More on Urgent Care Visit
Several people have asked questions about my visit to urgent care last night, so here are a few more details.
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The nurse sat me up on a table and took my temperature and blood pressure. Then I sat on the table and waited. It crossed my mind that if I did pass out, that would be a long way to fall. :)
The doctor came in later and talked to me for about 2 minutes, listened to my heart and lungs with a stethoscope and felt my pulse. That was all--no EKG or anything.
He said that because the chest and shoulder pain was sharp and intermittent it was muscle pain and not my heart. I'm still getting occasional stabs, but it's in my sternum, slightly to the right. I'm not terribly worried about it, given my history of back and rib problems. It's highly likely that part is a muscle spasm from lifting Baby E or something, I would think.
They didn't tell me what my pulse was. I had to ask several times to find out what my temp was (at first when I asked the nurse just said, "You don't have a fever"--which I knew--I was freezing cold with my teeth chattering, and came in telling them my temp was low!).
The doctor repeated the "you don't have a fever" mantra when I tried to ask about the low temperature, and I had to be pretty insistent to find out what my blood pressure was. The nurse and the doctor just told me it was "normal" each time I asked, and then another nurse or whoever it was discharging me finally went and found out the actual number for me, and said it was "a little high."
It really shouldn't be that hard to get information on one's own vital statistics when asking for them.
I've been complaining to various doctors about heart palpitations, shortness of breath, severe fatigue, unwanted weight loss and dizzy/faint spells off and on for months and nobody seems to think it's worth checking out much.
My primary care doctor did run some blood tests, and then even though they didn't have enough blood for all the tests he ordered he just said I didn't need another appointment unless I felt worse. I guess I'll make another appointment with him now.
I think it could be allergies or something else, or a combination. I really don't know.
Of course, the allergist I saw said I didn't have any food allergies (or non-allergy food intolerances) because I wasn't getting hives or athsma and didn't have 6/12 or larger skin welts, and that the environmental allergies (which had HUGE skin wheals) couldn't be causing my symptoms. :)
The dizzy spells, general itchiness and heart palpitations/shortness of breath and intestinal symptoms have gotten much better since I finally pinpointed the coconut (read: had an anaphylactic reaction, LOL) and removed it from my diet. So I know at least part of that was a food reaction.
I have an appointment with Baby E's new allergist in a week or two and will hopefully have more testing done.
##############
The nurse sat me up on a table and took my temperature and blood pressure. Then I sat on the table and waited. It crossed my mind that if I did pass out, that would be a long way to fall. :)
The doctor came in later and talked to me for about 2 minutes, listened to my heart and lungs with a stethoscope and felt my pulse. That was all--no EKG or anything.
He said that because the chest and shoulder pain was sharp and intermittent it was muscle pain and not my heart. I'm still getting occasional stabs, but it's in my sternum, slightly to the right. I'm not terribly worried about it, given my history of back and rib problems. It's highly likely that part is a muscle spasm from lifting Baby E or something, I would think.
They didn't tell me what my pulse was. I had to ask several times to find out what my temp was (at first when I asked the nurse just said, "You don't have a fever"--which I knew--I was freezing cold with my teeth chattering, and came in telling them my temp was low!).
The doctor repeated the "you don't have a fever" mantra when I tried to ask about the low temperature, and I had to be pretty insistent to find out what my blood pressure was. The nurse and the doctor just told me it was "normal" each time I asked, and then another nurse or whoever it was discharging me finally went and found out the actual number for me, and said it was "a little high."
It really shouldn't be that hard to get information on one's own vital statistics when asking for them.
I've been complaining to various doctors about heart palpitations, shortness of breath, severe fatigue, unwanted weight loss and dizzy/faint spells off and on for months and nobody seems to think it's worth checking out much.
My primary care doctor did run some blood tests, and then even though they didn't have enough blood for all the tests he ordered he just said I didn't need another appointment unless I felt worse. I guess I'll make another appointment with him now.
I think it could be allergies or something else, or a combination. I really don't know.
Of course, the allergist I saw said I didn't have any food allergies (or non-allergy food intolerances) because I wasn't getting hives or athsma and didn't have 6/12 or larger skin welts, and that the environmental allergies (which had HUGE skin wheals) couldn't be causing my symptoms. :)
The dizzy spells, general itchiness and heart palpitations/shortness of breath and intestinal symptoms have gotten much better since I finally pinpointed the coconut (read: had an anaphylactic reaction, LOL) and removed it from my diet. So I know at least part of that was a food reaction.
I have an appointment with Baby E's new allergist in a week or two and will hopefully have more testing done.
Labels: allergies, health issues
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 8:23 AM[Permanent link]
3 Comments:
Yow. That's a lot of excitement for a single night, PK. I'm sorry you had to go through it -- and I hope you feel better soon.
I'm glad you'll be seeing Baby E's allergist for yourself, too.
Have you had heart palpitations frequently? It might all just be stress, but it wouldn't hurt to get an EKG done if you haven't already had one at some point in the past. But then again, I'm partial to heart issues. :) --Kathy J.
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