My Trip to the ER

Let me begin by saying that yesterday was quite a whirlwind of emotions for David and I. Emergency room visits are never fun but this one proved to be especially out of the ordinary for us.

For the past couple of days, I had noticed some slight pains or discomforts in my chest, or should I say "dull pain" as categorized by the hospital staff. I didn't think much of it; I attributed it to heart burn. However, what I experienced Monday evening gave the ER doctor some insight into what might have been occurring. While I was working out on the elliptical machine at the gym, I noticed I was having to work harder than usual. My body felt worn out sooner, and my breathing felt harder. I wondered, "What is wrong with me? It has only been a few days since the last time I worked out!" Several minutes later, I felt what seemed like an electric current go through my body from my pelvis to my chest. It nearly knocked me off the machine! I thought this was very strange, but hearing stories from other expectant mothers, I hopefully thought this was the moment of implantation. Regardless, I continued my work-out and then noticed the level my elliptical machine was at: 7!! I usually do not go higher than a level 4!! No wonder I was so tired! So of course this was yet another reason or excuse to shrug off the "dull pain", the tiredness, and the electric current.

However, much to my dismay, the next day my body gave me no other option but to listen to it. Tuesday morning I was sitting at my desk at work doing mundane tasks when I felt my lungs tighten, and my breathing shorten. I suddenly had to concentrate on breathing: "Breathe in, breathe out"! Because of my nature as a drama queen, I thought I was over-reacting and just needed to calm down, get up, and take a sip of water. As soon as I stood up, I felt fatigued. I knew at this moment something was wrong. After a few minutes of unsuccessfully trying to give myself a pep-rally, "Marisa you are okay, you can do this, just breathe", I realized I needed to call my doctor, especially considering our family history. Unfortunately, the only advice they could give me was the inevitable: Go to the ER! So I interrupted my boss and let her know what was going on. She immediately jumped up from her desk and told me to go to the hospital. She and another co-worker offered to drive me home so David could bring me to the hospital. At this moment, I understood why God had led me to this job. :)

On the drive to my apartment, I attempted to call David a few times. He was not answering. Once we got to the apartment, he still had not answered the phone so I figured he was either on the toilet or in the shower. Due to my breathing conditions, my boss and coworker did not want to me walk up two flights of stairs to get David, so my male coworker, Stephen offered to knock on the door. Well since David was in the bathroom, as I correctly guessed, he did not answer the door. My only other option was to give Stephen the keys to our apartment and pray David was not laying/walking around or sleeping in the nude. Fortunately, he was in the shower with the door closed but Stephen gave him quite the shock when he knocked on the door and announced his name. David's immediate reaction was: "What the h*** is a man doing in my apartment!!" (Thankfully, he didn't say this; only thought it.) But all of this was very humorous later on when David told me that just minutes before he got in the shower, he WAS walking around in the nude, and had contemplated leaving the door opened while he showered!

A few minutes later, David came downstairs and drove me to the hospital. After arriving at the hospital, I was admitted a few minutes later and the routine began: I put on the hospital gown, and the nurses asked my symptoms, and took my blood pressure, EKG, and a X-Ray of my chest. At this point, my breathing had settled down, but I was feeling some "dull pain" again on the right side of my chest. I thought this was strange since my heart is supposedly on the left, but "some people are weird and have their heart on the right side" as one of the nurses informed me.

While I was getting my X-ray done, the doctor came in, and since I was not there he began to chat with David. And I mean chat. David did tell him what was going on with me, but by the time I got back in the room, they were already buddies. They were talking about philosophy and theology. Supposedly, our doctor had gone to Notre Dame, was a conservative Catholic, and was fascinated by the fact that David was studying Moral Theology. Once the doctor realized that I was back in the room (and the reason we were there and paying a $150 copay I might add, haha), he rightfully gave his attention to me. After talking to him for a few minutes, I realized why God had led us to this hospital. Our doctor, Mark Walsh, is an amazing physician. He made me feel very comfortable and confident that he was there to help me, not do a few tests and get me out of the hospital for the next injured body. Plus, he was Catholic! I could voice my concerns but also hopes that I was possibly pregnant. I did not have to worry about not being taken seriously or looked down upon for being young, happily married, and wanting to have children. He was actually encouraging us to have kids, and also thinking that I might be pregnant based on my symptoms. He told me that he was very glad I came in because unlike an injury to the arm or leg, you cannot rely on another limb when it comes to your chest cavity. As a result, he wanted to do blood tests that tested everything. He wanted to rule out any problems with my heart or lungs. He warned me that we might walk out of here not knowing exactly what the problem is, but knowing what it isn't. (I actually felt like a Catholic version of House (from the TV show) was sitting in front of me.)

So the nurses came in and began the blood tests, all five of them! Next I had to give a urine sample. After these tests, they hooked me up to a heart monitor, and all we could now was wait and pray. We were not too worried at this point. (The doctor had told us that the worse case scenario was that I had a blood clot on my lung, which was deadly. He said he was not expecting that though considering my age and health, but like he said before, he wanted to rule things out.)
We were talking and laughing, sharing stories, and just enjoying being together, even if we were in a hospital room. We also were imagining the possibility that I was pregnant, and how funny it would be to one day tell our child, "You took Mommy to the ER." haha. We would never forget it.

A few hours later, one of the nurses came back in, and told us that I was going to have to have a CAT scan of my chest because one of my blood tests had shown elevated levels of an enzyme. She said this could be caused by over 500 things, ranging from a high intensity work-out and stress to a blood clot in the lung. She said the doctor would be in shortly to explain it to us. At this point, David and I began to worry a little bit but still not too much. Once the doctor came in, we began to fear. He was very serious. He told us I was not pregnant and the news about my enzyme level. He said that this is rare for someone of my age and health. He wanted to do to the CAT scan because he wanted to make sure there was nothing there. He left. The reality hit me. I could be dying. Our mood suddenly changed. I started to cry thinking about how I was not ready to die. David and I just began our lives together, we had not had a family together yet. I was not ready to say goodbye. David just held my hand, and told me not to worry and he loved me.

Several minutes passed until the doctor came in again. This time he brought with him print outs from the computer of the human anatomy, and his hopeful theory. He showed us that the muscles and nerves are so closely intertwined in the chest area, and he thought that I could have possibly pulled a muscle exposing a nerve. He said this would be the reason for my pain on the right side. He was hopeful, and this provided some comfort for David and I as I was hooked up to an IV and transferred by bed to the CAT scan room.

If you never have to have a CAT scan, you are not missing anything. You lay on a bed that has a big round machine around it. Then the nurse or CAT scan technician hooks up a dye to your IV that allows your organs to show up more clearly on the test results. This dye, once injected into your blood stream, causes you to feel like you are boiling in your own body. This intense hot flash starts at your head and flows down your body causing the sensation of peeing your pants once it gets to your lower area. At the same time as you are experiencing the sensation of boiling point, the nurse pushes your bed underneath this big round machine that spins around you, flashes lights, and tells you: "Hold your breath" and then a few seconds later "Breathe". If I did not know better, I would think that this machine was controlled by aliens, and I was being abducted by one.

When the test was over, I was rolled back to my room to wait for the results. A few hours later, the nurse who revealed the high enzyme level news, finally became the bearer of good news: my test was clean!! No blood clot in my lung!! Thanks be to God, and all your prayers!

The doctor came in for the last time and confirmed the glorious news! Although I was not pregnant, I was content to know there was still a future for David and I to someday be parents, and at the very least enjoy the beautiful blessings God has already bestowed upon us: each other and ALL of you!! The doctor thinks I pulled a muscle and exposed a nerve from over-exerting myself in my work-out on Monday. He said I could return to my regular lifestyle but to call him today to check in. And before he left, he told David and I to pray for him, and that he has hope in the future of the Catholic Church because of couples like us. Finally, he gave us rosary key chains. Like I said before, what an amazing doctor! And such a blessing.

In conclusion to this long story that is filled with so many emotions, I am feeling good today. I do still experience some discomfort on the right side of my chest, but it is nothing to worry or whine about. Thank you for all of your prayers!

David and I love you all very much, and cannot wait to see you all again. This experience has taught us how precious time is, and how short life can be. So we pray that everyone will continue to stay healthy and well so that we may be able to thoroughly enjoy your presence and love.

Love always,

Marisa & David