My Hospital Experience

My last couple posts were written from the hospital. I've been out for over a week now, but I'm just now feeling up to getting back on here with an update. It was quite an ordeal! For about a week after I came home, my arms still looked like I had been in some kind of physical combat.

The whole experience began on the evening of Friday, August 27. I started having chest pains at work and left early to go home and rest. As long as I was lying still, I felt better, so I got up Saturday morning thinking it had all passed. I went to work, but didn't last long. The pain was too severe.

I went to the emergency room and was very quickly attended to by three nurses, all poking and prodding me at once. I was hooked up to an ECG, had an IV started, and all kinds of stuff. I warned the nurse starting the IV that I have very bad veins, and everyone in the hospital soon learned how true that was. There were several unsuccessful attempts at starting IV's. One nurse managed to get one started, but it was too small to be used for the cat scan. Finally, they got a larger one started, and I was taken for the cat scan. Unfortunately, when the dye was injected, the IV blew, and my arm was filled with the fluid.



Anyway, I was admitted to the hospital and ended up staying FOUR days and had several tests. I was poked with a needle more times than I can count, and I came home with bruises all over. Here is a picture of me in the hospital, hooked up to an IV, a heart monitor, oxygen, etc.



On that Monday, they did an echocardiogram. Here is what it looked like:



I was supposed to have a heart cath done on Tuesday, but a lady was brought in with a massive heart attack. She, obviously, took priority, and my cath was bumped to Wednesday. For the cath, they had to start yet another IV on my already terribly bruised arm.



The outcome of all the tests was that my heart is in pretty good shape, considering the defects I was born with. I have no blood clots and no blockage at all. I do have some regurgitation, due to the faulty tricuspid valve; but that is to be expected. The doctors adjusted my daily meds somewhat and sent me on my way that Wednesday evening. I was elated about going home. I have been very weak, though, and the site where they inserted the cath hurt for quite a bit longer than I expected.

Here are some flowers I received while I was in the hospital: