August 6, 2009

This entry is more for myself to document in one place all the records I've kept. This log is for the several days I tracked a lot of chest pain and other stuff I had going on before I ended up in the hospital. This also helps me remember this is NOT in my head. Note that the cardiologist didn't want to look at my notes (in my pretty Excel spreadsheet) and told me that he didn't think anything was going on with my heart. Fortunately, he started running tests anyway...The internal medicine PA was still concerned that my heart is not beating as strong as it should, and the PSVT worried me just because it feels so darn freaky. It did the up and down the elevator for a few minutes last night, but no rotation of my heart so that was a very GOOD thing.

Chest pain 1-8. 1=no pain. 8=greatest pain felt.
Records are for the date, time, pain on a 1-8 scale, and any notes.

7/3
7 AM
Woke up.
2


7:15 AM
Got up to go to the bathroom and go downstairs.
3
Face and eye area swollen. Slightly out of breath and tired.

7:30
Called Dr. Ruscetti and the ER nurse. Ruscetti didn't give a fat rat's a$$. But I'm scared.
3
Tired.

8:45
Went upstairs and laid in bed
2
Very tired. Out of breath and heart going fast at top of stairs. Laid down and chest pain went to minimal.

9:45AM
Showered/dressed
4-5
Cut shower short as chest pain increased. Running out of breath. Pressure in chest. Light headed and dizzy.

10 AM
Sat down
3
Pressure in chest. Going to take Ativan.

10:31
Still sitting down
5
Flash of pain down left arm, always on the underside of the arm.

10:35
Still sitting down.
3
Pain level went back to normal pain level.

11-12:30
Still sitting or laying down.
1-6
Stronger pain comes and goes, about 1-2 minutes each time. I’ll take the nitro when it feels like the pain will be consistent enough to tell if it was the nitro or if the pain settled down on its own. The pain does not seem worse while laying on either side or sitting on couch. Sometimes feels like I can feel my chest beat hard when lying on left side, beating felt on side of rib cage. Chest pain is consistently on the left side over the heart and ranges from tightness, to twinging, to constriction , to burning.

1:30
Sitting on couch
2-4
Chest pain off and on, with sharper pains going down left arm. Absolutely exhausted. First nap in a long time.

1:50
Went upstairs twice to clean up house.
2
Very difficult to breath. Lungs clear, but a lot of pressure and gasping for breath at the top and for a bit after.

5:30
Sitting on couch
4
Slept for a few minutes and took another ativan. Chest hurt for a bit, but settled back down to a 2.


Fell asleep on couch
2
Fell asleep and don’t remember star wars or almost any of Beowulf. Went upstairs and went to sleep.

9AM
Got up
1
Chest didn’t hurt.
7/4
9:15 AM
Sitting in chair
4
Chest didn’t hurt when woke up. Got dressed, fed cats, opened blinds downstairs. Out of breath like I’ve been running down the street warming up for a race. Chest pain started and is coming and going from 3 to 4, sometimes extending down left arm.

10AM
Sitting in chair
3
Still out of breath. Pain less, still going down left arm, but less frequently.

12 noon
Showered
3
Showered, put clothes away and pulse read 129. short of breath. Went down stairs to sit down again. And pulse dropped back down to 70s again.

12:30
Sitting down
3-4
Short, sharp, burning pain in left side of chest. Goes up, then goes down. Some sensations going down left arm.

1:34
Sitting down.
1
Pulse 58. very tired, but chest has only some pressure and no pain. Drinking juice. Not hungry last few days, and really not hungry today.

3 PM
Made cookies
1
Tired and slight pressure. Slightly out of breath, but no pain.

3:10
Cookies
4
Got back up to change out cookies, very out of breath like worked out plus some, chest pain. Don’t feel good.

3:13
Sitting down
2
Sat down and chest pain diminished. Pressure in chest, feels like asthma, but no wheezing, just that weird sensation.

6:30
Ate
1
Felt ok.

7:10 PM
Put dishes away
2
Felt really out of breath.

9
Sitting down
2
Went upstairs half an hour ago to talk to Mom on the phone, chest started hurting at about a 4. Laid back down to get it back down. Took an ativan.

11pm
Laying down
5
Watching tv. Have had multiple and random sharp chest pains on both left and right sides of chest. Main pressure is on left side. Goes from pain of 1 with pressure to a painful 5. Haven’t really moved from the couch for a while. Going to bed.
7/5
9AM
In bed
3
Chest pain went from 1 to pulses of 3. bed damp.

9:15
Got up
2
Got dressed, made bed, fed cats. Out of breath and tired. When out of breath felt like fluid in lungs. Then clears up. Lungs clearing up overall though. Don’t need inhaler like I did at all. Can’t take symbicort as it makes me nauseated.

12:30
On couch
3
Chest pain comes and goes. Some goes under arm. Some pressure. Very tired.

1:30
Folding laundry
3
Extremely short of breath. Chip asked what I was doing and I panted to talk with him as so short of breath. Got mad and told me to lay down. Took cards downstairs to sit down and sort into desk. Took shower and dressed. Found a lot of hair on the floor.

2:28
Sitting down
3
Shaky and extremely exhausted. Pain is burning and going to underside of left arm.

2:44
Sitting down
3
Resting heart rate is 89 to 94. Chip asked me to take it. Once with bp machine and once with wrist heart rate monitor.

2:58
Laying down
2
Heart rate 79. changing channels and felt nauseated a bit, hands and feet sweating, remote felt too heavy to keep holding. Just laid here for five minutes or so before felt better. Tired.

4:00
Went upstairs to put a few things away
2
Heart rate at 140, way out of breath. Dropped to 114 a minute later. 71 a few minutes after sitting down.

4:28
Sitting down
2
Tired, but better. Occasional strong calf cramp/pain.

6 PM
Moving around
5
Brief pain in chest with tightness. Heart rate 150.

8
Laying down
2
Heart rate 79 to 84. no reason why. took ativan.

11PM
Going to bed.
2
Heart rate 70. tired and ready for bed.
7/6
8:30
Woke up
3
Chest pain upon waking and laying in bed for about 15 minutes. It was obvious I sweat during the night.

9:15
Took shower
3
Took shower, did hair. Pulse rate at 148 and very winded.

9:30
Got paper
3
Very winded. Pulse rate 146.

10:27
Sitting down
3
Heart rate 96. very tired and feel off. Haven’t been off couch for a while.

10:30
Laying down
3
Really don’t feel good. Stomach off, chest pain going down and staying down left arm. Felt light. Heart rate still in 90s. took ativan.

10:45
Took nitro
1-2
After a few minutes of feeling flush and warm, felt much, much better. Chest pain and arm pain less. Tired, but much less so. Resting heart rate 92. Pain gone most of the time, but flashes of it still come and go.

11:31
Sitting down
1
Feel best I’ve felt for a while. Slightly headachy, but told expect that.

12:30
Sitting down
2
Pain in left side, down arm. Don’t feel so tired I can’t move, but still ready for a nap. Resting heart rate 90. sweaty palms and feet off and on.

1:00
Sitting down
2
Resting heart rate 75. tired. Pain on left side of chest and under arm.

1:52
Sitting down.
3
Heart rate 86.

6:20
Sitting down.
2
Took several hour long nap earlier. Feel ok, but a bit tired. Heart rate 76.

8:16
Laying down.
2
Resting heart rate 88. feel a bit off. Recently ate.

8:25
Sitting up.
2
Resting heart rate 109. bp is 96/64. chest tight, hard to breath. Feel weird. Took nitro.

8:41
Laying down
3
Had some chest pain spikes, pulse at 110 to 114 for a bit. Back down to 100. still feel off. Pain and pressure over left side, slightly down left arm.

8:55
Laying down
2
Pulse 86. feel better. pressure under left arm.

9:06
Sitting up.
2
Pulse 90. tired.

9:43
Laying down
2
Pulse 104. took ativan. Tired.
7/7
7 AM
Got up
3
Chest pain upon waking. Area under eyes mildly swollen.

7:30
Breakfast
3
Chest pain and going down arm. Noticed quite a few calf pain/sharp cramps yesterday, especially last night and now today.

8:29
Sitting down.
3
Chest pain and down arm and pressure over left side of chest. Tired.

8:33
Sitting down
3-4
Burning chest pain and under arm.

8:45
Chores
3
Like I’m running hard.

9:34
Sitting down
2
Heart rate 66

11:00
Showering, doing hair
4
Heart rate 173. got on knees to be able to finish curling hair. Took nitro tab.




Calf cramps all day.
7/8

All day
2-5
Woke up with chest pain, pressure. Pain/pressure worse shortly after exertion of any kind. Calf cramps all day.

8 PM
Standing after cooking
4
Sudden real pressure across chest, difficult to breath, odd sensation. Chest pain increased. Went upstairs and took nitro tab and laid down for a few minutes.