8 hours in ER - all good

Ended up in ER early this morning around 5:30 am. Last night we came back from a short trip and around 11:00 pm I felt like somebody was squeezing the part in my upper diaphragm. I wasn't stuck and actually hadn't had much food at dinner. I kept walking around trying to dislodge whatever it was. I was sweating from pain (it wasn't an RH reaction) and I tried to throw up but nothing came up. But the actual act of forcing to throw up the muscle contracted and after a while I felt better. The pain went from a 10 to a 2.

Thinking the worst was over went to bed but woke up again around 5:00 am to excruciating pain. Tried walking it off and throwing up but this time nothing was working. I was drenched in sweat and the only position that was bearable was standing up. We went to ER and they checked me in right away thinking it might be a heart attack. After a quick EKG and ruling out the heart attack they started doing other tests. In the middle of all this my NSV was when the dr told me my EKG was phenomenal. They gave me some pain medication in the IV - I told them I can't take NSAID - whatever they gave me made the pain completely gone. So after a cat scan and ultrasound they couldn't find anything wrong. The dr said maybe you are constipated, they literally saw me full of ****e but other than that she couldn't figure out why. They finally discharged me around 1:00 pm. I asked what if it happens again, she said come back and we'll give you pain medication!

So my question to all of you is have you ever experienced this pain? Upper diaphragm, right at the upper tip of your ribs where they come together, like somebody is squeezing it tight. I tried chewing a couple of papaya enzymes but didn't help at all.

Any insight into this mysterious pain is greatly appreciated. I'm sure if I hadn't had WLS I wouldn't have worried so much, I have heard horror stories about constriction.

TIA!

Sheila, I have no insights, but so sorry you had to go through that. It must have been a relief not to be your heart, at least.

Oh my goodness! Glad it's not your heart and yah for that NSV right in the middle of all that. I have not experienced anything like that but hope whatever it is, it's gone for you!

I am hesitating to answer you on this. In 2015, I started to have chest type pain sometimes after eating. I thought it was dumping related or stuck food. It would last about fifteen minutes and stop. The doctor prescribed heartburn medicine. It started in December. In January, he tried a stronger heartburn medicine, and another one in February.

In March, I was back with the same symptoms and he said, it is a real mystery. Like you, my EKG was perfect. My weight was below goal and all of my cholesterol, triglycerides, and other blood tests were excellent. He suggested I go to the emergency room, tell them I have been having chest pain, and let them try to figure it out.

I was in the hospital three days and had tons of tests. Cat scans, angiogram, x-rays, blood tests, more EKGs, heart ultrasound, and MRI. Results kept coming back with no issues. Then they did a chemical stress test. That came back showing that I had an abnormality. There seemed to be a blockage affecting my heart. I was transferred to another hospital and scheduled for a cardiac catheterization and stent.

When they performed catheterization, they determined that a stent would not help. I found out that I was born with abnormally small blood arteries and because they were so small a tiny amount of plaque had made them become clogged. The arteries were too small for a stent. They needed to do a triple bypass, using veins from my legs. Those veins were also small and they really did a lot of cutting to find some that would work.

It took about six weeks before I could drive again. I spent three weeks in a nursing home, since I live alone and did not want someone to have to stay at my house and take care of me. It takes time, but the body does heal.

When I had my one-year checkup, the heart doctor asked me if I had any questions. I said that there was something I was wondering about. When you go on roller coaster rides, there is a sign saying not to ride if you have heart trouble.

He looked at me in a bit of amazement and asked if I was serious and wanted to ride on roller coasters. He was surprised because I was 69 years old. I told him I was very serious and love amusement park rides.

He said that I need not worry about the sign. That it is for people with bad hearts, and he had fixed mine. I can ride any roller coaster I want.

I am telling you this not to scare you, but to encourage you to have them keep testing you until you find out what is causing your pain. Hopefully, it is a one-time thing and just constipation or gas.

Thanks! I sure hope it's not my heart. But I will keep checking in with the drs. In fact I asked the ER to send the cat scan to my PCP and the bariatric surgeon.

My husband keeps telling me it must have been heartburn, but it's so weird because I didn't eat much at dinner (literally one bite and didn't like the food so stopped eating), and felt the pain again about 10 hours after dinner.

The reason i had pain was because after eating the blood was going to my stomach to deal with digestion and not enough was getting to my heart.

As soon as that was done then blood

went back to the heart and the pain ended. It had all of the doctors baffled. I really don't think the same thing is happening to you. But don't ignore it if it happens again.

I wish I had gone to the ER much sooner

Sheila, I'm so sorry to read that you went through this! I hope that you are feeling altogether pain free now, and that it never returns. Sending you love!

So sorry--that sounds terrifying! No idea what's up, but I am swinging chickens for you! XO.

I have no experience with this. I'm glad you are doing better and I hope the doctors can figure out the source of your pain.

I also hesitate to post but when I had pain that didn't show up (i.e wasn't read correctly on the CT) it was partial obstructions where my intenstines where eventually unobstructing ...a surgeon actually went in and tacked parts of my intenstines in place in my situation. It really could be so many things. Was it a bariatric Dr who examined your tests, including your CT? I mean, obviously it was something, yk?