Johnny Punani2 Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Got off work this morning and waiting in my truck for my Dentist office to open at 8:30 this morning and the left side of my neck, face, and left forearm go numb. I'm thinking stroke but at 33? That's a stretch. So I go home and call my family Dr and they tell me to call 911 and have EMTs take me into the ER pronto. However, it costs about $500 for the ambulance to give you a ride to the hospital and I could get there faster. Forget that! So, I get the wifey to drive me to the ER (I didn't really wana go). She is worried but I tell her to mellow out. We get to the ER and are seen right away. I get the whole battery of test. Full x-ray series of my throat, chest, & head. CT scan of my skull, and every friggin blood test known to man, etc. After being poked and prod'ed for about an hour I get to sit in one of the patient rooms for the next 5 friggin hours!!! wondering what in the hell is going on. The on-duty ER Dr comes in and tells me he doesn't think I had a stroke or anything serious but still wants to see all the x-rays and CT scan to confirm. Ok, fine. I'll be outta here soon which is fine by me since it's now 2:30pm and I haven't slept in about 24 hrs. Well, an 1 1/2 later (that's fast in ER terms) he comes back in to tell me the details of the X-rays and CT scan. He starts out and tell me the findings of my neck X-ray showed no abnormality. Ok cool. Next, he talks about the CT scan and says that there is no signs of stroke, tumor, etc. The way he is talking it sounds like he is setting me up for something or saving the worse for last. Now, I am ****ting bullets becasue the last thing left is the chest X-ray and I am a former smoker. I'm freaking inside thinking he is going to tell me they found a tumor on my chest X-ray. I look over at my wife and she is about ready to burst into tears. Then he says, "we looked at your chest X-ray and.......................everything looks good." I felt like jumping off the hospital bed and choking the everliving **** outta this guy, assless hospital gown and all! The guy could have came in right away and said "Hey, everything looks good. Here is the specifics." Anyway, more waiting and we finally break out and 4:30pm and head home. What a day!!:doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hokie4redskins Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 So what was wrong with you then? Glad you're alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heyholetsgogrant Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Got off work this morning and waiting in my truck for my Dentist office to open at 8:30 this morning and the left side of my neck, face, and left forearm go numb. I'm thinking stroke but at 33? That's a stretch. So I go home and call my family Dr and they tell me to call 911 and have EMTs take me into the ER pronto. However, it costs about $500 for the ambulance to give you a ride to the hospital and I could get there faster. Forget that!So, I get the wifey to drive me to the ER (I didn't really wana go). She is worried but I tell her to mellow out. We get to the ER and are seen right away. I get the whole battery of test. Full x-ray series of my throat, chest, & head. CT scan of my skull, and every friggin blood test known to man, etc. After being poked and prod'ed for about an hour I get to sit in one of the patient rooms for the next 5 friggin hours!!! wondering what in the hell is going on. The on-duty ER Dr comes in and tells me he doesn't think I had a stroke or anything serious but still wants to see all the x-rays and CT scan to confirm. Ok, fine. I'll be outta here soon which is fine by me since it's now 2:30pm and I haven't slept in about 24 hrs. Well, an 1 1/2 later (that's fast in ER terms) he comes back in to tell me the details of the X-rays and CT scan. He starts out and tell me the findings of my neck X-ray showed no abnormality. Ok cool. Next, he talks about the CT scan and says that there is no signs of stroke, tumor, etc. The way he is talking it sounds like he is setting me up for something or saving the worse for last. Now, I am ****ting bullets becasue the last thing left is the chest X-ray and I am a former smoker. I'm freaking inside thinking he is going to tell me they found a tumor on my chest X-ray. I look over at my wife and she is about ready to burst into tears. Then he says, "we looked at your chest X-ray and.......................everything looks good." I felt like jumping off the hospital bed and choking the everliving **** outta this guy, assless hospital gown and all! The guy could have came in right away and said "Hey, everything looks good. Here is the specifics." Anyway, more waiting and we finally break out and 4:30pm and head home. What a day!!:doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: Sorry about what happened, I hope your ok....I agree that doctors need to cut the crap and get to the point, "Am I ok or not." -Grant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 That is amazing... don't they teach you that on the first day of med school (not to keep patients in suspense)? They should. I had a similar experience at our first ultra-sound. The doctor wasn't saying anything, just looking at the images and typing things with a concerned look on his face. I started nailing him with questions, which he probably didn't appreciate, but oh well I didn't appreciate sitting there in suspense wondering if everything was o.k. Glad you're o.k. I hope it's nothing serious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Punani2 Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 Dr said it was just a fluke thing and they prob won't ever find out what caused it. I've heard that GERD might cause this but he never heard of that before...Oh well. I just don't want it to happen again. Freaked me out... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoony Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 On another note, did they test you for Bells Paulsey (I think that's what it is called. My dad had a bout of that where his face went numb. It is a dormant disease you never get rid of, but only flairs up once in a while) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titaw Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 They way Doc's tell you something absolutely BLOWS. They should just come in and say, "Everythings fine, I took a look at all of you exams and there were no abnormalities," OR "Look, there's not delicate way to put this you _______________." Just cut the crap, get to the point and prepare for the future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashburnskinsfan Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 A friend had a blood test during her pregnancy. The doctor told her the results showed that her baby might have Down's Syndrome, or that she was carying twins, and that another test was needed and the results would be available the following week. Did you think she enjoyed waiting those few days? And she had twins, both completely healthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanCollins Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Sounds like it might have been heat stroke caused by ......... GW j/k glad you're allright, I won't have to worry about a snowstorm sneaking up on me :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Weirdo Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Thats some serious stuff man. Glad to hear youre ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarhog Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 You still need to be concerned (not trying to scare you - its just the truth). You can have a stroke at any age. I've seen guys your age with CVAs. Its not common, but it happens. Two things: 1) If your numbness and other symptoms came on quick and then resolved - you may have had a TIA (transient ischemic attack). It can be a pre-cursor to a major stroke. I don't know the exact stats, but something like 50% of all people that have TIAs have a stroke within 5 years. You may not have had a TIA, don't get me wrong - but there aren't many other reasonable explanations for what you describe. 2) There are 2 main categories of stroke, hemorrhagic and ischemic. When they do a CT of the head, they are looking for bleeding primarily - ischemic strokes don't usually show up right away on a CT, but more often several days post-CVA when the damage is done. A hemorrhagic stroke will show up though, and the main reason they check for that is because the emergency treatment for ischemic CVAs are clot-busting drugs and they don't want to give those until they rule out bleeding. So whats my point? If the ER doctor told you you're fine, he may be wrong. You could have had a small ischemic stroke and its just not showing up on the CT yet. Its also possible that you've had a TIA - which may cause you no long-term problems of any kind, but if you did, its a huge red flag you don't want to ignore. Go see a good family practice guy - tell him what happened. Let him do a complete workup on you (you might ask about taking a baby aspirin daily, whether you need carotic dopplers, or other testing). Have your symptoms totally gone away? And do you have any family history of stroke or heart attack? Smoking puts you in a high-risk category. Don't mean to get into your business, but trust me, just because an ER doctor gives you a clean bill of health, doesn't mean theres nothing to be concerned about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 You still need to be concerned (not trying to scare you - its just the truth). You can have a stroke at any age. I've seen guys your age with CVAs. Its not common, but it happens. Two things:1) If your numbness and other symptoms came on quick and then resolved - you may have had a TIA (transient ischemic attack). It can be a pre-cursor to a major stroke. I don't know the exact stats, but something like 50% of all people that have TIAs have a stroke within 5 years. You may not have had a TIA, don't get me wrong - but there aren't many other reasonable explanations for what you describe. 2) There are 2 main categories of stroke, hemorrhagic and ischemic. When they do a CT of the head, they are looking for bleeding primarily - ischemic strokes don't usually show up right away on a CT, but more often several days post-CVA when the damage is done. A hemorrhagic stroke will show up though, and the main reason they check for that is because the emergency treatment for ischemic CVAs are clot-busting drugs and they don't want to give those until they rule out bleeding. So whats my point? If the ER doctor told you you're fine, he may be wrong. You could have had a small ischemic stroke and its just not showing up on the CT yet. Its also possible that you've had a TIA - which may cause you no long-term problems of any kind, but if you did, its a huge red flag you don't want to ignore. Go see a good family practice guy - tell him what happened. Let him do a complete workup on you (you might ask about taking a baby aspirin daily, whether you need carotic dopplers, or other testing). Have your symptoms totally gone away? And do you have any family history of stroke or heart attack? Smoking puts you in a high-risk category. Don't mean to get into your business, but trust me, just because an ER doctor gives you a clean bill of health, doesn't mean theres nothing to be concerned about. What Tarhog said is all very good advise. My :2cents: is to go to your GP as soon as possible and have them start running tests on you. The ER is as good as a M.A.S.H. unit at times, they just want to get you out the door. I pray that there isnt anything wrong with you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 JP, Definitely follow Tarhog's advice. Don't want to see anything happen to you. 33 with a fam?! Do whatever you can to avoid the worst. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bishope Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Tarhog has given you some fantastic advice. I had a quadruple bypass at the age of 30 and the only reason it was caught before I had a heart attack was because my family doctor had a complete workup and stress test done. I'd definitely recommend following up with your family doc just to be sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Punani2 Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 Tarhog has given you some fantastic advice. I had a quadruple bypass at the age of 30 and the only reason it was caught before I had a heart attack was because my family doctor had a complete workup and stress test done.I'd definitely recommend following up with your family doc just to be sure. OMG!! you had quadruple bypass at 30? I've had a complete workup, ultrasound, and stress test about 2 yrs ago and everything was fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Punani2 Posted March 15, 2006 Author Share Posted March 15, 2006 You still need to be concerned (not trying to scare you - its just the truth). You can have a stroke at any age. I've seen guys your age with CVAs. Its not common, but it happens. Two things:1) If your numbness and other symptoms came on quick and then resolved - you may have had a TIA (transient ischemic attack). It can be a pre-cursor to a major stroke. I don't know the exact stats, but something like 50% of all people that have TIAs have a stroke within 5 years. You may not have had a TIA, don't get me wrong - but there aren't many other reasonable explanations for what you describe. 2) There are 2 main categories of stroke, hemorrhagic and ischemic. When they do a CT of the head, they are looking for bleeding primarily - ischemic strokes don't usually show up right away on a CT, but more often several days post-CVA when the damage is done. A hemorrhagic stroke will show up though, and the main reason they check for that is because the emergency treatment for ischemic CVAs are clot-busting drugs and they don't want to give those until they rule out bleeding. So whats my point? If the ER doctor told you you're fine, he may be wrong. You could have had a small ischemic stroke and its just not showing up on the CT yet. Its also possible that you've had a TIA - which may cause you no long-term problems of any kind, but if you did, its a huge red flag you don't want to ignore. Go see a good family practice guy - tell him what happened. Let him do a complete workup on you (you might ask about taking a baby aspirin daily, whether you need carotic dopplers, or other testing). Have your symptoms totally gone away? And do you have any family history of stroke or heart attack? Smoking puts you in a high-risk category. Don't mean to get into your business, but trust me, just because an ER doctor gives you a clean bill of health, doesn't mean theres nothing to be concerned about. I'm going to go to my family Dr tomorrow anyway. I'm sure I will be getting another CT scan in a couple of days to rule out any bleeding. The ER Dr was hinting around that I might have had a panic attack and the symptoms are very similar to TIAs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 OMG!! you had quadruple bypass at 30? I've had a complete workup, ultrasound, and stress test about 2 yrs ago and everything was fine. A lot can change in 2 years. Listen to what Tarhog said it is very good advice. I would also add if you have told your main Dr about your mother and father's health as well as your family's history. If there are certain things there for them to know they will know what to look for. Have you experienced any wierd symptoms recently that you might thoughtwere something else? You were correct in going to the ER, that was the right thing to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bishope Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 OMG!! you had quadruple bypass at 30? I've had a complete workup, ultrasound, and stress test about 2 yrs ago and everything was fine. Yeah, it was a complete shock...I was feeling invincible at 30. I'm glad that you've had the tests a couple of years back. Unless you have a family history or contributing factors suchs as obesity, diabetes, smoker, etc., I'd feel ok about things, but still check it out to be certain. The main thing is catching this stuff as early as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenaa Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 Definately ask about having your carotid arteries checked. It's an ultrasound test to verify there's no blockage. Since you smoked you are high risk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted March 15, 2006 Share Posted March 15, 2006 "Maybe it's a tumor "IT IS NOT A TUUUUUUUUUMOR!!!!!!!!!!! Hope everything turns out alright bud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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