Stupid Nurse Tricks -- Or as a Patient, I should have known better

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I had an exciting day yesterday. I drove to a neighboring city to take my stepdaughter to her ballet class, and decided to stay in town, do some shopping and see a movie while I waited 7 hours for her class to be over. I was in a Borders bookstore looking at sci-fi titles when I noticed I was having palpitations. (They may have been going on for awhile -- I'm rather oblivious when I look at books.) I sat down, thinking they'd go away. And I checked my pulse. It was too fast to count. I've been a nurse for 26 years, I can count a rapid heartrate. This one had to be above 160.

Ever the calm, reasoned planner I drove myself to StepDaughter's ballet school to pick her up early. (Didn't want to leave her stranded, you know.) Her ballet teacher took one look at me and wanted to call an ambulance. (That's what you get for being fat, forty-something and sweating like a pig in the 90 degree weather. Or maybe it had something to do with my heartrate?!). So I left SD with her ballet teacher and drove myself to the doctor's office. They didn't want to see me because they weren't my primary doctor and wanted to call 911. So I left and drove myself to the ER. There was no parking in the ER lot, so I parked in the employee lot. After all, it was the same hospital where I had worked once and I knew my car would be safe because they have excellent security there. God knows I didn't want anyone messing with my car! And then I walked in to the ER.

Guess how long I waited in the ER.

They took one look at me and took me in back, past dozens of folks in wheelchairs and vomiting who had been waiting for godknowshowlong. They thought I was having a heart attack. I guess I wondered -- the tachycardia, shortness of breath and neck and jaw discomfort are all classic symptoms. I thought I might be in Afib or A flutter (dangerous arrhythmias) or possibly even Ventricular tachycardia (a VERY dangerous arrhythmia). I have a history of PVCs. Fortunately, it was plain old sinus tachycardia at a rate of 150. (It slowed down while I was driving myself to the hospital. I know this because I kept taking my caratid pulse with my free hand while driving.)

My ECG and cardiac enzymes were negative for an MI -- thank God! They gave me two liters of fluid over two hours and turned me loose with a promise to call my own doctor when I got back home. (Something I'm avoiding doing right now because I'm writing this.) But they still don't know what caused it. Maybe dehydration (hence the two liters of fluid right before turning me loose to drive to an hour in traffic!) To be fair, they thought Hubby was driving. Hubby who arrived in the ER in scrubs because he left work early to pick up his daughter and see what was up with me. Maybe I was in a dangerous arrhythmia but converted myself with my constant caratid sinus massage. (Am I lucky I didn't block myself down and pass out!) Am I LUCKY!!!!

I think I need to lose some weight a whole helluvalot faster than the two pounds in two months I've lost since I started swimming 3 - 4 times a week. It was very embarressing being the fat lady with heart problems. It's also very embarressing sitting here and counting the stupid mistakes I've made. Errors in judgement. Whatever. I know better. My fear and possible lack of oxygen to the little grey cells made me a very poor problem solver and decision maker. It's apalling how poor! I only did a couple of things right. I got help (letting someone call 911 would have been better) and I didn't have SD in the car with me when I was drivng in traffic with a HR above 150. Every time I think I've counted how many mistakes I've made, I come up with another.

I'm sharing this for several reasons: first, I can see why patients do some of the dumb things they do in not calling 911 when they ought to. Second, I excoriated my parents for not calling 911 when Dad knew he was having a heart attack. (Mom, you can't drive and do CPR at the same time!) Third if reading this can make someone else either understand a patient's stupid choices or make a better choice of their own, I've accomplished something. Fourth, I'm still kicking myself for being embarressed about going to the ER at all -- after all my HR came down on it's own, and maybe I wouldn't have had to go at all. (How stupid is that?!) I guess I want people to tell me going to the ER was right without having to reveal my stupidity to my actual coworkers! And Fifth -- when I see my story in the ER forum as an example of a stupid patient trick, I want to have beaten you to the punch!

[plumrn, BSN, RN]

Thank goodness everything turned out okay! Don't feel bad. I think most people belittle their symptoms, thinking it will go away and you don't want to look silly going to the emergency room for nothing. Healthcare personnel are probably the worst. Apparently you had an angel on your shoulder all day.

[NeuroICURN]

I agree with the previous poster. Glad to see that everything worked out.

[CHATSDALE]

i am glad that everything turned out ok++read WAKE UP CALL+++ i wish that i could say that i never did anything like that but i could see myself in an all most identical situation..don't want to tell you what my children said to me when they found out about it....you take care of your self..hubby, sd and all your pts need you good luck

[redshiloh]

I know how it is, I am the FIRST person to tell you to go to the doctor and the LAST person to do it for myself.

Have had palpitations like that myself and I am also forty and fat. I got the workup for my own peace of mind and ask you to use that reason to follow up. They turned out to be ideopathic.

I also started working out, have lost 40 pounds in the last 9 months.....only 60 more to go(groan!)

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I know how it is, I am the FIRST person to tell you to go to the doctor and the LAST person to do it for myself.

Have had palpitations like that myself and I am also forty and fat. I got the workup for my own peace of mind and ask you to use that reason to follow up. They turned out to be ideopathic.

I also started working out, have lost 40 pounds in the last 9 months.....only 60 more to go(groan!)

You're an inspiration! 40 pounds! WOW! How'd you do it?

[zacarias, ASN, RN]

I had an exciting day yesterday. QUOTE]

Ruby Vee,

So glad you're all right!! I want to say too that you have a way of relating that's really fun and makes the reader feel like they're with you. I think you should be a nurse-writer!!

[Ruby Vee, BSN]

I had an exciting day yesterday. QUOTE]

Ruby Vee,

So glad you're all right!! I want to say too that you have a way of relating that's really fun and makes the reader feel like they're with you. I think you should be a nurse-writer!!

Thank you! That's so nice!

[boggle, ASN, RN]

I am glad you are OK Ruby Vee. I can see myself doing exactly the same things you did. I'm pretty good at denial. I also would have been thinking about the hefty deductable and co-pay I would face for an ambulance or ER visit.

[Havin' A Party!, ASN, RN]

Ruby Vee -- Glad you're OK.

Dehydration and some chemicals (aspartame, MSG, etc.) can do this.

Losing weight will also help.

Good luck!