I was standing in queue to pay for my income tax dues on Friday morning when suddenly I developed a gripping pain in the interscapular region of my back which radiated in a band across and to the front of the chest. I stretched and extended my body, suspecting that the pain was caused by a muscular strain from the recent spurt of a few days of golf followed by the few days of snorkelling in Redang and swimming against the somewhat strong waves at Tg Jara.
But the pain lingered on for a good two or three minutes causing some difficulty in breathing and light-headedness. As I went through the diagnostic mental work-out of what this pain might be due to, and trying to reassure myself of the absence in me of risk factors to cardiovascular illnesses, I could not avoid the arousing sense of anxiety bordering on panic that only worsened the whole experience.
I decided that I did not want to be embarassed by causing a commotion in the crowded hall if I were to collapse from the increasing giddiness and the cold sweat that was building up. I walked out of the queue for the fresh air outside, found the side-walk railings on which I held on to steady myself and kept my head low to allow blood to feed the brain.
When the giddiness went away and I was able to breath easy and the pain somehow gone without me realising it, I called up makdokter, my partner, and told her to get ready to take me to the hospital and sort out this sudden medical emergency.
I was able to walk to the car-park, drove home for a good distance and jump into the other car in which I was driven to the hospital. Makdokter had already called up a physician-friend at the hospital and forewarned him of a possible medical emergency.
The ECG reassuringly did not show any signs of a cardiovascular incident and my former Professor of Medicine who is a cardiologist at the hospital was requested to see me for a second opinion from him.
The good old professor (whom I have not seen for many many years and still looked the same as he was during my medical school years) was in his usual cool, collected and clinical way. After a detailed history-taking, a physical examination and a confirmation from me that the pain was gone, he told me that even though the ECG was normal but considering the age group that I am in he was going to manage my case as a possible cardiac incident until proven otherwise.
Some blood was drawn out and sent to the lab for tests and I was registered to be admitted for monitoring. I was put on a drip of GTN ( a vasodilating drug that will improve blood flow into the muscles of the heart) and given tablets of cardiprin and plavix and an injection of Klaxein. ( the last three substances were to help prevent my blood from easily forming a thrombus or clot - which is usually the cause of a heart attack).
I was actually glad for this proactive intervention and I was extremely reassurred to be under the good professor's care. I was not at all alarmed or panicked by this apparent aggressive approach to the problem ( I must be very good at suppressing my anxiety if there was any). In fact if it had turned out to be a cardiovascular incident, I was already prepared to go all the way for an angiogram and surgery if it so necessitated.
The blood tests came back 3 hours later and showed normal levels for those relevant to ischaemic heart incidents. Enzymes levels of the liver were high though, perhaps a result of my 'oral over-indulgence'. A repeat ECG was also reassuringly normal.
As the professor was held up in a complicated interventional cardiac procedure that afternoon, the planned stress-test had to be postponed to Saturday morning.
I was hoping that I would be able to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics that night on the big screen in the company of my friends, but as I had to continue with the GTN drip and monitoring, I had to settle for the 14-inch tv of the hospital suite.
Makdokter, who had brought along my laptop to the hospital, enabled us to keep in touch with our children who are away overseas via MSN Live Messenger throughout the Olympics Opening Ceremony without them having a clue that we were in hospital. We did not want to raise any unnecessary alarm to worry them.
I had a good night sleep ( normal for me) only to be awakened by the phlebotomist early in the morning who came to draw blood for repeat tests. I was scheduled for the stress test under the watchful observation of the good professor and I went through it without any indication of any cardiac difficulty. What a relief.......
All my life I have been fortunate to have had a good health. I have been hospitalised only once many years ago for a bout dengue fever. But like many of my doctor friends I have never put myself through regular medical check-up! I had an almost similar attack of chest pain about 2 years ago towards the end of a golf game and I did the blood tests and a stress test a few days later to rule out any possible heart problem.
What had actually caused the pain? Was it a muscular strain.....? Or was it a panic attack which many of my patients seek help and treatment from me? I honestly do not know but I am truly reliefed that it was not a heart attack.
Thank you professor and thank you friends who were there to reassure me. Thank you Eddie for wishing me well and with your permission may I reproduce the quote you sent me....
You dont get to choose how you are going to die or when.....
You can only decide how you are going to live - now.... ( Joan Baez)
But the pain lingered on for a good two or three minutes causing some difficulty in breathing and light-headedness. As I went through the diagnostic mental work-out of what this pain might be due to, and trying to reassure myself of the absence in me of risk factors to cardiovascular illnesses, I could not avoid the arousing sense of anxiety bordering on panic that only worsened the whole experience.
I decided that I did not want to be embarassed by causing a commotion in the crowded hall if I were to collapse from the increasing giddiness and the cold sweat that was building up. I walked out of the queue for the fresh air outside, found the side-walk railings on which I held on to steady myself and kept my head low to allow blood to feed the brain.
When the giddiness went away and I was able to breath easy and the pain somehow gone without me realising it, I called up makdokter, my partner, and told her to get ready to take me to the hospital and sort out this sudden medical emergency.
I was able to walk to the car-park, drove home for a good distance and jump into the other car in which I was driven to the hospital. Makdokter had already called up a physician-friend at the hospital and forewarned him of a possible medical emergency.
The ECG reassuringly did not show any signs of a cardiovascular incident and my former Professor of Medicine who is a cardiologist at the hospital was requested to see me for a second opinion from him.
The good old professor (whom I have not seen for many many years and still looked the same as he was during my medical school years) was in his usual cool, collected and clinical way. After a detailed history-taking, a physical examination and a confirmation from me that the pain was gone, he told me that even though the ECG was normal but considering the age group that I am in he was going to manage my case as a possible cardiac incident until proven otherwise.
Some blood was drawn out and sent to the lab for tests and I was registered to be admitted for monitoring. I was put on a drip of GTN ( a vasodilating drug that will improve blood flow into the muscles of the heart) and given tablets of cardiprin and plavix and an injection of Klaxein. ( the last three substances were to help prevent my blood from easily forming a thrombus or clot - which is usually the cause of a heart attack).
I was actually glad for this proactive intervention and I was extremely reassurred to be under the good professor's care. I was not at all alarmed or panicked by this apparent aggressive approach to the problem ( I must be very good at suppressing my anxiety if there was any). In fact if it had turned out to be a cardiovascular incident, I was already prepared to go all the way for an angiogram and surgery if it so necessitated.
The blood tests came back 3 hours later and showed normal levels for those relevant to ischaemic heart incidents. Enzymes levels of the liver were high though, perhaps a result of my 'oral over-indulgence'. A repeat ECG was also reassuringly normal.
As the professor was held up in a complicated interventional cardiac procedure that afternoon, the planned stress-test had to be postponed to Saturday morning.
I was hoping that I would be able to watch the opening ceremony of the Olympics that night on the big screen in the company of my friends, but as I had to continue with the GTN drip and monitoring, I had to settle for the 14-inch tv of the hospital suite.
Makdokter, who had brought along my laptop to the hospital, enabled us to keep in touch with our children who are away overseas via MSN Live Messenger throughout the Olympics Opening Ceremony without them having a clue that we were in hospital. We did not want to raise any unnecessary alarm to worry them.
I had a good night sleep ( normal for me) only to be awakened by the phlebotomist early in the morning who came to draw blood for repeat tests. I was scheduled for the stress test under the watchful observation of the good professor and I went through it without any indication of any cardiac difficulty. What a relief.......
All my life I have been fortunate to have had a good health. I have been hospitalised only once many years ago for a bout dengue fever. But like many of my doctor friends I have never put myself through regular medical check-up! I had an almost similar attack of chest pain about 2 years ago towards the end of a golf game and I did the blood tests and a stress test a few days later to rule out any possible heart problem.
What had actually caused the pain? Was it a muscular strain.....? Or was it a panic attack which many of my patients seek help and treatment from me? I honestly do not know but I am truly reliefed that it was not a heart attack.
Thank you professor and thank you friends who were there to reassure me. Thank you Eddie for wishing me well and with your permission may I reproduce the quote you sent me....
You dont get to choose how you are going to die or when.....
You can only decide how you are going to live - now.... ( Joan Baez)
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