Barbara J. Hamby

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Lost Morning

This morning I had to miss my writing class for a fun trip to an Emergency Room. When I emailed my doctor last night to report a few minor recurring chest pains, I didn’t know what I’d triggered. When I got to my computer in the morning, I had an email admonishing me for not calling the doctor or 911 and ordering me to report to the Emergency Room for evaluation. As soon as I had a bite of breakfast, my doctor’s nurse called to be sure I was heading to E.R. with a driver, and to advise me that if I had a pain on the way, we should pull over and call 911. So, after my driver had breakfast, we headed to Sunnyside Medical Complex.

I learned that chest pains are a priority with no waiting. Right after an admitting attendant fastened a bracelet on me, I was put into a wheelchair and swished to an examining room. By that time, my blood pressure was over the moon, but I had no pain. After giving liquid specimens and having an EKG and a chest x-ray, I began having squeezing pain in the left side of my chest with varying amounts of pressure. I was given a couple of baby aspirin, another EKG and a nitro pill. Gradually the pain disappeared and the blood pressure returned to normal.

After a couple of hours, the reports came in and everything was favorable. No cause could be found for the pain. And for my time, and my co-payment, I received reassurance that I’m in reasonably good shape. I guess that’s worth something.

Floyd picked me up and we had a late lunch on the way home. 

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