Tonight was work detail at the fire department. After all the work was done, we had a training class on the thermal imaging camera we are trying to get with a grant. It's used to find bodies in burning buildings, car accidents, etc. Also it can register transfered heat...meaning if a person was sitting in a car when it wrecked and got thrown out of the car or walked away, you will be able to see the heat left on the seat of the car with the camera.
Anyway.....I was standing in the back of the room handing out refreshments as the class went on. Suddenly I felt a hard thump in my chest, right in the sternum area. It kind of felt like when you drink pop too fast and the fizz forms a lump before you burp. A mixture of pressure and a little bit of pain. I had a few more less severe ones and then it stopped.
After the class was over, I went outside to have a smoke and it started again. Shane, who is in my family list as the Beer Guy, came out and asked me what was wrong. He took my pulse and could feel the pvc's as they were happening. PVC stands for premature ventricular contraction. He told me to stay as calm as I could and of course that set off a panic attack. Oy vey! I went inside with him and talked to two other FF's who are EMTs...Shane is an EMT too....and they suggested I get an evaluation. So the three of them and Andrew took me into the bay to get away from everyone else, and one of them called an ambulance. The other two took my pulse, wrote down my info for the ambulance drivers and generally helped to keep me calm.
Ok, let me see if I can shorten this up. LOL I was put in the bus, had my bp and pulse checked, pulse 130 and bp atrocious, put on a heart monitor, and stuck with an IV. When I told the medic I was having one, he could see it on the monitor. He suggested I go to the ER. Who am I to argue? LOL I was given oxygen, which helped a lot. Andrew showed up at the side door to the bus and told me he was going home. My mom and dad followed the bus up to the hospital. I can't blame Andrew for not going. He's been through so many hospital runs with my dad that it really freaks him out. Two of his friends went with him
to keep him company.
I was given a twelve point ekg at the hospital and put on a bp cuff, blood ox, and heart monitor. My bp had come down a bit, my blood ox was 100 percent which is excellent, and the heart monitor showed a pvc every once in a while, but they were slowing down. The IV in my left arm had to be taken out because the vein collapsed, so I got stuck again in my right hand.
After a while, the doc's assistant came in and explained to me what pvc's are. There are two components that control the functions of the heart...the electrical pulses and the "plumbing" which includes the arteries around the heart. The electric pulses send a message to the heart to beat. The top part of the heart beats first, followed by the bottom part. When the pulses are thrown out of whack, the bottom part of the heart contracts first, or prematurely, which causes the top part of the heart to be flooded with blood. When you feel the hard thunk, that is the top part of the heart pushing out the excess blood. It does not cause any damage to the heart unless you have more than 6 pvc's per minute and they happen on a constant basis. After all the explanations, a nurse came in and said, "There's a man here to see you. He says he's your boyfriend. Do you want to see him?" Finally, an easy question to answer! Yes! :-D Joey came up to sit with me even though he has to be up at 6am for work. He's such a sweet and wonderful guy!
So what I've learned today is: pvc's can be caused by many different things but the most common are too much caffeine, stress, lack of sleep, and anxiety. 40 percent of people have them and most don't know it. They are scary as hell! I've also learned that Laurie is going to be a miserable b*tch when she quits smoking. LOL I also have to kiss my chocolate goodbye. *cries* And there will be no more burning the midnight oil. OMG what a nightmare! LOL
I want to thank Shane, Sharky, John, and Andrew for being there for me when I needed them. You guys are great, and I'm proud to call you my brothers and son!
As always, I love you guys!
Laurie
*Hugs*
