...And now Paranoia has set in
4 days after I turned 40, during a usual day at work I felt as though I was coming down with the flu. Bones were achey, felt terrible. I left work, took some Nyquil and headed to bed, but the symptoms got worse. I felt like my chest was on fire from breast to breast, dull pain in BOTH arms radiating to BOTH sides of my jaws and up into my temples. I laid in bed for about an hour thinking this flu is going to be HORRIBLE. Then suddenly my chest felt like it was being crushed. (all medical personnel ask if it feels like an elephant on you, um..no..it feels like a person sitting on me..ive never had an elephant on me..so i dont know) So I have my children call 911, they come, and on my 35 minute trip to the ER my heart stops. When I was revived the paramedic told me it took four times to get my heart started. At the ER I had a stent placed in my LAD, it was occluded. I remember very little of the evening BUT my recovery for the last four weeks seems like forever. I have read everything, and am thinking about Dr. Dean Ornish's program on heart health. I of course quit smoking that nite, (which is a great way to stop..dying and all), I have cut out all red meats and most all fat and cholestrol. Now I am finding that I am paranoid that I will have another heart attack, or that the stent will move, or dislodge, or collapse. OR that maybe the doctors missed other occlusions by accident...etc etc etc..every pain in my chest scares the crap out of me, and then sends me into a panic attack that raises my heart rate..turns to stress..I know thats not good!! (Apparently they cant give you anything to calm you down,as THAT can be addictive..and we wouldnt want that)..So now Im at home..stressed over health, stressed over not being able to work for few months..stressed over pains, medications, and my children..BUT I AM SO GRATEFUL TO BE ALIVE!!! AND SO GRATEFUL THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO WERE THERE TO KEEP ME ALIVE!!! I would love to have email from anyone who can relate...god bless!
Brenda McDaniel
brendac21@yahoo.com
