| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Twi |
Posted - 24/02/2010 : 08:04:58
So New Years Day I'm woken up 3am with chest pains. Get up to go to my mum and pass out at the door. Her first reaction was to get me back to bed. The next day she phoned up the NHS hotline and they told me to go into casulty. So we went in, I was given a ECG and they told me heart looked fine, they didn't know what the pain was caused by, it was most probably acid reflux from stomach, and the fainting was probably due to pregnancy but they didn't know what was causing it cause my blood pressure was fine as well as my iron level.
A couple of weeks later, I go up the stairs towards the bathroom and stop at the top cause my heart feels like its beating 100mph and i can feel it from my chest up my neck. So my first reaction is to go back downstairs and lie down incase I pass out. I phone my mum and she thinks it's a panic attack (something I'm also prone to cause of anxiety problems) after about a hour of lying down it goes away so I don't worry about it.
Yesterday was shopping day, got cut short a bit becuse when I knelt down to look at birthday cards for my nephew it started again, only worse than last time. I went to sit down to wait for my mum and nan to finish their shopping but it wouldnt settle down this time. Every time i sat down i got a dull ache down from my ears, down the side of my face and down my neck and i could feel every speedy heartbeat in neck and chest. We got home and it still hadn't calmed down, so my mum got me to put my feet up while she toold my blood pressure and checked my pulls on the mini monitor she has. My blood pressure was fine but my pulse was going at 188 beats per minutes, which is nearly three times as much as it should be. She phoned the doctor as she took the reading again to make sure it was still the same and wasnt going down. Doctor admitted me into hospital and we went up there.
Arrive at the hospital, nurse takes me into room, gives me ECG, checks my blood pressure, pulse rate and temperature, then says the doctor will come see me soon. Lol sitting there we could hear them talking about what they were gonan do with me then someone comes in to take blood and put needle in my arm just incase i need a drip or something. Then the doctor comes in, asks me some questions then they move me onto the ward. I'm hooked up to a monitor which keeps beeping its alarm cause it doesnt like my heart rate lol, they take my blood pressure again and suddenly I'm surrounded by three nurses, two juniour doctors, two student doctors and the specialist. The specialist tells me he knows what I have, not to worry it won't affect the baby, it's nothign to do with the pregnancy and they will give me something to slow down my heart rate. I'll need to be booked in for a echo and an appointment to see him (Never once actually said what I had). So he runs off and one of the junior doctors and two of the nurses leaving me in this tiny cubical with everyone else. The doctor left says to me, I'm going to give you this medication and it'll make you feel sick in the chest (what a understatement o:) but it will only last a few seconds (it did yay!), then he starts explaining the the student doctors what the medication is and what it will do to me before giving it to me through the handy little (but highly uncomfotable) drip needle that was put in earlier. It was horrible, within seconds i felt like I had a full grown elephant sat on my chest, it hurt and i couldn't breath properly but it was over in seconds and suddenly my face, neck and chest felt hot. He's standing there patting my knee and telling me i did good and my heart rate was returning to normal, I would have to stay for 3 hours to make sure it remained that way an as long as it did i could go home. lol then walks away tellign the student doctors he was impressed, he'd never seen the medication work first time. So it's 6pm, I'm due to be assessed, me and my mum have kept ourselves entertained watching my bump move when the baby kicked for the last 3 hours. A nurse comes around gives me a pill, my mum asks what it is, she says not to worry they have checked its safe to take while pregnant (that didn't anwser my mums question but i took it anyway). She says the doctors will reassess me soon and then I should be able to go. Then a vampire came around again and said she needed blood to check my thiroid levels, so i held out my arm and she had a good dig around (seriously OWCH!) took my blood then left. 6:30 came we were wondering what was going on, mum went to ask if the doctors would be around soon they told her doctors had assessed me and i could go, but they were waiting for a midwife to come see me to resure me that the baby was ok (I already knew he was ok, he'd been kicking me as much as usual, if not more, and i hadnt had any sort of stomach pains, plus i just wanted to get out of there by now) 7:30 came and the midwife still hadn't shown up. Mum asked if we could leave and see my midwife today because my brothers girlfriend has to see her this mornign anyway. So the nurse comes, takes the needle out my arm and unsticks me from the monitor, says i'll have to pick up medication from doctors office and tell the midwife I'm on it. I'll aslo need to be monitored closely throughout the rest of the pregnancy to make sure everythings ok, i will probably get a few appointments wiht the specialist before I'm due and that as long as i felt ok i was free to go. Well.. i was out of that bed and in my shoes as fast as my bump would let me move lol
All in all it was a weird day. Mum checked to see what the medication they put me on is used for in her BNF she has at home because no one wanted to tell me what was wrong apparently,. They put me on Verapamil and its used for superventricular arrhythmia. Not a clue what that is but my mum said its something to do with part of the heart working faster/harder then the other somethign like that. I'm just glad they finally figured out whats causing my fainting, dizzyness and chest pain. Bit worrying they have to monitor me more closely cause of the medication after telling me it was safe to take during pregnancy. I'll be a lot happier when I've passed the next 16 weeks and had my baby and hes healthy. Feel fine today though, yesterday i was just tired and glad to be home by the end of the day. Mum stayed over with me last night to keep an eye on me lol, she woke me up a hour ago peeking in to check I was ok. |
| 12 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Twi |
Posted - 02/03/2010 : 13:18:03
lol its just starting to feel like every time i go in there they find soemthing else wrong with me XD Well got letter through asking me to make appointment for echo today, mums gonna go that later cause she'll be taking me so they have to make it around her work scheduel.
Getting bored of having to take it easy lol wanna sort out the rest of the house but i been told to try keeping my feet up o: |
| Kellog |
Posted - 02/03/2010 : 03:43:26
Not long to go now Twi, I promise....and it is worth it in the end (or so I keep telling myself 16 years later  !!!)
I know you are sick and tired of being in hospital, but it is the best place for you and baby....where you are being treated and monitored - so you just need to do what you are told, rest up as much as you can (you certainly wont get any rest once that baby arrives!) and wait it out...
xxx |
| Twi |
Posted - 01/03/2010 : 19:19:23
Well i was backin hospital today with cramping D: after 5 hours sitting in the bed they finally checked the baby was ok and told me it was probably a water infection and put me on 5 day course of antibiotics. o.o really getting tired of seeing the inside of that place lmao |
| Kellog |
Posted - 26/02/2010 : 03:48:24
Oh Twi, I am so sorry to hear what you have been through....but in a way I am also glad because I know you have had these symptoms a while and it must have been worrying you (which cant have helped your condition). I know this is a silly question, but did you or your mum actually ask them to explain to you what was going on? Too often we get just carried along with what is going on, being scared and surrounded by all these people that we forget to demand an answer.
This is the info I managed to find about it, hopefully it is of some help:
The heart is a pump that functions by pushing the blood through its four chambers. The blood is "pushed" through in a controlled sequence of muscular contractions. The sequence is controlled by bundles of cells which control the electrical activity of the heart. When the sequence is disturbed, heart arrhythmias occur.
What is an Arrhythmia?
Arrhythmias are abnormal rhythms of the heart. Arrhythmias cause the heart to pump blood less effectively. Most cardiac arrhythmias are temporary and benign. Most temporary and benign arrhythmias are those where your heart skips a beat or has an extra beat. The occasional skip or extra beat is often caused by strong emotions or exercise. Nonetheless, some arrhythmias may be life-threatening and require treatment.
Supraventricular arrhythmias
These occur in the heart's two upper chambers called the atrium. Supraventricular arrhythmias are further defined by the speed of the heartbeats: A very fast heart rate is called Tachycardia meaning the heart beats faster than 100 beats per minute.
A normal heart beats between 60 and 100 times a minute. However, in atrial fibrillation, the atria (upper lobes of the heart) beat 400 to 600 times per minute. In response to this, the ventricles usually beat irregularly at a rate of 170 to 200 times per minute. So in Atrial Fibrillation, the upper part of the heart may beat up to 8 times as much as a normal heart.
Symptoms of Arrhythmia
The most common symptoms of arrhythmia are:
palpitations or rapid thumping in your chest
feeling tired or light-headed
loosing consciousness
shortness of breath
chest pain.
Can Arrhythmia be treated?
Treatment of arrhythmia depend on the type of arrhythmia, the patients age, physical condition and age. Methods are available for prevention of arrhythmia. These methods include relaxation techniques to reduce stress, limit intake of caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and stimulant drugs. Many arrhythmias require no treatment, they are naturally controlled by the body’s immune system. However if it is necessary that arrhythmias must be controlled, they can be controlled by drugs.
This was the easiest explanation I could find about it....everything else sounds so complex!! But the thing to do is write down a list of questions, everything you want to know about it, about your baby etc. Take it with you to any meeting you have - with midwife, paediatrician, consultant. I know your mum goes with you, so get her to take notes of everything that is said....that way you can look back later and come up with anything else you need to know. You can also look at the notes to understand better what was said as at the time of the consultation, so often when they talk to you all you hear is 'jabber, jabber, jabber' and it goes in one ear and out the other without you actually understanding what was said.
I agree with Paulusworm about trying not to worry...and I also know how hard that will be for you. But remember that now they know what is wrong and you and your baby are being constantly monitored, so try to be reassured by that.
I also ask the same question Sammysnake asked, is it ok if I pray for you?
xxx
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| Twi |
Posted - 25/02/2010 : 18:23:23
Just got back from appointment with pediatrition, consultant is booking me in for scans at 30 and 34 weeks to make sure the babys ok. Because we don't know how long I'm going to have to be taking these pill for I have to wait to see sepcialist about that, if I'm on them long term she said I will have to be induced near my due date because the pills stop labour happening naturally. |
| Sammysnake |
Posted - 25/02/2010 : 16:43:31
Really sorry you're having such a scarey time. Just remember that you have full rights to ask the doctors to explain to you exactly what's going on. They may not be volunteering the information as they don't want to stress you but you are stressed out not knowing! I would have thought that if you ask them directly and make it obvious you are not leaving the doctor's office until you understand what's going on, then they have to tell you. Just make sure you take someone with you who can help you ask questions and take notes because it probably won't make much sense until you've had time to digest whatever they say.
Is it OK if I pray for you and William? |
| Twi |
Posted - 25/02/2010 : 13:47:24
quote:
Originally posted by lessthanjase
some of those cards can be quite pricey!
good luck with the bump. do you know the sex yet?
yeah it's a boy lol going to call him William :3
quote:
Originally posted by Paulusworm
I know it's easy for me to say but don't worry too much. All that will do is make your heart race again. When you go for your appointment take an overnight bag with you. My wife had a similar thing with our youngest. She was admitted until her blood pressure went down. It was awful. They made her relax, drink tea, watch telly, read a book, etc  . Make the most of it. When you're pregnant you can get away with anything 
I didn't have any problem with bloodpressure that was normal for me, specialist also said its nothing to do with pregnancy and shouldn't effect it. But can't help worrying about it because he didnt explain it to me properly I don't know what going on, just that I have to take these tablets and the baby should be ok during it. |
| Paulusworm |
Posted - 25/02/2010 : 13:44:01
I know it's easy for me to say but don't worry too much. All that will do is make your heart race again. When you go for your appointment take an overnight bag with you. My wife had a similar thing with our youngest. She was admitted until her blood pressure went down. It was awful. They made her relax, drink tea, watch telly, read a book, etc . Make the most of it. When you're pregnant you can get away with anything |
| n/a |
Posted - 25/02/2010 : 13:06:57
quote:
Originally posted by Twi
Yeah wasn't the best day, was rather confusing, didn't like the fact I ended up going home not knowing what was wrong with me. Midwife has refered me to Pediatrition who I'm seeing today, she made sure it was appointment with the main one rather than the juniours, said she will look after me on the baby side while the other doctor looks after me heart side. Its kinda scarey cause they didn't explain what was wrong with me and all I was doing to set it off was walking around a shop browsing so it's scarey even though I know I'm on these tablets to control it that something that small can set me off.
some of those cards can be quite pricey!
good luck with the bump. do you know the sex yet? |
| Twi |
Posted - 25/02/2010 : 10:15:50
Yeah wasn't the best day, was rather confusing, didn't like the fact I ended up going home not knowing what was wrong with me. Midwife has refered me to Pediatrition who I'm seeing today, she made sure it was appointment with the main one rather than the juniours, said she will look after me on the baby side while the other doctor looks after me heart side. Its kinda scarey cause they didn't explain what was wrong with me and all I was doing to set it off was walking around a shop browsing so it's scarey even though I know I'm on these tablets to control it that something that small can set me off. |
| DannyBrown91 |
Posted - 24/02/2010 : 14:01:40
Wow, that is a pretty strange and scary day.
Hope all goes well for you, with the baby and all. |
| HannahB |
Posted - 24/02/2010 : 10:42:01
wow sounds like a scary day!
sounds like your heart goes into overdrive for no reason and doesnt know to slow down - i had a spell of that in the past but it slowed down eventually after a few mins of its own accord..
hope the meds work for you and the rest of your pregnancy goes without a hitch  |
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