Greetings. Bear with me on this one... For about three weeks I have been experiencing "discomfort" rather than "pain" in the left side of my chest. Being a guy, and by default stupid when it comes to health, I decided that it was "just one if those things" and that it would eventually right itself. It didn't... Then, on Thursday gone, I decided that three weeks was more than enough time for it, whatever "it" was, to have gone, so I rang the GP and managed to get a morning appointment the next day. Bouncing to the GP, I was seen, shockingly on time and, after explaining my problem to her, and her listening to my chest, she was adamant that I was not having an issue with my heart. However, to reassure me, she ordered blood tests and an ECG. The nurse stabbed me and collected my blood and then hooked me up to the ECG machine. The did my reading, then did it again as something wasn't "right" and then beat a hasty retreat to show the GP the print out... She came back and said that the GP would like to see me after the next patient and asked the nurse to collect more blood for cardiac enzymes... Big giant alarm bells rang in my head, but I was able to keep cool. Half an hour later I entered a different GP's office who looked at me solemnly... After looking at the ECG result she revealed that it looks like I have had, in the recent past, a "mini heart attack"... x 1 million... Inferior infarction she called it, the lower part of my heart was damaged... Obviously, my head was swimming with "what theeeeee?" and, well, more swears than humanly possible! I had to ring my parents to take me to hospital as I was immediately referred to the Chest Pain Assessment Unit - as I wasnt quite dying, an ambulance was overkill... At the hospital, I was quickly shown to a bed, strapped up to a heart monitor, ECG retaken and compared, more bloods drawn, a chest x-ray, exam by a medic and I laid there for about 5 hours, waiting for the ward doc to do his rounds. "You're not having a heart attack and you've not had one", said the doctor, matter of factly. My bloods came back fine, BP (a little high but fine), ECG normal, heart sounds normal, lungs normal, everything normal. It appears that the pain was "just one of those things" and the abnormal reading on my initial two ECG's was probably down to a faulty ECG machine at the GP surgery... :woo: x 1 billion! In about ten hours I went from Inferior Infarction to "nah, just kidding", not an experience I care to repeat any time soon, but everything turned out right in the end. Anyhow, who's next with a story of medical mishap that turned out right in the end?
Thats cheered me up big time dude thanks Iv had it go the other way, we took my little brother to the hospital with breathing difficulty, the nurse said calpol. My mum wasn't happy we took him back for a Dr or nothing. His lungs were with water he had pneumonia. Raz
Not a medical mishap, but a misdiagnosis on my part. Last month one of the guys in my office collapsed with chest pains. heart attack was my first thought and also the thought of my boss. I've never seen someone in so much pain. I did what I could and hopefully what I should until the ambulance arrived. I was rather disappointed with the ambulance crews relaxed attitude. I wanted American movie, over the top, stand clear chest puming action. It turns out he had a pulled muscle in his back. Another one of the bosses was rushed into hospital last christmad with a suspected heart attack. he has a pulled shoulder muscle. Anyway, glad you're okay Chimpcheng.
Glad it turned out to be a misdiagnosis! After all, you wouldn't want to suffer from an Inferior Infarction would you? MItch
Where are my manners? I've not even googled it to see what it is till now. The "inferior" bit refers to the lower part of the heart. Anyway, as it happens I am fine, but no clearer on the pain/discomfort which is still there. However, I'm using it as a wake up call to cut down on the fizzy pop.
CC it could have been much worse!! First year I was in training they had a 23 y.o. guy come in for a knee op. Seems that when he woke up he was confused and a bit perplexed at where his stitches were. They had mistakenly sterilized the kid!! You often hear of people having the wrong kidney removed and other stuff like that as well.... Luckily your stuff was easily reversible :' D LFD
There's a hospital not too far from me on Rake Lane. Locals call it "Mistake Lane" as urban legend has it that they have messed up on a number of ocassions...
There is a warning sign at the entrance of the Liverpool Royal Infirmary which states 'Warning Thieves Operate Here'. It makes me worried about the quality of surgeons they employ...
Do you live in North Tyneside? I've been in Rake Lane on 4 occasions since February this year. First time woke up during the night with chest and abdominal pains, the wife calls an ambulance and I'm rushed into hospital. Loads of tests later they say I've got pleurisy. Six or so weeks later I wake up in the middle of the night again with the same pains, this time I go and take some pain killers but eventually the wife takes me to hospital. They initially say its my gaul bladder and send me for an ultrasound which turns up clear, the pain eases and they send me home saying if it reoccurs to come back. again about six weeks later the same thing happens and I'm back into hospital, they do another ultra sound that comes back clear, they then admit me for surgery to have a look around to see what's going on. They remove my appendix saying it looked really bad! A few weeks later I get a letter to go visit the hospital again where I'm told I've had a carcanid tumour on my appendix which is why they removed it, which may or may not have been cancerous. A few weeks later the pains return so my initial thoughts are I've got cancer and its spread! Admitted to hospital again, they send me for another ultrasound which comes back clear. They then send me for a MRI scan which comes back with lovely scans of a very bad looking gall bladder! They operate and remove my gall bladder and I've been pain free since! The consultant says that it was probably the gall bladder all along and they are sorry they missed it each and every time I'd been in since February!! I'm back at the hospital to get a follow up appointment over my tumour later this month but the consultant thinks I'm all clear so hopefully be signed off for that as well!
The only thing I've had was being told I had an appendix that was about to explode and then doing an ultrasound that discovered I don't even have one.
Went to docs to chat about asthma, left wit a gt spray and an emerhlgeny appointment to heart clinic, suspected angina. Seriously scary. Turned out to be stress.
Which just goes to show the gap between what is said and what is perceived, as I find it highly unlikely that anyone told you that.
Hyperbole is fun? The GP told me he suspected I had appendicitis and considering the pain I was in I was at risk of whatever the medical term is for an appendix bursting so I was rushed to hospital. I had an ultrasound instead of surgery straight away because of other medical conditions in the family that needed to be explored first.
Did you get told you had no appendix, or they couldnt see your appendix on the ultrasound (i.e. it wasnt inflammed) and thus were unlikily to have appendicitis?
This was years ago so I can't remember the exact wording, but I'm pretty sure they said I don't seem to have one. It was because they couldn't see it on the ultrasound so the latter is possible but I think I can be forgiven for taking it as the former.
I had something similar. Had a MRI on my brain because I suddenly went blind in one eye and suffered serious dizzyness (cant spell the proper word). I was training but wasnt sparring at that age yet so head impact was not a factor. Had an MRI on my head and the Docs said "Sorry didnt find anything".
Visited my go, stomach pain. Blood tests came back ans showed elevated levels in my liver, repeated the tests every 6 weeks for 6 months, had an abdominal scan etc. When I asked go what could be wrong his reply was, "buggered if I know"
You have to Remember GPs are General Practioners, Its when somethings out of their area they refer you to a specialist/Consultant (i.e. someone who others consult with) either way for many conditions it normally takes a fair few investagations to figure out exactly what it is thats gone wrong. For one having lived in the USA breifly, I think the NHS does a dam good job, and we'll all miss it when the tories have had there way with it.
I had the exact same thing, but I didn't get an MRI. They did the stroke the eyebrow battery of tests, told me there was nothing wrong that my eye would sort itself out (it did) and sent me on my way. On one hand I was concerned about the lack of urgency they were showing (I'D GONE BLIND IN ONE EYE!!!!!!!), but on the other, I found it oddly reassuring.
