Tachycardia...and I'm FREAKING OUT.

[ralerin]

I've felt "off" for a couple days, got smacked upside the head with a nasty chest cold that I'm recovering from. However. Tuesday I started getting palpitations. Something like "BOOMBOOMBOOM PAUSE SKIP BOOM BOOMBOOMBOOM BOOM BOOM PAUSE SKIP BOOM PAUSE BOOM BOOM SKIP PAUSE". They would disappear, but since then they're getting worse. They worsen when I relax and it hurts. A deep uncomfortable ache.

This would cause anyone to freak out normally, but I have family history of congestive heart failure. Dad has it and I can't. Stop. Freaking. Out and making it worse and I want sleep but I'm scared to and it's turning into a whole negative feedback loop. Dad isn't helping me any by saying "Oh yes, I had that, oh that? Yeah, that too. Here, love, let me test your pulse *check* oh my god."

Jesus fucking Christ i'm too young for this shit and I'm scared shitless and how do I pay the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and it hurts and *pant gasp wheeze*

Hospital first thing tomorrow.

ETA: Hello from the beautiful waiting room of Local Hospital. Couldn't sleep, everything was getting worse, so here I am.

[AccountingDrone]

I have tachy as a side to my malignant hypertension. Hell that takes too long to type, I think I'll call the BP issue Bob.

When Bob hits, I stop and start doing meditation breathing - slow count in of 5 and slow count out of 5. I try to relax, and find my quiet place as getting worried seems to make Bob worse. I give myself 5 minutes of measured breathing to kick Bob in the ass and get rid of him. This usually seems to help me get Bob under control.

[I just wish my glucose was as easy to try and control sometimes!]

Post again and let us know how it is going.

[csquared]

Quoth ralerin

ETA: Hello from the beautiful waiting room of Local Hospital. Couldn't sleep, everything was getting worse, so here I am.

Smart move. Hope you are feeling better soon.

[Sapphire Silk]

Glad you went to get it checked out.

Did you take any cold medications with psuedoephedrine (Sudafed)? Tell your doc if so.

He'll still do a cardiac workup to be sure, but tachycardia is a side effect of that particular cold medication.

People with high blood pressure should not take medications with psuedoephedrine in them because it increases the BP and heart rate.

[ralerin]

Didn't take medications, didn't have stress (well, Dad wasn't helping me any, but on the whole, no), didn't really do anything. Incidentally, Local Hospital is on the list of top 100 US cardiac hospitals.

So one EKG, several vials of blood drawn (thank fuck I'm a good stick even slightly dehydrated), a mess of an IV site (blood everywhere ow ow ow) a shot of Toradol for the pain (oh my god it STUNG OW OW OW and the saline after didn't help much), some chest xrays and 5 hours of waiting later...

The results are "inconclusive". Meh. Got Awesome Doc (seriously, he's awesome if a bit technical) and AD thinks it may be a touch of pneumonia. Need to visit my PCP when I have a moment/when the holiday is over.

As a side: is Toradol supposed to give you a feeling of invulnerability? Being awake for 20 hours kept me pinned to the bed, but I had urges to go racing down the hallway screaming that John Mayer song about running through the halls of his high school, pretend I was Rocky and start engaging people in inpromptu boxing matches; hell, skip through the entire hospital singing "Celebration" and nobody could do a fucking thing because I'M INVINCIBLE!!! Interestingly, Tramadol did the same thing, but it turned me to the angry murderer side of the spectrum.

[Sapphire Silk]

Quoth ralerin

As a side: is Toradol supposed to give you a feeling of invulnerability? Being awake for 20 hours kept me pinned to the bed, but I had urges to go racing down the hallway screaming that John Mayer song about running through the halls of his high school, pretend I was Rocky and start engaging people in inpromptu boxing matches; hell, skip through the entire hospital singing "Celebration" and nobody could do a fucking thing because I'M INVINCIBLE!!! Interestingly, Tramadol did the same thing, but it turned me to the angry murderer side of the spectrum.

It's a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Euphoria and hyperkinesis are known side effects, though I don't see them very often.

I'd say just enjoy it for now, since you seem to be doing OK with it.

Toradol is not recommended for use over 5 days due to high risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and renal failure, so don't ask for a prescription for it. No sensible doc will give you one. But it's a great drug for short term pain control.

[ralerin]

Eh, I just received the one shot through the IV (which is why it HURT SO MUCH-I was literally trying to run away from the nurse going "oh my god it STINGSSSSSSSS." I had just gotten used to the IV being in and then having the drug shoved in hurt. A lot.) Asked the doctor for his recommendations, he said he could give me a bit of Toradol. I refused it. The chest doesn't hurt but it pisses me off. I want it to stop.

I'm a little angry, I wanted to go home earlier today but I was kept being put off until an hour and a half later. There was one point where I was clutching the bag rack for support, dizzy, etc. Drank water and it seems to have abated; though if I feel any worse, it's back to the hospital I go.

Edit: Ah, just removed the bandages. The IV with blood everywhere is fine, just a tiny pinprick that's barely noticeable. The place where they drew blood from for the labs blew the vein, so now my elbow has a line of reddish bruise purple all over it. Ugh, I hate that.

[csquared]

Take it easy. Don't try to move too fast, too long or too hard. While I never passed out from my heart issues, I came REAL close to a face plant, twice.

My Boss's Boss had Tachycardia a few years back. He asked a nurse what he should do if he had another attack.
Nurse: Sit down immediately.
B's B: I was sitting the last time when it happened. How does that help?
Nurse: It will keep you from breaking your nose when you pass out.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

[Geek King]

Quoth csquared

Nurse: Sit down immediately.
B's B: I was sitting the last time when it happened. How does that help?
Nurse: It will keep you from breaking your nose when you pass out.

This. My grandmother was standing when her "widowmaker" clot hit her heart. She passed out really quick, and dropped like a sack of potatoes. By the time she got to the hospital, she was purple over half her body from the bruising and the blood thinner.

And, yes, she did survive it, a rarity according to the doctor. His WAG is that the clot got dislodged again when she hit the floor, and moved to somewhere less deadly. Normal SOP is that the patient is dead before EMS can get there.

[Seshat]

Getting medical attention was absolutely the right thing to do. I'm so glad you went to the hospital.

If your family doctor & your cardiac specialist give you a clean bill of health and a 'tachycardia appears to be just something that happens in your family' (I don't know if that's likely, but by the way you described your Dad's reaction, it might be); then I strongly recommend that you study meditation.

My husband has a rare cardiac condition; when it strikes he has a horrible episode then recovers fully. IF - and ONLY IF - your doctors say that this is what will happen with you, I recommend you at least try handling it the way my husband does.

When he feels it coming on, he finds a safe place to lie down. (So he can't fall down). Then he puts his mind into a meditative state, and just waits for it to pass. If friends/family are around, he lets us know so we can monitor and guard him. If not, and a concerned stranger shows up while he's coherent*, he lets them know what to expect and that he's going to be fine.
* His condition can render him unconscious; and it's kind of difficult to let a stranger know you're fine if you're out cold.

However, I would like to repeat that that's an IF AND ONLY IF method of management. Please please please do let your family doctor and/or specialists make sure you're okay.