Tick...Tick....Tick

Are you wondering what that is?

It's the sound of my heart. Yes. My heart has been the topic of lots of conversation around here lately (and on my FaceBook page if you happen to be a friend on there, too).

You see, it all started with those pesky migraines I seem to get more often than I want. A doozie came on last Wednesday. It pounded my brain for three very long days, bringing along with it vomiting and just a feeling of wanting to crawl under a rock.

Friday morning at 6 a.m., I slowly opened my eyes. The right eye first. Clear. Then the left. DANG!!! It was still there. Like an unwanted guest that just won't go away regardless of how hard you try.

I felt so bad that after dropping the little guys off at school, I pulled into a Fire Station not far from my house. I sheepishly walked towards a small group of firemen and asked if they would take my blood pressure. Immediately, they moved in on my request. The results 169/114.

I had a feeling it would be high. I've been dealing with a bit of high blood pressure (HBP) for a 2 years little while now, but as all things concerning me, put it on the back burner without ever seeing a doctor about it.

The firemen told me I really should get to a doctor since I'd had the migraine for 3 days, and the high blood pressure...blah..blah..blah.

This time I listened. I went to the local urgent care center where they checked me out, attributed the HBP to the pain from the migraine and ordered a brain scan for that afternoon to rule out an aneurysm or bleeding in the brain.

At 4:00 p.m., I did the brain scan. When it was over, I heard the typical, "Don't call us, we'll call you." So, off I went not knowing if I was a ticking time bomb.

That evening, I was making dinner. I could once again feel my BP rising. I felt my face quickly get flushed and the pounding on the forehead began. But this time, I was feeling different. At first, it was just a feeling of light-headedness. Then my right arm began tingling, all the way down to my fingertips. My heart was pounding, but I attributed it to nerves. I was getting scared. I mentioned it to Scott and he told me I just needed to go rest. He finished dinner. Almost immediately after eating, I was very nauseous. The fast heartbeat turned more into a pressure pushing down on my chest. I could feel my head pounding now. I knew that my BP must be high.

I get dressed and announce that I'm going down to the local drug store to take my BP. Amanda puts on her shoes and goes with me.

As we're driving, I tell her that if it's over 160, I'm gonna go to the ER because I just didn't feel well. A few minutes later, I'm nestled into the stiff chair with my arm in the cuff. It begins squeezing my arm. Hard.

My chest continues to hurt.

My arm continues to feel like it's asleep.

The numbers on the digital machine continue to rise.

Finally, it stops!

It read: 205/115

I knew it! I knew there was a reason I was feeling so, well...crappy!

We head back to the car, drive the couple of miles home, Amanda and sweet hubby change places (she stays with the little ones who are now asleep and sweet hubby gets into the driver's seat) and off we head to the ER.

Immediately, I'm thrown on a gurney and they start asking questions as they slap those little sticky tabs all over my chest to hook me up to the EKG machine.

Final result?

"You've had a small heart attack."

A WHHAAAAA????

They send me back to have another CT scan of my brain looking for an aneurysm, since we didn't have the results of the earlier one. Two in one day. Impressive, huh? Not!

The results of that were, praise God, negative.

My blood pressure begins to stabilize. Pains meds, HBP meds, and heart meds are administered.

By 1 a.m., I am an official resident of the local hospital. I beg sweet hubby to go back home, assuring him I'll be fine. Reluctantly, he does. I am given a shot of Benadryl (still not real sure why) that literally knocks me on my butt. I could barely understand the nurses as they come in every hour or so just to make sure I don't sleep. Okay. Maybe that's not why, but it sure felt like it.

Morning finally arrives. I'm informed that the enzymes from the blood drawn every 4 hours came back negative. I asked what that meant. She said, "It contradicts the EKG. You may not have had a heart attack." Hmmm....so did I? Did I not?

A few hours later, I am discharged and released into sweet hubby's care, along with a pile of prescriptions that include HBP treatment pills.

Three days later, my blood pressure is under control. I've had very minor chest pains. Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, I will be undergoing a battery of heart tests, including a nuclear stress test, EKG, and ECHO to determine if a) I did or did not have a heart attack b) how my heart is now.

It's been a real wake-up call that you can't mess with high blood pressure.

As always, your prayer are coveted that all I needed was my HBP treatment and all is well.

And of course, as always, thank you's going your way....wrapped in love!