That was Monday morning I suddenly felt sick, fatigued. I suddenly had a fever and chills. I did not know what caused it. All I knew was I am not OK, that something is wrong with me and my body. I took medicines, Saridon and Biogesic for fever and headache which are analgesic- antipyretic . My fever subsided but my body ached. My lower abdomen was painful and I kept urinating. I drank as much fluid as needed. I even drank ginger, oregano and lemon. I felt better Tuesday Morning but still had a mild headache and this time I was feeling discomfort in my neck and nape then radiated to my left shoulder and arm. Then there I felt chest pain. It's tightening, squeezing and sharpening. I was damn scared. My breathing was not normal and still my left arm was in pain. I googled and found signs of heart attack. I was really scared. I was crying. I don't want to die just yet. I have not talked to Him yet, for repentance. My children need me. I was hesitant to go to the hospital but I knew something was not right and I am not an expert to assume. What's going on? My partner was working and kept telling me to go and have it checked. It might have worsened. I was thinking that I can still manage. I could still grasp my breath but the thought that I may die in a blink of an eye due to heart attack is what I was really scared about. Overthinking? I was thinking about my children, my family. I am not ready to go yet.
And finally, we rushed to the hospital because I felt like it's not getting better. I was advised to have the ECG test first. There's some kind of discrepancies on the results. I can't explain in medical terms but to make it short, possible heart attack, unspecified. While on the hospital bed I was trying to sleep but I was scared. Then I talked to Him with my eyes closed. Heal me Father! Then I suddenly felt secure and safe. I waited for 6 hours, the nurse attendant said to wait because they only had 1 Doctor and many were sent to critical care. Then, I did worry a bit, again. After another hour the doctor came in and greeted me. She asked how I was feeling. I said it was still the same but manageable. Then she showed me the results and explained every test done. Guess what? Nothing serious. All my tests are normal although I am low in potassium and calcium which aren't serious. I sighed in relief. The Doctor explained that it could be muscle stiffness and acid reflux. My heart is still OK. I am still healthy. I knew it but I had to make sure. Prevention is always better. For mothers like us, or parents in general, we should be taking precautionary measures, preventive measures, not to just save ourselves. Who else are we saving? We are saving those little hearts of our children. They need us more than ever. So please be good to your heart, body and mind.
For you all, I have compiled some of the information that we may need to know to prevent emergency medical situations and this focus on "Heart".
These are the tests that they required to rule out the real cause of the problem
ECG or electrocardiogram
RT PCR TEST (COVID)
Urinalysis
Complete blood count
Blood Urea Nitrogen
Creatinine
Troponin I
Ionized Calcium
Magnesium
Potassium
Partial Thromboplastin time
Prothrombin time
Sodium
Xray
Good To Know
Troponin I test
A troponin test measures the levels of troponin T or troponin I proteins in the blood. These proteins are released when the heart muscle has been damaged, such as occurs with a heart attack. The more damage there is to the heart, the greater the amount of troponin T and I there will be in the blood.
the normal range for troponin I is between 0 and 0.04 ng/mL but for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) normal values are below 14ng/L. Other types of heart injury may cause a rise in troponin levels.
My troponin I result
Early signs of Heart Attack
Chest discomfort. It involves discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, may go away and return.
Feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. It includes pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
Shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
CHEST PAIN CAUSES
There are many possible causes of chest pain. These are the following
Heart-related causes
Heart attack
Muscle and bone causes
Some types of chest pain are associated with injuries and other problems affecting the structures that make up the chest wall, including:
Costochondritis. In this condition, the cartilage of the rib cage, particularly the cartilage that joins the ribs to the breastbone, becomes inflamed and painful.
Digestive causes
Chest pain can be caused by disorders of the digestive system, including:
Heartburn. This painful, burning sensation behind the breastbone occurs when stomach acid washes up from the stomach into the tube that connects the throat to the stomach (esophagus).
Lung-related causes
Many lung disorders can cause chest pain, including:
Blood clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism). A blood clot that gets stuck in a lung (pulmonary) artery can block blood flow to lung tissue.
Panic Attack
Shingles
My Takeaways
- Do not ignore the signs. Have yourself checked. Seek professional advice and help.
- Save for you and your family’s emergency funds. You can also get a health insurance package/coverage. Health is wealth.
- Live healthy, happily and avoid vices like smoking, frequent alcohol drinking. Get enough sleep and exercise and take your vitamins daily.
Have faith and pray.
See you to the next blog.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/chest-pain/symptoms-causes/syc-20370838
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/heart-attack/warning-signs-of-a-heart-attack/heart-attack-symptoms-in-women
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/