless it is an obvious broken bone or need for stitches.

See signiture below. I put that because a doctor (specialist) I was going to too find out if I had a hernia who was un able to tell me for sure if I had one and said lets do a surgery and take a look. I did and it was about the size of a dime. I went to him after for a follow up and explained about the trouble I had with the same problem on the other side (size of a quarter) and other problems like my chest pains that never seemed to be easy to figure out. Hes words to me "80% of the work we (doctors) do is guess work". I can guess also and most times I have been correct and I have had to go thru a battery of test to get to the same answer that I had or to never have an answer.
 
HSTurning said:
James I hope you feel better soon.

I was 23 or 24 when I had a cardiac catherterization to try and figure out what was the cause of the chest pains I was having. Nitro helped. They said it shouldn't becuase I wasn't having that kind of problem (what ever "that" is). I'm now 34 I still have random problems I have not been to a doctor in 4 or 5 years and dont plan on it. 3 years ago I had a headache for 3 months from wake till sleep. I have health insurance I just don't care anymore. They never can figure out what the problems are unless it is an obvious broken bone or need for stitches.

See signiture below. I put that because a doctor (specialist) I was going to too find out if I had a hernia who was un able to tell me for sure if I had one and said lets do a surgery and take a look. I did and it was about the size of a dime. I went to him after for a follow up and explained about the trouble I had with the same problem on the other side (size of a quarter) and other problems like my chest pains that never seemed to be easy to figure out. Hes words to me "80% of the work we (doctors) do is guess work". I can guess also and most times I have been correct and I have had to go thru a battery of test to get to the same answer that I had or to never have an answer.
Click to expand...

In defense of doctors; are you identical to any other person?

The reason I ask is because each and every one of us are different, not every disease or illness manifests itself the same in every person.

If it did, then we would not have problems like cancer or aids or any other horrible thing that has no set cure, would not have insurance companies bilking both sides for millions of dollars, and would not have the painful deaths we often see loved ones suffer through.
 
I know that we are different. I personally don't see the reasoning behind wasting my time and the insurances money on running 20-50 test and then telling me "we have no idea how about taking more time out of work and doing a test on Monday and we will set you up for another on thursday and an additional on for Tuesday next week and by the way you will have to be there 2 hours before the test time it will be a 2-3 hour delay and it will take 30 min to do the test. I dont like them. Most don't have a clue and even less have a good so called bedside manor. I had nurse practitioner that I liked but the doctor she worked under made me stop going all together. I know nurses and doctors personally. Nurses on a hole are decent, doctors in have meet...not so much. JMHO
 
Matt,

I think you are totally ignorant. From what I have seen most people from New Hampshire have no clue about reality. The idiots have their tiny little presidential primary with almost no voters and think their opinion means something. I know people from New Hampshire and Vermont personally. Vermonters overall are decent people, but New Hampshire inbreds, not so much.

Matt,

Take a moment and re-read your post and mine. I find yours just as offensive as you likely find mine.
 
I am glad you got it taken care of.

Good doctors may be difficult to find but they are out there. I ask my doctor a lot of questions and she takes the time to answer. She has not been wrong yet and some of the questions were complicated. She says go get this test and I go.
 
Mike,

You might wish to look up the word sarcasm in the dictionary. I basically replaced the word doctor used by Matt with the words person from New Hampshire. My point was that trashing physicians as a whole is just as foolish as trashing the residents of a state as a whole.

If you had spoken up in defense of someone speaking ill of an entire profession because of the perceived shortcomings of a few, my post would never have been made.
 
Before I was able to get maybe 2-4 kits a month, now that probably wont be possible.


James,
PM me your address. I can probably send you things to keep you busy for 2-3 months.

Got to keep the Texans busy.

Rick
 
James,
Glad you are feeling better and taking care of yourself...

I had a similar incident a couple of weeks back... I had an occasion where I felt light headed and sorta clammy all over... felt like my heart was racing... I've been kinda watching my blood pressure and heart rate every since I had my hernia surgery the first of Oct... the doctors were concerned with the fact that they were having problems regulating my BP and HR in the hospital... also had a dull ache in my left arm.... we went so far as to call 911, but by the time we did that I had begun to feel better... my BP reached 151/109 and the Pulse was 175. My son was home and has had some training as an EMT, so he watched me a bit, then it all went away... just about 15 or 20 minutes of all that.... I've felt fine since, but planning on getting in to see my wife's cardio doctor in the very near future.

Take care...
 
You have your way of living and I have mine.
BTW im from Mass. I only seen doctors in Mass and live in NH because of my fiancee. I know I am not the only person that has a dislike and lack of trust of doctors. Many of the best doctors in the world are in Mass (so I have been told)
wdcav1952 said:
Matt,

I think you are totally ignorant. From what I have seen most people from New Hampshire have no clue about reality. The idiots have their tiny little presidential primary with almost no voters and think their opinion means something. I know people from New Hampshire and Vermont personally. Vermonters overall are decent people, but New Hampshire inbreds, not so much.

Matt,

Take a moment and re-read your post and mine. I find yours just as offensive as you likely find mine.
Click to expand...
 
Take it easy, relax, no stress. Do what the doc says. And get on the pens as stress relief when you can. $$$ situations suck with the health care situation there. Hopefully they fix some of that in the near future.

Best of luck,
 
I'm going to explain this very carefully for those who did not understand my post. Also, thank you for the PM's from those who did.

I am not an MD, and I have never played one on television. I happen to be a dentist.

Please read post #9 in this thread. I feel that the poster trashed the profession of medicine in this post.

In post #10, the point was made that we are all different and that different medical conditions will affect people in diverse ways. For example, my lung tumor in 2005 was a rare kind of malignancy that took three months to diagnose, during which time I was treated for asthma, pneumonia and then told I was getting well. A second MD got the ball rolling and the condition was resolved.

In post #11, the original poster from post #9 took issue with post #10 and again trashed the medical profession. (In the interest of disclosure, my younger brother is a neurosurgeon and is regarded as a kind and caring physician by thousands of patients that he has treated over the years.) Post #11 dismissed physicians as non-caring and incompetent. "Most don't have a clue and even less have a good so called bedside manor."

In post #12, I decided to write a parody of posts #'s 9 and 11. My purpose was to show while some think it is acceptable to trash the name and reputations of groups of whom they disapprove, they are angered when their group is treated in the same way. Please refer to the following words to understand my post #12: Parody, Satire, Sarcasm, Caricature

For example, I took the word "doctor" and replaced it with "people from New Hampshire." Nurses became people from Vermont. Parody and Caricature use embellishment of the original for dramatic purpose.

FOR THE RECORD: I do not consider people from New Hampshire to be ignorant, stupid, inbred or anything else other than fine Americans. Please remember, parody was used.

Finally, I have no more rights than any other member when I step outside of the two fora that I control, the Activities Director and the IAP Fund Raising. When I post in Casual Conversation or anywhere else, I am member wdcav1952, and nothing else. So, if you run out of things to say, and insinuate that I am a good old boy with lesser ethics than those of people from different areas of the country, just save your breath. I am constantly amused by those who express strong opinions, but cannot see fit to extend that right to others whose opinion differs.

BTW, James and I have communicated by PM and I don't think either of us has an issue with the other outside of pen turning.
 
The posts didn't bother me at all. And I suppose the reason for that is, you have to remember on forums all you can read are the words. Knowing the people behind the posts/reading previous posts and what not lead you to understand to what context they should be taken in. Right off the bat I knew the parody Cav was intending.

I have been still trying to gather my strength and wits about myself or I would have posted too. I'll be straight forward which being from Texas thats what you get.

I have to agree with Justin (jleiwig) not everyone is identical to everyone else. So some treatments/ailments will vary from person to person. In response to the dr saying 80% of that they do is guesswork? The dr that said that, I would never and I am emphatically stating I would never see again. Not even for a runny nose. With the tests and equipment used today, if you have a problem they can figure it out. It may take some time, but they will.

To chuck (TelicoTurning) - Take your butt to the cardiologist. As soon as you can get it. Its like my Dr said. Preventative is a hell of alot easier than repair. May be its nothing, but in the long run wasting a day at the dr will be better than wishing someday you had gone.

To all the others that have replied. I greatly appreciate the get wells and well wishes, it helps. I sat here earlier just staring at a pen thinking....... I'll get another one of these down soon. It may take longer from start to finish. But it'll be worth it.



My posts most important message I think most are still missing is "Pain on the right side of chest and down right arm can also be an indicator of heart attack. That is pain coming from the backside of the heart. Pain on the left side of chest and down the left arm is from the front of the heart".

Dont lay in bed thinking "its on the right side, I cant be having heart problems" Thats what I did, and sure enough......

James
 
James,

That was an excellent preventative medicine post. Life gives us wake up calls. Some we survive and some we don't. As a life long non-smoker, lung cancer was mine. Thank you for the lives you have potentially saved today.
 
William
I did post JMHO for a reason. It is my opinion. I have mentioned the 80% to a few other doctors and they also said "that sounds about right".
For the record I do like my dentist and chiro.
 
Phunky, you did the right thing I hope your recovery goes well and you don't have similar problems in the future.

My wife had problems for years with minor chest pain, fluctuating blood pressure and other symptoms. Much of it was stress but there was an under lying problem, actually two problems. It was found that one artery came from the "wrong part" of the heart and it had a kink in it. Under stress the artery would kink further thus slightly disrupting the blood flow. The other problem took some stubborn action on my wife's part to get doctor's to see that it wasn't in her mind.
Turned out she had a hole in the heart- a PFO. This was closed and tht lead to other problems becase of the interruption to the electrical circuitry in the heart.
Things are now fine but she does have to take small amounts of medication.

I have had a double bypass and two stents.My GP and all the specialists I dealt with have been brilliant. The wife and I read a lot and research things. We have even been able to point things out to the medicos that have helped them.

For instance, my wife suffered from migraine headaches for years. Our reading pointed to a link between migraine headaches and PFOs. Both our GP and cardiologist took tis on board and use that info as part of their diagnostic procedures and questioning. Our GP was quite pleased to tell us that a couple of his migraine patients had been referred by him to cardiologists an been diagnosed with PFOs.
It was not long after this that there was a program on TV about this phenomenon. The GP's wife saw it and told him about it. He was able to boast that he already knew.

I had continual pain, like neuralgia in the top left jaw. After surgery it disappeared. That is on the list of diagnostic questions for both the above mentioned medicos. My dentist has also referred patients for examination who complain of this. A couple did have heart problems.

The body is very complex. Not all symptoms are obvious and some seem improbable. For me any pain above the level of the heart is potential trouble.

Get it Checked!!!
 
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