AnnieR Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 About 3 weeks ago, on a Thursday morning, I woke up with an ache in my upper chest and back, and it hurt to take a deep breath. Being the good "little" wife that I am I went about my normal Thursday chores, laundry, changing beds, folding & hanging clean clothes, etc. About 3 pm, I went to the garage where my husband was doing woodworking, finally explained what was happening...like I could hardly breathe...Me...do you think I ought to call the dr?...Him...get your a.. in the house and do it...nurse at dr's office...do you want me to call an ambulance or can Jim take you to the hospital? Needless to say, in about 15 min. I was in the er, diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, pulse rate at approximately 184. I stayed in the hospital for 3 days, and actually didn't go back to a regular heartbeat for about 2 weeks. The danger of AFib is stroke, not actual heart attack, so now I'm on digoxin and coumadin. According to the literature I was given, about 9% of people above 60 have AFib, my husband has had it for years and knows exactly when he has an episode. Me...nada. Of course, women have different symptoms, I never thought that it hurting to breathe was anything but a pulled muscle, plus women have a denial system second to none. The reason I am posting this, is "LADIES, DON'T IGNORE ANY STRANGE SYMPTOMS YOU MAY HAVE. IT'S NOT WORTH IT" AnnieR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAXBILLY Posted September 20, 2009 Report Share Posted September 20, 2009 Glad you're O.K. It's always important not to ignore the warning signs. I too have Atrial Fibrillation. My doctor put me on Coumadin and also ran a Carotid Doppler and an Echocardiogram to make sure there are no other problems. taxbilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstaxes Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Thanks for the warning. Like most, I too, tend to ignore pain and continue doing what I am doing. It will go away or work itself out. I think I am going to be more aware of what my body is trying to tell me. Glad to hear you are okay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 AnnieR -- We are VERY glad to hear that you're OK!!! And thanks for the warning. There are two general kinds of pain/discomfort. Anything with joints or muscles tends to be OK to try "wait and see". But anything that involves sudden unexplained weakness and/or difficulty breathing or seeing is NOT. Catherine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lion EA Posted September 21, 2009 Report Share Posted September 21, 2009 Glad you're on the mend. And, thank you very much for the education. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joanmcq Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Yeah; that happens to me all the time. Really. Very tight chest and hurts to breathe. But it goes away in an hour or three. Don't know about the pulse. I'm only 49. But I am also afflicted with "its only a flesh wound" syndrome and wait it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Yeah; that happens to me all the time. Really. Very tight chest and hurts to breathe. But it goes away in an hour or three. Don't know about the pulse. I'm only 49. But I am also afflicted with "its only a flesh wound" syndrome and wait it out. I'd recommend you talk to someone about that. The worst that happens is that they tell you you're OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TaxmannEA Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Yeah; that happens to me all the time. Really. Very tight chest and hurts to breathe. But it goes away in an hour or three. Don't know about the pulse. I'm only 49. But I am also afflicted with "its only a flesh wound" syndrome and wait it out. Please let me second Catherine's statement. See a doctor and get a check up. Tight chest and hurts to breathe could be very serious. At least you might be able to get some relief through treatment. (I recently had to use a body bag on someone who was "waiting it out".) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MargaretMort Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 I, too, have had situations where I said--I'm gonna have problems someday with that. Turned out, in the case of the gall bladder, I was having major problems and had had for several years. Heart problems don't run in my family, I have low/normal blood pressure, but I have had erratic heartbeat for years and years, plus a tendency to light headedness if I got up too suddenly. At my advanced age-73-I jumped out of bed with a leg cramp one morning and fainted dead away. Scared the living daylights out of my husband who is ill. Since then I have been through a battery of tests. We now know I do not have diabetes, my thyroid function is great, I don't have a Triple A, my carotid arteries are clear, I passed all the stress tests, etc. The cardiologist said "You have an erratic heartbeat that doesn't bother you. We have nothing to treat. You are no longer our patient." The reason I fainted was, of course, my blood pressure dropped from jumping out of bed--which is what I said when it happened. You cannot imagine the relief my family felt to learn that Mom is not also ill You know, we are supposed to be invincible and it scares them if we are not. Get problems checked before they become major problems. Learn to listen to what your body is telling you. Don't put it off because you are afraid to find out what might be wrong. Take care of yourself. Taxes are stressful enough without adding to it. MM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAXBILLY Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Good advice Margaret. I was also one of those "I am invincible" guys until I crashed and burned. Intend to stay on this side of the turf awhile longer. taxbilly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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