I got carted off to the ER in an ambulance last night, the first time since my really bad angina attack in April. This one was really similar. I've been feeling relatively fine lately, I've even got my premature ventricular contractions down to a rarity instead of a commonplace event--I'm discovering it's all in my diet. And I felt fine yesterday, a little tired and headachey, but not bad.
John went out for a cup of coffee at our favorite hangout (he's quitting smoking again and gets really restless), Lou had fallen asleep, and I had finished reading a chapter of our latest book to Josie. We're reading "A Little Princess"; Sara is coming to terms with her life in the attic as a poor servant girl, and the Indian Gentleman has just moved in next door.
I suddenly felt a familiar foreboding and tightening, and thought, uh-oh. I went downstairs to get my nighttime medication, thinking maybe if I took it a little earlier than usual I could stave off a problem. But I quickly realized it was coming and there wasn't anything I could do to stop it except take a nitroglycerin. I went upstairs to get Josie (in retrospect I should have called for her to come down but I was worried about getting to her for some reason), took a nitro and lay on the floor until it was clear I was going to need help so I called 911 and gave Josie instructions to go downstairs and wait for the paramedics.
The pain came on while I was on the phone with the dispatcher. It passed in about five minutes, the usual with nitro, but the EMTs wanted to take me in anyway to get checked out thoroughly.
Long story short: I'm fine, though I'm very tired and headachey today. My heart is feeling touchy is all, and I took my meds very late yesterday and probably the two together brought that on. It just caught me by complete surprise is all; none of my usual triggers--hungry angry lonely tired cold--had been pushed.
On the whole, though, I am getting better. I used to get carted off to the ER every 2-3 weeks, and now it's every 2-3 months (and not by ambulance in more than 5 months). I'm willing to call that progress.




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