kcb007

I was seen at the ER a few weeks ago with an elevated D-Dimer (1.06). A little over a week later I asked my MD to redraw. It was drawn in her office then shipped to the hospital to be tested and the level read (10.2). I freaked out and went to the ER that same day and they redrawn the D-Dimer and it was 1.32, which is still increasing. I have had CT Scans of the Chest and VQ Scans and the VQ Scans came back normal. The CT Scans were performed improperly. Thats why they ended up doing the VQ Scans. I have had it done twice in a three week period and they can't find anything. I have had a venous doppler performed on both legs. That was normal. I was told that infection, injury, or surgery within the past 3 months could cause it to be elevated. I have had my left wrist lanced and it tested positive for MRSA. Can this be the cause? Can someone please help me find the next step in order to ease my mind of this situation?

I can definitely understand what you are going thru. I am currently out of work for 2 weeks. My psychiatrist took me out! I have currently went back to school for my BSN and my professor has taken me out of that for 2 weeks as well. I just had a breakdown. I was having anxiety attacks all the time and then I go to the ER only for them to tell me my D-Dimer is elevated yet they can't find anything and no one can give me an honest answer! I had an appt with a vascular surgeon today in hopes that he could calm my nerves and I arrive at the MD office only to be told that he is in an ermergency surgery. Talk about out done. I have been going crazy!! Stressed over work, school, and now this abnormal D-Dimer. All my CT Scans of the chest have come back normal but still I would like more of an answer!! So I feel your pain. The more I worry the more my body aches and not to mention my psychiatrist put me on a med that was horrible!!!! I had to switch back to good ole' Zoloft!! So don't feel like you are alone. Nursing is a hard job but somebody has to do it, so why not it be US!!

I have them all of the time. I can just think of something or say to myself what if such and such happened, what would I do. And you guessed it, not to long afterwards, I'm talking hours or in some cases a day or two that exact same thing happens. It freaks me out totally. What's really freaky is that one of my older aunts has a picture of herself probably in her 20's and I look just like her and everything that she does I do, just like the premonitions, she has then as well! Crazy! Looking at her is like looking at myself except she's way older!!

I have had the exact same thing happen to me. It feels like you have a elephant sitting on your chest!

Does anyone know a successful diet? I have exercised and tried to eat right but when I get stressed I eat! And if I don't see results fast I give up! I have really been doing good walking and going to the gym for the past 3 - 4 months. Still I haven't lost nothing!! I'm very frustrated!!

Too late. Already on meds. Maybe I just need to have the doseage turned up or something!!!

This last attack I had they classified it this time as a panic attack. A lot of the s/sx were the same except I felt warm in my pelvic area and felt like I had to urinate but could not!! Very weird!! I thought that maybe I had a hemhorrage. From what, crap if I know!! You know how we nurses can be. We work with it every day and its in our lives so we just associate any symptoms we have with a serious medical condition. My jaw kept tingling and going cold again as well as my extremities. I went to the hospital convinced that it was something serious only to be told that it was a panic attack and the nurse that took care of me was saying that she has the same thing and she started telling me all of her s/sx and I thought to myself, "What a relief. Finally someone who understands what I'm going thru and that it isn't all in my head"!!

The s/sx i had with my first attack was pain in both my legs below the knees and it was more in my calf than anywhere else. Then by the afternoon it was only in the left calf. When i got home i elevated the left leg and i could not get comfortable so i decided to go to bed and elevate my leg on some pillows. All of a sudden my leg felt better but i could not breath. My jaw, chest, legs, and arms went cold and tingling. I just knew that i was having a pulmonary embolism because i couldn't breath as well. By the time i got to the hospital i had calmed down some and i was informed that i had had an anxiety attack. Very scary!!!

About a year or so ago I had an Anxiety Attack. I know its because of my career choice. Does anyone else ever experience Anxiety Attacks?

I have been nursing for right at 4 years. I have done clinical, hospital, hospice, ADON for a pcs agency, and now I am currently doing Skilled Nursing. I made very good money with hospice but you have to be on call and leave your home in the middle of the night. Not idle for someone with a family though. Clinical and ADON was not cutting it as far as pay. Skilled Nursing, very good pay. Depending on how hard you work, the agency, and your experience, that will determine your pay. I work with an new grad and she is already bringing home well over $2000 biweekly. Also, where you live will determine what you bring home. What seems like a lot for living in North Carolina may not seem like that much for someone living in New York! Most importantly, you need to be happy! I loved the money with hospice but I hated the job because it kept me away from my family. I was at a dying pt's bedside on Christmas morning while her family was in Ireland! So just think what matters to you the most. Maybe you'll get lucky like me and have your cake and eat it too!!

You know there is one thing that puzzles me. The pt had a box of self caths lying on the bedside table and the mother stated to me that he hasn't been self cath since he was 13 yrs old and he is now in his late 20's. The box looked new! Something tells me that maybe she had been performing in and out caths on the pt and maybe done something traumatic and here I am going in behind her and they're playing it off like they've done nothing!!

OMG!!!

I definitely can say that this has been a learning experience for me!! Slowly sounds real good!!

Yes but MD would not give order to do so. MD stated it was close to 5pm on a Friday and she wasn't writing any orders. You know how MDs can be!

No, they're not on coumadin. It's just that I've always taken pride in taking good care of my patients. Now I feel like I've failed!!