I had just turned off the light in my room at 2:30 AM, and was preparing for bed when I heard Shane coming down the hall to my room.
He said, "Don't panic, or get worried, but what does it mean when your chest hurts and your left arm hurts when you move it?"
I almost panicked and then thought about what he was asking. I weighed all the possibilities, and then reflected on my four days in the hospital last September. I then turned to him and said, "Generally when you are having chest pains, and trouble with your left arm at the same time, they are warning signs of a impending heart attack, or one in progress. You should go to the emergency room."
"You said you wouldn't panic!"
"I didn't. I've given you a response in calm measured tones. I'm not yelling. I'm not telling you to go. I said you should. But if you don't like my answer, then you should go and ask Ian in his room."
"He's asleep."
"He's been in his room for five minutes, and this is important anyway. Go ask Ian."
Shane says, "Alright," knowing that he has already lost this discussion. Reluctantly he knocks on Ian's door. I can hear that they are talking but I cannot hear the specifics over the roar of the central air unit in the hallway.
Ian has given Shane the same information and advice.
We get dressed and get into the car.
As Shane continues to fill in more details about how he has been in pain on and off for the last few months, I think back to California. In the months prior to my entering the hospital. There were a few times outside on break, that experienced what can only be described as intense pain in my chest. The kind of pain so bad that can bring a tear to the eye because you cannot stop it. But then it would pass, and days or weeks would go by before another occurance. In my mind it was simple indigestion, but I simply fooling myself.
I'm an intelligent guy, and I read enough to know the difference between the pain of heartburn and the pain of something far more serious. And I ignored it.
We arrived at the hopital, and Shane now starts to talk about whenever he goes to the hospital they never find anything wrong with him. I tell him they never find anything wrong, because he gets afraid. He omits important details so they won't look as hard as they should, then he complains when they find nothing, only because he would normally leave things out. We arrive and Shane enters his information on the form at the desk. It is entered into the system by a very attractive young man, who has to be teased relentlessly becasue of his name... CHRISTOPHER LEE! What a hunky stud!
When the ER staff calls him into the back to get registered, Ian and I accompany him. We want to make sure they gat all the facts this time. ALL OF THEM! I'm going to let my friend risk his life because he left out a few facts. To Shane's credit, there wasn't much he left out. We had to fill in a blank or two, because Shane legitimately forgot the information.
So they assign him to TRAMA ROOM NO. 1. Next to the entry/exit doors for the ambulance crew to bring in real serious cases. Shane puts on his hospital johnny, and the ER Nurse begins to hook Shane up to the heart monitor. Little sticky tapes are placed in key areas of the chest, and leads are attached which will monitor Shane's respiration and heart rate. A blood pressure cuff is put on his arm to take automatic reading every 15 minutes or so.
We are back there talking about various things including my adventure in the hospital last September where I was diagnosed as diabetic, and had to have two stents inseted into a heart artery, after a blockage was removed. We talked about the past few months that have had us all under a lot of stress. We talked about various things passing the time until another nurse came in with the EKG cart. 12 more leads were hooked up to Shane, and a more detailed reading was taken. The nurse unhooked Shane from the EKG unit, and took the readins out to the shift doctor in the ER.
A short time later, the doctor came in asked Shane a few questions about his medical history, and said they were going to look at his insides. Shane looked at me... I said, "X-rays," and smiled.
Another hour of chatting and carrying on and the docotr comes back in and asked, if anyone has taken and blood or given him a pill and a really nasty tasting cup of stuff... nope, the doctor looks a litle frustrated now. He leaves.
A few moments later the nurse comes in with a 2 oz or 4 oz cup filled with a thick pasty looking liquid and a pill. She continues stirring it and then sets it down for a moment. She tells Shane that he needs to take the pill, and then wash it down with the thick liquid. The liquid will make his mouth numb all the way down to his stomach. He is not to drink any water right afterwards, as it will remove the liquid coating he just drank.
So Shane takes the pill and drinks the noxious fluid.
Ian and I are now treated to a good three minutes of faces that can only honestly describe how truly disguisting this fluid tastes. I'm imaging that drinking out of a open sewer would be more refreshing.
10 minutes go by and a guy with a wheel chair come rolling in. It times to take a picture or two of the insides. So off Shane goes. I go outside for a bit.
While I am outside, Shane gets wheeled back in, the X-rays are dropped off to the doctor. About five minutes later he goes, we're letting you go. There is nothing wrong with you heart, but it does look like an acid reflux problem. He asks Shane about any recent stressful events. Anyone who reads my weekly e-mail newsletter will know that stressful events have plagued us since mid-April. So, BIG YES TO THE STRESS!
He wrote a prescription and told Shane he could leave. Shane asked, if he could change clothes now. Not missing a beat, the doctor says, "No, you have to go home just like that." Which got ian and I laughing even got a grin out of Shane."
The nurse came in, Shane signed his release papers, and we finally got home just shy of 6:00 AM.
I think I feel asleep by 6:15 AM, and now I decided I had to record these events before I completely forgot the details.
Shane is my best friend, and I want to make sure he stays that way for a very long time. Life without him would be... very dull! :)
He said, "Don't panic, or get worried, but what does it mean when your chest hurts and your left arm hurts when you move it?"
I almost panicked and then thought about what he was asking. I weighed all the possibilities, and then reflected on my four days in the hospital last September. I then turned to him and said, "Generally when you are having chest pains, and trouble with your left arm at the same time, they are warning signs of a impending heart attack, or one in progress. You should go to the emergency room."
"You said you wouldn't panic!"
"I didn't. I've given you a response in calm measured tones. I'm not yelling. I'm not telling you to go. I said you should. But if you don't like my answer, then you should go and ask Ian in his room."
"He's asleep."
"He's been in his room for five minutes, and this is important anyway. Go ask Ian."
Shane says, "Alright," knowing that he has already lost this discussion. Reluctantly he knocks on Ian's door. I can hear that they are talking but I cannot hear the specifics over the roar of the central air unit in the hallway.
Ian has given Shane the same information and advice.
We get dressed and get into the car.
As Shane continues to fill in more details about how he has been in pain on and off for the last few months, I think back to California. In the months prior to my entering the hospital. There were a few times outside on break, that experienced what can only be described as intense pain in my chest. The kind of pain so bad that can bring a tear to the eye because you cannot stop it. But then it would pass, and days or weeks would go by before another occurance. In my mind it was simple indigestion, but I simply fooling myself.
I'm an intelligent guy, and I read enough to know the difference between the pain of heartburn and the pain of something far more serious. And I ignored it.
We arrived at the hopital, and Shane now starts to talk about whenever he goes to the hospital they never find anything wrong with him. I tell him they never find anything wrong, because he gets afraid. He omits important details so they won't look as hard as they should, then he complains when they find nothing, only because he would normally leave things out. We arrive and Shane enters his information on the form at the desk. It is entered into the system by a very attractive young man, who has to be teased relentlessly becasue of his name... CHRISTOPHER LEE! What a hunky stud!
When the ER staff calls him into the back to get registered, Ian and I accompany him. We want to make sure they gat all the facts this time. ALL OF THEM! I'm going to let my friend risk his life because he left out a few facts. To Shane's credit, there wasn't much he left out. We had to fill in a blank or two, because Shane legitimately forgot the information.
So they assign him to TRAMA ROOM NO. 1. Next to the entry/exit doors for the ambulance crew to bring in real serious cases. Shane puts on his hospital johnny, and the ER Nurse begins to hook Shane up to the heart monitor. Little sticky tapes are placed in key areas of the chest, and leads are attached which will monitor Shane's respiration and heart rate. A blood pressure cuff is put on his arm to take automatic reading every 15 minutes or so.
We are back there talking about various things including my adventure in the hospital last September where I was diagnosed as diabetic, and had to have two stents inseted into a heart artery, after a blockage was removed. We talked about the past few months that have had us all under a lot of stress. We talked about various things passing the time until another nurse came in with the EKG cart. 12 more leads were hooked up to Shane, and a more detailed reading was taken. The nurse unhooked Shane from the EKG unit, and took the readins out to the shift doctor in the ER.
A short time later, the doctor came in asked Shane a few questions about his medical history, and said they were going to look at his insides. Shane looked at me... I said, "X-rays," and smiled.
Another hour of chatting and carrying on and the docotr comes back in and asked, if anyone has taken and blood or given him a pill and a really nasty tasting cup of stuff... nope, the doctor looks a litle frustrated now. He leaves.
A few moments later the nurse comes in with a 2 oz or 4 oz cup filled with a thick pasty looking liquid and a pill. She continues stirring it and then sets it down for a moment. She tells Shane that he needs to take the pill, and then wash it down with the thick liquid. The liquid will make his mouth numb all the way down to his stomach. He is not to drink any water right afterwards, as it will remove the liquid coating he just drank.
So Shane takes the pill and drinks the noxious fluid.
Ian and I are now treated to a good three minutes of faces that can only honestly describe how truly disguisting this fluid tastes. I'm imaging that drinking out of a open sewer would be more refreshing.
10 minutes go by and a guy with a wheel chair come rolling in. It times to take a picture or two of the insides. So off Shane goes. I go outside for a bit.
While I am outside, Shane gets wheeled back in, the X-rays are dropped off to the doctor. About five minutes later he goes, we're letting you go. There is nothing wrong with you heart, but it does look like an acid reflux problem. He asks Shane about any recent stressful events. Anyone who reads my weekly e-mail newsletter will know that stressful events have plagued us since mid-April. So, BIG YES TO THE STRESS!
He wrote a prescription and told Shane he could leave. Shane asked, if he could change clothes now. Not missing a beat, the doctor says, "No, you have to go home just like that." Which got ian and I laughing even got a grin out of Shane."
The nurse came in, Shane signed his release papers, and we finally got home just shy of 6:00 AM.
I think I feel asleep by 6:15 AM, and now I decided I had to record these events before I completely forgot the details.
Shane is my best friend, and I want to make sure he stays that way for a very long time. Life without him would be... very dull! :)
Comments
There are currently no comments for this blog