Stress Test = Freak out nurses=Hospital stay

What all started out as a normal busy sat morning turned into a bad day. I had to go on sat 3-31-07 for a stress test. This was due to having an abnormal ekg. So had to have this stress test to have clearance for my upcoming weight loss surgery. Well took the test, did fine, they inject you with this nuclear dye of some sort during the test when your heart gets to a certain rate. This dye is used so when they take the nuclear xrays of your heart they can see what is going on. Well I was finished with the test, sitting on the bed waiting to have my b/p taken as is part of the test, and next thing you know the 2 nurses came rushing at me, asking if I am ok, trying to make me lie down, asking if I am having chest pains, etc. Well I am like, what the heck, I feel fine, and no not having any pains, not even out of breath from test. Whats the problem. Well I glance over one of the nurses shoulder at the monitor I am hooked up to and man were those lines all over the place. They were literally from top to bottom of screen. I guess according to the machine I was in VTach, and from what I was told that means I was having a heart attack. Well I sure as heck didn't feel like I was. I felt fine. Nothing different then any other day. Well they paged the doctor to come back stat. He came rushing in, looked at print out and asked me same questions as nurses did. I told him I felt fine, nothing different. He kept asking me more questions but in a different way, and still my answer was no I feel fine and I did. The doctor next told me well we are going to admit you. I was like NO I have to be at work at 2p. He told me not today you're not. Next thing you know I am being admitted to the hosp in CCU. Now you know my mind had to be going a mile a minute at that point, wondering what the heck. Well I had the nuclear xrays as planned, was put in CCU, hooked up to all sorts of things, given one of those lovely backless gowns and told to lay down and relax. RELAX??? You're kidding right? How can anyone relax when everyone and their brother are in there asking you the same questions, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? DO YOU HAVE ANY CHEST PAINS, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, ETC? They take my b/p and its 199/99, and they say that's way to high, well of course it is, I am freaking out at about this time. Do you possibly think that, that might be the reason????

I have all sorts of test run, bloodwork, ultrasounds, chest xrays. Everything comes back normal. If I would have had a heart attack the enzymes in the bloodwork would have have shown up, but nope all tests came back negative. Can't find anything wrong that way. So next step according to the doctor is to have a cardiac catherization done, but since its the weekend it will have to wait till mon. Well I am really worried now. According to the doctor if they find something during this procedure they will take you into surgery and possibly put in stints in my heart valves, or possibly have heart surgery. Now you know where my b/p was at this point, yep up again. I am scared, worried, panic, cry, upset and anything else you can imagine. I ask question after question to anyone that might be able to give me an answer. If everything is all right so far, and I have good pulses couldn't it just be something that can possibly be taken care of with meds, well I get told they don't know until they get in and find out whats going on. AHHHHHHH

I get all prepped on mon morning. I have not had anything to eat or drink since midnight. I am waiting, the nurse comes in hooks up the IV, then like 10 min later another nurse comes in and says that the procedure will have to be done tomorrow on tues. Something about not enough time on the schedule. So another day to wait and worry. Out comes the IV and I get to have something to drink and eat. I finally have the procedure done on tue, it was scheduled for 10a but again put off till somewhere between noon and 2p because of an emergency that came in. I finally went down around 1p,I was scared to death. But everyone was so nice and so comforting, and actually the procedure is ok. It didn't hurt, didn't feel anything, was awake the whole time. The whole thing took 30 min from time they started to prep me to when I got in the recovery room. And doctor came in and said I have nothing wrong with my heart, its in great shape, no blockage, nothing. I just happen to have an extra beat in there that could have been there my whole life. So back to my room in CCU. I have to lay with my right leg perfectly still for about 4 hrs. Now that is a feat in itself. Those hospital beds are the most uncomfortable things you can imagine. But I managed to do it, not sure how but I did. They still are monitoring me, but I am a lot more relaxed now that its all over.

I get to come home day after the procedure which I am happy about. The nurse comes in and gives me my discharge instructions, no driving, wash incision site, what to look for at the site, what I can and can't do, go see the doc in x amt of days. Then she tells me I am going home with a portable heart monitor. I get this look on my face and ask her WHY? She said doc ordered it, because I they still need to know about this extra beat. AHHHHHH again. I am showed how to use it, I have to record my heart rhythm 3x then call it in, reset it, and then do this 3 more times. Well I get home, get out of my clothes, put on my own pjs and rest. Actual rest. I feel great. I call in my first round of rhythms, they ask me how I am feeling, I tell them fine, they ask me was I having any pains and that is why I recorded, I tell them no, I was just told to periodically record throughout the day so that I can have 3 recordings to call in. They then ask me why I am wearing this, I tell them that is the $1,000,000 question. The woman just chuckles and says go ahead and send it. I do and then tell her I will talk to her again, she laughs and says no problem.

So throughout all this worrisome few days, the question that keeps running through my mind is, Couldn't it be a big possibility that I was just had an allergic reaction to the nuclear dye they shot into me during the stress test? I did ask and the response I got was, "well we have never had anyone have one before" hmmm well couldn't I just be the first? Who knows. I am home for a few days from work, will try and get some much needed rest that I didn't get in hospital. Get some reading done, and just heal. I am bruised all over from all the tests that were taken and all the shots I was given, so those will all need to heal. But I did come out of this ok. It shows that except for my weight I am healthy. So that is all a good thing. So a clean bill of health is a good thing. And just now have to wait for the next part of this journey into my losing the much needed weight. And being the New Sue in 2007!!!!!!