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Close call yesterday
14 years ago
General
All day yesterday I was getting a heavy pressure in my chest with occasional twinges of pain. I came home from work and took a shower, wanting to eat, but oddly couldn't get the desire up. Then the pressure started again.
I called Group Health and explained the symptoms to the nurse on duty. They asked all the regular questions of one having a heart attack, signs I wasn't showing, or just yet.
They tell me to hit the ER...NOW.
But I needed to get a ride down, not permitted to drive myself. Thankfully a friend was home and offered to run me in. (don't ask why my own family couldn't bother to).
They question me at the ER, get stats, and hook me up to an EKG and start getting a reading. Then they said I needed a blood draw to see if there are indicators of a heart attack in the blood.
I immediately tense up, I am a HUGE Needle pussy, especially for an IV or blood draw, I watch my heart rate go up on the monitor. I ask for the best vampire they have. They give me some sort of drug to help calm me down...doesn't work. They then shot me with Lydocaine in the area so they can do a blood draw.
I am literally biting through a washcloth, stressing out, they draw 5 vials worth from me.
Then police show up, I wonder why? Turns out the person in the room next to me was involved in a shooting short time prior and he's a suspect.
Then watching TV...theres a channel just showing a flower bouquet...I called it the Coma channel, the nurses laughed.
No heart attack, but they want me to do an overnight with a battery of tests and EKG Stress Test. I nixxed that, already this ER visit is through the roof with expense I just flat out do not have...period.
The doctor shrugs and cuts me loose. They think it was Esophageal spasms , but they still warn me...just to be wary. They still demand I take a stress test this next week.
I am bruised from the needles jamming me, flat broke and hungry as all hell. My friend Billy bought me a McDeath Cheeseburger to throw something in the belly. I vaporized it!!
I dread the bill that will be arriving this next week.
Right now, I am hungry, sadly no paycheck this week. Anybody wanna feed a starving artist?
paypal at elkabong53708(at)gmail(dot)com
I called Group Health and explained the symptoms to the nurse on duty. They asked all the regular questions of one having a heart attack, signs I wasn't showing, or just yet.
They tell me to hit the ER...NOW.
But I needed to get a ride down, not permitted to drive myself. Thankfully a friend was home and offered to run me in. (don't ask why my own family couldn't bother to).
They question me at the ER, get stats, and hook me up to an EKG and start getting a reading. Then they said I needed a blood draw to see if there are indicators of a heart attack in the blood.
I immediately tense up, I am a HUGE Needle pussy, especially for an IV or blood draw, I watch my heart rate go up on the monitor. I ask for the best vampire they have. They give me some sort of drug to help calm me down...doesn't work. They then shot me with Lydocaine in the area so they can do a blood draw.
I am literally biting through a washcloth, stressing out, they draw 5 vials worth from me.
Then police show up, I wonder why? Turns out the person in the room next to me was involved in a shooting short time prior and he's a suspect.
Then watching TV...theres a channel just showing a flower bouquet...I called it the Coma channel, the nurses laughed.
No heart attack, but they want me to do an overnight with a battery of tests and EKG Stress Test. I nixxed that, already this ER visit is through the roof with expense I just flat out do not have...period.
The doctor shrugs and cuts me loose. They think it was Esophageal spasms , but they still warn me...just to be wary. They still demand I take a stress test this next week.
I am bruised from the needles jamming me, flat broke and hungry as all hell. My friend Billy bought me a McDeath Cheeseburger to throw something in the belly. I vaporized it!!
I dread the bill that will be arriving this next week.
Right now, I am hungry, sadly no paycheck this week. Anybody wanna feed a starving artist?
paypal at elkabong53708(at)gmail(dot)com
3 years ago, I has similar symptoms, riding my bicycle less than a half-mile made me feel like Tugrick was sitting on my chest.
I had all the stress tests and whatnot.
I ended up with 5 bypaases.
Everything is ok since then.
But I take so many pills I rattle!
It's pretty annoying that the bill always get in the way though.
Good luck, hope you'll feel better soon.
(ahem)
FUCK the bills - just do what's needed for your health dude!
I've got like...$3k in outstanding medical bills. I'm ignoring them until I got money for them, and then I'm going to pay them off as I can. I don't give a shit if its $10 a month, they can like it or lump it.
In the end I got my actually paid off early, but it was nice that they were understanding.
Since you are low income, be sure to ask about bill assistance. Most hospitals have a sliding scale program that takes the bite out of an emergency visit with managed monthly payments.
I speak from personal experience: my late brother didn't follow through with his..... 7X=Q
just PLEASE-PLEASE stay safe!
Later they did tests and found I had way too much caffeine in my system and for me, probably that was the trigger.
Never did reoccur, thankfully, but I know about the scary factor. It did shed light on an inherited problem I have though - High cholesterol. Even with eating right, and good exercise I was finally put onto pills to drop the blood fat.
As for the ER, I bet you could get a cost break, or at the very least make arrangements to pay any fee off over time. I've done that, and most are very reasonable and understanding.
But, as before, my feeling is "F" the bills. Find out what's wrong and get it taken care of first! There's only ONE Jim Groat!
Rough idea?
Probably $10,000 if you had an ambulance drive and emergency blood drawn.
They EKG'd me, X-rayed my chest, 5 vials of blood for tests, Lydocaine shot, some other relaxer pill that failed. I'm hoping alot less than $10K. But I still need to take a stress test this coming week as well.
East test runs about $1000 without.
With? $20.
If all else fails you could just shit-can the bill when it comes. No debtors prison FTW.
Catheters....yeah,.I can imagine those are alot worse.
Feel better <3
I had a little $$ that I could spare for the good cause. It ain't much, but every lil' bit helps, eh?
Get you something good and nutritious (if you can). *hug*