Different heart problems this time but some of the elements of that past experience are very much the same. Now it's my blood pressure. And the hospital stay was better. But some other things are still the same. Ridiculous weight, binge drinking, eating crap, stress, other health pains and issues for my part. Incompetent or aloof medical providers, miles of red tape, and the general circus atmosphere of it all prevails still on their part. (Only now, a decade later, more "machine that goes ping" technology!)
I went to see my totally incompetent but sweet little troll doctor last week since I now have Obamacare (woo hoo, I gots me da hook-up!) for the toe problem and as per usual, they took my vitals. Weight is up to 318 according to their scale. No huge surprise but depressing nonetheless. But BP was also way up...160/96.
I continued to monitor my BP at home for the next four days and started to come to the conclusion that the massive headaches, body aches, chest pains, shortness of breath, etc. I've been feeling over the past week may have more to do with my heart than the drinking. (Oh but the drinking was a contributing factor as well, I'm sure, since I sure did maintain a consistency pretty much every night.)
By Monday morning I was freaked out enough. Dr. Gohill had said to call after a week if the BP doesn't subside so I did (even though it was just 4 days) but she didn't return my message promptly so I went to an "in-network" urgent care nearby to find out what was going on.
Both the staff there were very nice but unfortunately quite incompetent. After reading my EKG, the PA mumbled in his heavy Pakistani accent something about "this problem will take you to heaven" and "this says you have heart damage." WHAT? And sure enough, even in the print above the graph it said "anterior infarct" so basically a heart attack! He asked if I had experienced severe chest pains but the ones I had were more like indigestion. Most were actually over the liver so I thought it was due to drinking. Had I really had a heart attack? And what was the shit about "heaven?" I may have totally misunderstood him as I doubt any healthcare professional would be glib about fatal illness but he's a kinda "shoot from the hip" talker and perhaps a little unfiltered. He then mumbled that I might be better going to the ER but then he seemed to take it back and suggested I get bloodwork and come back the next day for an appointment with the cardiology department upstairs. Well when I went upstairs to set the appointment, the receptionist asks me which practitioner I wanted to see and there he is standing there behind her. Ohh, so that's his racket. Why should I give money to the hospital when he was also the cardiology PA of the place and, from the emptiness of the rooms, could apparently use the business? Who cares if it's not as quick a resolution for me.
All I could focus on for the rest of the day was that EKG. And when the Metopolol he prescribed did hardly anything to bring my BP down, I decided, at 12:30 am to go to the ER. I drove to South Seminole Hospital, the one we used at Lakewood for our folks having psych incidents (it's a regular hospital with a psych ward, not a psych facility BTW) and was interrogated by the two ER nurses. The triage interview area, unlike the waiting area, was quite cramped and spartan and, frankly, it smelled really funky like BO, piss, and ineffective disinfectant. Knowing about their psych intake I wasn't super surprised but the nurses attitude was. They were brusque and stabbing me with frown-faced questions. I guess they're used to dealing with a lot of kooky issues. Shit, they probably had to endure the likes of Benjamin, Mike P., and Amy, a few of the many past and present very behavioral LW residents that practically called this place their second home.
But after they saw my over 200 systolic and my irregular EKG, they were much more pleasant and I was fast tracked to a bed in the very nice general ER. I'd been here before of course but not as often as I'd need to visit Florida Hospital Altamonte in order to transport our LW residents. I think it was only once to pick up John M. I believe, a few years back. A very clean and modern look to the place. But still a bit of a funk I noticed. I guess that's any hospital. People aren't always freshly showered and deodorized when they need to go to the hospital in an emergency I'd guess.
After many pokes and prods, I was brought down to the observation ward, again a nice and modern area. I little less funky too. Like the ER, the rooms were actual rooms with doors for privacy and noise abatement. It was a slow night and day so it seemed like I breezed through the next day with all my tests and sonograms and x-rays. A parade of doctors and nurses saw me throughout and all were super, super nice. And even once I was off my NPO (for the tests and I think SOP for cardio intakes) the meal I had, stuffed shells, was awesome!
Online reviews are quite harsh for this place and even Lakewood considered this place less desirable for general medicine than their beloved Florida Hospital. But you know what, there're no Seventh Day Adventist religious murals and biblical quotes on the walls here. Just good ol' fashioned secularism.
The best though...it turns out the EKG wasn't right. The cardiologist did say it was abnormal since the BP was so high, but no physical problems or operational issues with the heart. I was fine. Of course, she didn't have to preach that I'm dealing with all the major risk factors and my eating and drinking exacerbated them, but it looks like I may not die right away.
And this whole ordeal has made me very aware of my vulnerability and the utter despair of my psych when facing mortality. That day, hopefully no time soon, will truly be horrible. I really started spiraling down Monday night before going in. I never want to go through that again. I'd much rather just not know. Sitting there, completely alone, facing death square in the face is shear terror.