h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

....starting last Sunday, (16th Mar),on which I had a nasty bout of Angina pain which took a little time to sort and settle with use of the emergency meds. What didn't appear to stop however was the permanent pins and needles and numbness that occured from left shoulder down
into left arm and hand. This was unusual as normally any such feeling clears when the meds work. I monitored it into Monday and Tuesday, I'd had no more chest pain but still this pins and needles went on. Wednesday morning I decided I'd better get some additional advice so
rang and arranged for a telephone consultation with my GP as an appt. wasn't immediately available. He phoned me back fairly smartly, listened to what I said then basically told me to hang up as he was calling an ambulance.
6 minutes later, (yes 6) the court manageress was knocking on my door with a paramedic in tow. Boy, that was quick. The paramedic went through his procedures and suffice to say, there was an abnormality on the ECG so he basically called for ambulance transport and that was it, I was enroute, at a high rate of knots, to hospital.
On arrival all the usual procedures were instigated for patients being admitted with heart problems. I was connected to all the usual machines, bloods taken, injections given etc etc. After a couple of hours they moved me onto the HDU Cardiac Ward where further checks/tests were done.
Cut a long story short they concluded that a heart attack wasn't imminent, the second batch of bloods did show some raised enzyme levels but the 3rd batch showed them to have dropped off again so just a blip. What they couldn't work out at this stage is why I still had the
numbness and pins and needles. A CT scan and X-Ray was ordered. At this point I was moved from the HDU to the standard Cardiac Ward to await the results of the CT Scan.
This is where things started to go a bit pear shaped. In the move to the different part of the ward, a distance of perhaps 30yards, they managed to lose both my notes and my meds. They had all my heart related notes etc on the computer so that wasn't an issue, however the report from the CT Scan and X-Ray hadn't been entered at this stage and no-one knew where they were.My cardiologist contacted the CT Dept herself and asked who had done the report and can they tell her what was in it even if they couldn't find it. She needed to know for obvious reasons.
In the meantime the cardiologist was happy at the way the heart had now settled again and was quiet happy for me to continue with current levels of meds and that if they don't find the CT Report before lunchtime on Friday she felt it would be okay for me to return home as
she was confident it wasn't heart related and that it looks more like, and I quote, "Nerve Impingement from Neck to left side/shoulder, resulting in numbness and the pins and needles traversing down Left Arm to fingertips", in other words she wants me referred to an Orthopeadic surgeon pdq.
The problem is, being stuck with this currently means I have lost one of my warning signal/indicators for the heart issues so on Monday I see my GP and if the hospital haven't found and faxed the CT report to him then he will be requested, (as in a letter the cardiologist gave me on discharge) to instigate immediate and urgent referrals accordingly.
So, I'm back home with the cardiologist telling me, well, reminding me, that there is no change to procedures or meds, I still have serious heart problems and to try and accept this and stop over doing things. All meds remain at same levels for the foreseeable future, slow down with the dieting, there's no need for me to lose weight at a rapid rate of knots, slow and sure is the best way. I'm not deemed to be in any way 'dangerously' overweight but if I can lose at least another stone and a half over the next 6 to 12 mths or so all well and good. This would take my weight down to around the 8 stone mark.
That leaves me with various outpatient appts to attend/sort next week to get this pins and needles/numbness down left arm sorted.

Many thanks to everyone who sent me best wishes, much appreciated.'s all round.

Glad you're home and back on the mend Bri

Take things easy. I'm still at the thought of you needing to diet down to 8st - there'll be nowt left of you to at the next meet-up!

Wow, it certainly was quite a week. Must have been scary at times. And frustrating!

I hope whatever is causing the problem in your left arm can be sorted nice and simply.

Deb

bloods taken! that's the answeryou've too many bloods, you only need 1 & A - B or O etc

Hi,mate...

Glad to see that for now, all is reasonably okay.
I know that isn't saying much...but

(careful)