Good morning.
I've just spent the last day and a half in the hospital.
On Sunday, I had 3 'episodes' of getting very light headed. To the point I had to hold on to what ever was near by as I felt I might fall. They passed quickly, lasting at most maybe 10-20 sec. But I've had a couple of those over the last couple of months, so I got concerned. Was I having mini strokes? I called my doctor on Monday morning to see if he could order some tests to check me out. He said the best place to go was the emergency room. Even though I was feeling fine Monday morning, he said they were best equipped to give me a thorough check-up. I didn't like the idea of spending the money for the emergency room, but I had decided I needed some answers. So off I went to the Centennial Hills Hospital. It's in my insurance network and actually the closest hospital to our community. They did a cat scan, chest x-ray, blood tests and a few other things. Everything at that point looked good. The doctor said the other tests to completely determine if I had indeed had a stroke was an MRI. I should also have an ECG, an MRA and a Carotid artery ultra sound. They could only give me those if I was admitted to the hospital. I could have them all out patient, but by the time my primary care physician ordered them and got them scheduled at other facilities, it could take over a month, and if they were mini strokes, time and treatment is of utmost importance. So, I talked it over with Craig, and we decided I'd be admitted. I didn't realize what was in store for me. I thought I'd spend the night, they'd do the tests, and I'd go home. I haven't been in the hospital as a patient for years, so I was naive. They put a heart monitor on me which means I had 5 wires hooked to my chest. Then I got an IV put in. They took an additional 5 vials of blood after already taking 5 earlier. They woke me up 3 time during the night to do vitals and take more blood. Trying to sleep all wired was uncomfortable. I at least had a private room.
Anyway, all the tests were preformed and all the results were negative for any past strokes or any blood vessel issues. Everything looked good. They even sent in a Physical therapist to test me for inner ear problems. The doctor said I was smart to come in as although there are many possible reasons for my symptoms, you don't want to mess around with a possible stroke. Better to be safe than sorry. Of course, he's not going to get the thousands of dollars in bills. I have like $7000 in deductibles and co-pays. But I am still glad to rule out anything serious. The best they could tell me is the symptoms I had could be caused from dozens of non life threatening issues. Most likely either dehydration, or temporary low sugar. I never eat breakfast, and don't drink a lot of water. So I'll work on that.
In other news.....
We dropped off Craig's car Monday morning to be repaired from the accident a month ago. We've also sat out on the patio as our temps have been in the low 70's this week. Nearly 10 degrees above normal.
So that's it for now...
It is good you went in.
ReplyDeleteThe only times I have had symptoms like you had, is when I would get overheated and not remember to drink the water I brought with me. The worst I ever had, holding the counter did not help. That was a couple years ago, though.
Low blood pressure could do it, but probably only if you were standing up from sitting or bending over.
I am glad everything checked out okay.
Glad to hear it's nothing serious. Except for those bills!
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