I have a similar doctors' visit story to you! I was born with an Atrial Septal Defect(ASD) aka a hole in my heart. My father wanted it fixed through a non surgical procedure, which the doctors were uncomfortable with performing.
By the time I was an adult, I had no insurance, and no interest in dealing with it, since I had lived just fine up until them anyway.
About one month before my 22nd birthday, I felt an intense pain in my chest and my left arm was completely asleep. I ended up going to the emergency room, thinking it was a heart attack.
I arrived at the hospital, explained, and was immediately put in a wheel chair, which freaked me out even more. I was told that it wasn't a heart attack, but that I needed to see a cardiologist immediately as soon as possible. Still uninsured, it took me a week or so to scrounge up any resources to be able to go. I went in, and was seen by a very insensitive young doctor, whom said to me "You're the youngest patient I have ever seen! I'm sure everything is fine." As I sat there looking horrified as to what I knew was about to happen. He checked my heart beat, and stepped out of the room, and came back in with several other doctors and some equipment to hook up to my finger and walk me around the room. By the end of the appointment, I was told that from there on out, further testing would be needed, and for now we would take things one step at a time.
It turns out the doctors were feeling quite certain that I had developed Pulmonary Hypertension(PAH), which is like a high blood pressure of the lungs. I later learned that even 5 years before my diagnosis, that would have been a death sentence, and even at that time, the only possible solution would have been a full heart and lung transplant.
I ended up very lucky that all I actually had was an enlarged heart, and the most severe ASD they had ever seen. I literally had no wall in my heart at all. My body was imitating almost every symptom of PAH, in particular was my incredibly irregular heart beat, which sounded something like a large bang followed by some trickling sound, in a repeating pattern.
Luckily because the heart is just a muscle anyway, they were able to repair it by simply cutting off part of the enlarged portion, and sewing that on to the missing wall.
5 years later, I'm one fully functioning lucky survivor.
That's my story. I'm glad we both made it through!
testerio293 karma
I have a similar doctors' visit story to you! I was born with an Atrial Septal Defect(ASD) aka a hole in my heart. My father wanted it fixed through a non surgical procedure, which the doctors were uncomfortable with performing.
By the time I was an adult, I had no insurance, and no interest in dealing with it, since I had lived just fine up until them anyway.
About one month before my 22nd birthday, I felt an intense pain in my chest and my left arm was completely asleep. I ended up going to the emergency room, thinking it was a heart attack.
I arrived at the hospital, explained, and was immediately put in a wheel chair, which freaked me out even more. I was told that it wasn't a heart attack, but that I needed to see a cardiologist immediately as soon as possible. Still uninsured, it took me a week or so to scrounge up any resources to be able to go. I went in, and was seen by a very insensitive young doctor, whom said to me "You're the youngest patient I have ever seen! I'm sure everything is fine." As I sat there looking horrified as to what I knew was about to happen. He checked my heart beat, and stepped out of the room, and came back in with several other doctors and some equipment to hook up to my finger and walk me around the room. By the end of the appointment, I was told that from there on out, further testing would be needed, and for now we would take things one step at a time.
It turns out the doctors were feeling quite certain that I had developed Pulmonary Hypertension(PAH), which is like a high blood pressure of the lungs. I later learned that even 5 years before my diagnosis, that would have been a death sentence, and even at that time, the only possible solution would have been a full heart and lung transplant.
I ended up very lucky that all I actually had was an enlarged heart, and the most severe ASD they had ever seen. I literally had no wall in my heart at all. My body was imitating almost every symptom of PAH, in particular was my incredibly irregular heart beat, which sounded something like a large bang followed by some trickling sound, in a repeating pattern.
Luckily because the heart is just a muscle anyway, they were able to repair it by simply cutting off part of the enlarged portion, and sewing that on to the missing wall.
5 years later, I'm one fully functioning lucky survivor.
That's my story. I'm glad we both made it through!
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