Chest Pain. But not THAT kind of chest pain. I think. (Read 331 times)

Trent


Good Bad & The Monkey

    Also: can I have your stuff?

    Mysecondnewname


       

      If you decide to go for a run anyway and develop chest pain you go to the ER and tell them you have chest pain that is new.  That generally gets their attention pretty quickly... even in 37 year old runners.

       

      From an ER standpoint, all chest pain is cardiac until proven otherwise.  I've seen 37 year old athletic patients get sent to the cath lab for presentations similar to yours.

       

       

      My all-time record is a 31 year old with no apparent risks, other than being a little heavy.  No drugs.  No familial hypercholesterolemia.

       

      Big time STEMI.

      Trent


      Good Bad & The Monkey

        STEMI = ST-elevation myocardial infarction


        The ST segment is something you see on an ECG. When the ST segment is elevated, the ECG tracing looks like a line of tombstones.

         

        For real. And methinks this is no coincidence.


        STEMI is scary.

         

        mab411


        Proboscis Colossus

          Thanks, cookie, Trent, and shuffle!  Good to know I have some medical eyes on the thread!

           

          Update:  After a frustrating morning of trying to get through to just the nurse in charge of scheduling, to ask if there would be any hope of them squeezing me in if I went there and waited - multiple messages taken, zero calls back - the time in my day came when I could go, so I just headed over there to make myself a nuisance, much against my nature.

           

          Got there at 12:45, all doctors are on lunch until 2:00.  I'd have to leave to come back at 2:30.  They brought up the idea of going to the ER, which I don't like because a) as anxious as I am to get this looked at, I just can't justify the "E" part of that, and b) while they'd probably run most of the tests I'd like them to run, I bet there would be a significant extra charge just for walking through those particular doors.

           

          So, they took a message. Angry

           

          It was my wife's off period when I got back, so we talked a bit.  Unlike me, she goes to the doctor more than once in a presidential term, and she said this kind of thing is exactly why she stopped going there, which I'm ashamed to say I didn't realize.  She now exclusively uses a place the next town over that has a walk-in clinic attached, that is open late enough that I could go by after my bus route.  I decided that sounded good to me.

           

          ...and then, right after that conversation, "my" clinic called back.  They had talked to my regular (up until today) doc, and he wasn't particularly alarmed, especially since I had no other symptoms, and it was only when I ran that I felt the pain.  He said it would be fine to just keep the Tuesday appointment.  I went ahead and asked the question to which I figured I already knew the answer: so, I can keep running until then?  Oh...no!  They said.  Stop running.  I said I wasn't comfortable with that (I probably should have clarified, I wasn't comfortable waiting five days for clearance to start again, but whatever) and told them I would be visiting the walk-in clinic.  If I no longer needed the appointment, I would call and cancel.  They said that sounded fine.  I imagine they'll be glad to be rid of me and my ridiculous expectation that I be able to have a five-minute conversation with my doctor within the week.

          "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

          Trent


          Good Bad & The Monkey

            Man. I don't get that kind of lunch break.


            Good luck!

              Good luck and If nothing else you may have found out a doctor/clinic who can look after you when needed and not strictly go by an appointment book.


              Petco Run/Walk/Wag 5k

                good luck and hope you got a good exam at the clinic. My heart attack fooled everyone - well actually initially it started as a combo of angina & reflux presenting as periodic (2-3x/year) indigestion/chest pain & very brief shortness of breath never lasting more than 30 minutes. Until it woke me up one night. Got to the ER and an EKG showed no heart attack. They thought angina OR reflux. Long story short, major heart attack accidentally induced, helicopter ride to heart center, catheritization showed 95% blockage in main artery, about 50% in some others. Stent in main, left others alone at that time. Same symptoms repeated after each release from hospital, resulting in two arteries being cleaned out via angioplasty, and finally that I also had reflux! Was asymptomatic for the most part and no one would have thought I had serious blockages, not with working out 5-6x/wk, 3x/wk with a trainer

                bob e v
                2014 goals: keep on running! Is there anything more than that?

                Complete the last 3 races in the Austin Distance Challenge, Rogue 30k, 3M Half, Austin Full

                Break the 1000 mi barrier!

                History: blessed heart attack 3/15/2008; c25k july 2008 first 5k 10/26/2008 on 62nd birthday.

                Mysecondnewname


                  Thanks, cookie, Trent, and shuffle!  Good to know I have some medical eyes on the thread!

                   

                  Update:  After a frustrating morning of trying to get through to just the nurse in charge of scheduling, to ask if there would be any hope of them squeezing me in if I went there and waited - multiple messages taken, zero calls back - the time in my day came when I could go, so I just headed over there to make myself a nuisance, much against my nature.

                   

                  Got there at 12:45, all doctors are on lunch until 2:00.  I'd have to leave to come back at 2:30.  They brought up the idea of going to the ER, which I don't like because a) as anxious as I am to get this looked at, I just can't justify the "E" part of that, and b) while they'd probably run most of the tests I'd like them to run, I bet there would be a significant extra charge just for walking through those particular doors.

                   

                  So, they took a message. Angry

                   

                  It was my wife's off period when I got back, so we talked a bit.  Unlike me, she goes to the doctor more than once in a presidential term, and she said this kind of thing is exactly why she stopped going there, which I'm ashamed to say I didn't realize.  She now exclusively uses a place the next town over that has a walk-in clinic attached, that is open late enough that I could go by after my bus route.  I decided that sounded good to me.

                   

                  ...and then, right after that conversation, "my" clinic called back.  They had talked to my regular (up until today) doc, and he wasn't particularly alarmed, especially since I had no other symptoms, and it was only when I ran that I felt the pain.  He said it would be fine to just keep the Tuesday appointment.  I went ahead and asked the question to which I figured I already knew the answer: so, I can keep running until then?  Oh...no!  They said.  Stop running.  I said I wasn't comfortable with that (I probably should have clarified, I wasn't comfortable waiting five days for clearance to start again, but whatever) and told them I would be visiting the walk-in clinic.  If I no longer needed the appointment, I would call and cancel.  They said that sounded fine.  I imagine they'll be glad to be rid of me and my ridiculous expectation that I be able to have a five-minute conversation with my doctor within the week.

                   

                  Oh my goodness!   It's stuff like this that drives me nuts (and is one of the reasons why people hate docs so much).  Hard to believe they would just blow off exertional chest pain.

                   

                  I sincerely hope that you get a smart doc who cares wherever you end up, and I wish you the very best.

                  cookiemonster


                  Connoisseur of Cookies

                    Yeah.  I hear similar stories a lot from people coming into the ER.  They either didn't want to, or couldn't, wait for their primary care doc to see them next week or six weeks from now.  So they come to the emergency room.

                     

                    Most of the time it turns out to be nothing serious or at least is easily treatable.  Every once in a while, however, we catch a big one.

                     

                    It is frustrating to watch and experience both from a patient and provider standpoint.

                    ***************************************************************************************

                     

                    "C" is for cookie.  That's good enough for me.

                    Trent


                    Good Bad & The Monkey

                      It would be great if somebody could overhaul how we provide access to healthcare across the country ...

                      mab411


                      Proboscis Colossus

                        Update, short version: clinic doc was very attentive, EKG and chest X-ray clear (RHR in low 40's, booya). Currently on an ER bed with an IV in, about to get bloodwork.

                        "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

                        Trent


                        Good Bad & The Monkey

                          Clinic doc sent you to the ER?


                          Awesome!

                           

                          You need some kind of stress test. An ECG is not a great test for a heart attack you are not having right now (such as one you had yesterday).

                          cookiemonster


                          Connoisseur of Cookies

                            Clinic doc sent you to the ER?


                            Awesome!

                             

                            You need some kind of stress test. An ECG is not a great test for a heart attack you are not having right now (such as one you had yesterday).

                             

                            Yeah.  This.

                             

                            You do need a stress test.  But I'm glad to hear that the clinic doc took you more seriously than your "primary" doc.

                             

                            Keep us posted.  Well, you know.  If you want to.

                            ***************************************************************************************

                             

                            "C" is for cookie.  That's good enough for me.

                            mab411


                            Proboscis Colossus

                              Bloodwork clear, ER cardio doc cleared me to run, as long as the pattern doesn't change! Stress test ordered, will call to set that up tomorrow.

                               

                              He had an interesting theory about the cause, which I'll post about when I'm not on my phone.

                              "God guides us on our journey, but careful with those feet." - David Lee Roth, of all people

                              Trent


                              Good Bad & The Monkey

                                Bloodwork and an ECG do not rule out heart disease. A stress test is much better.