So 2 ER visits later....

I had a bad day yesterday. Really bad. I went to bed about midnite, and woke up about 2 am, but since I'd slept all day and normally dont' go to bed till 4, that didnt' surprise me. I had a little bit of an upset stomach. I laid in bed for about an hour and a half, maybe 2, and finally gave up and decided I'd go read some posts on THIS board since I hadn't been here in a day or two.

I sat down at the computer, loaded up the board, and noticed my back hurt really bad. Kind of like what happens when I get asthma issues. I was also short of breath. So I got up and went to the bathroom, got the new inhaler and opened it, noticed that my hands were shaking. Odd. stepped back into the computer room, but coudln't catch my breath well enough to get a good hold on the medicine coming in from the inhaler. Then suddenly pain seriously intensified, going across my stomach and into my back. It was so sudden and severe, I almost passed out. I dropped to the floor and my poor dog was upset because he'd never seen mom like that.

Anyway, I go to the ER. During all this I apparently hyperventilated.... just a little, but enough to be noticed. So the first ER doc, he notices I have fibro, and so he spends the first 20 minutes asking me if I've ever had an anxiety attack. After the 5th time of him asking I said "Look, I've been in high stress jobs all my life and never had an anxiety attack. This is NOT an anxiety attack!"

I explained later to my husband that some folks with fibro have anxiety issues and therefore some uninformed docs think we all do. I was so pissed. He asked me to repeat what happened and how it started 5 times! I was ready to strangle him. He finally diagnosed indigestion, and sent me home. Only I didn't get but about 3 miles before I had to make hubby pull over and let me barf - new symptom. Pain came back just as bad, but not as sudden. Got sick 2X on the 15 min drive home, then tried to go to bed when we got there, but ate a few slices of bread so i'd have something on my stomach. It came back. As did everything else I tried over the next 8 hrs. So back to the ER we went. Still in pain, vomiting literally moments before we walked out the door. First thing they did was give me something for nausea, and then wouldn't let me have anything to eat or drink while I was there.

They finally came to the conclusion i had esophogeal spasms, brought on by GERD. I swear, I never want to go thru THAT again. They had to give me something for the pain, and even that didn't help. They finally started calming down about 11 pm, but they wanted to do a few extra tests. What did come out of the tests was I have a cyst on my ovary and a fibroid in my uterus. LOL. Well, I knew about the fibroid. At least otherwise I know nothing is wrong in the rest of me.

But that first doctor almost got hit. I was so glad they had a different doc on shift when I came in!

I don't blame you,they make you wait atleast four hours each time just to tell you its nothing where I am at.I identify,I have over 7 fibroids 2 cm big plus an ovarian cyst on both ovaries,I didn't know about the cysts either til I was bleeding for a month irregularly and finally my gyno ordered a ultrasound only to say you also have 2 cysts we'll do another ultrasound in 6 weeks.It is scary to not beable to breath and I def. have not told the hospital docs that I have fibro.

Pam -
There are web pages devoted to what you need to do preoperatively to prevent fibro flares. Basically make sure you get a pain med and a muscle relaxant 45 min before surgery is to start. Make sure your arms are as near your sides as possible, not stretched out to 90 degrees. Look this stuff up! Don't just take it from me.

I get a double dose of flares because of post-polio plus fibro. The pre-op prevention is about the same for both. I've had surgery without getting meds even after asking for them and gotten bad flare afterwards. Now I premedicate myself, and tell them I did. I don't get flares anymore! I take a Vicodin and a diazepam. They usually say it's amazing what some people take.

You should also ask not to be given anything that causes release of histamine.
I now refuse Versed and Etomidate - both give amnesia. I lost 3 days memory once!

Hi All,
My son has Fibro and he has suffered a great deal over the past two + years. We had made many trips to the ER.

My son has been searching for another reason or a more concrete reason for his many symptoms. TeresaR your symptoms sound a lot like him.

He hates so bad that bloodwork does not show a definate reason for all of his pain. His blood work comes back normal same with the MRIs-Cat scans-EEGs -X-rays ETC. They thought he might have Chrons-he can't sleep- he has hyperventilated. he has shook real bad and cried not knowing why-he has cronic daily headaches-they say he is depressed and he says he is not but he is in pain!! It is real VERY REAL!

But he no longer thinks that it is Fibro-My son did  a whole lot of research and he has
come up with a different diagnosis. And I may need to change my user name.

Post Edited (sonhasfibro) : 6/1/2011 9:57:34 PM (GMT-6)

sonhasfibro, wow, that would be tough. The pain I had radiated through the middle back and around the stomach (lower part of the chest). At times I could feel it up into my chest pains. The pain was what took my breath away so I couldn't get it back. But this is caused by gerd, which was a bit of a surprise to me. But they were pretty sure this is what it was because it was in the back so much and your esophagus travels down the back and then around to the stomach.

My niece has had alot of issues - and they took out her gall bladder and she says she feels alot better. Like your son, they thought she was making it up - she was always in pain. She said it hasn't fixed everything, but it's made a big difference.

I saw my primary care physician today and she's had the same esophageal spasm as I did - she said the only thing unusual about mine was the full length of it. She said normally it lasts just a few hours and that had it lasted 17 hours when she had it, she would have been in the ER too. She recognized it immediately because of the symptoms. It's not that I have GERD, it is the GERD has caused enough damage to cause the spasms. Kind of like constant muscle spasms, but in the esophagus. When it stopped, it stopped almost as fast as it came on too, which surprised me.

But to be honest, the ER doc wasn't 100% sure - he knew what it wasn't, and this was like the last thing left. It's my primary care physician who understood and recognized it the INSTANT I told her what the pain was like. Oddly enough, I'd tried to get in with her on Tuesday but she was booked solid, so had to go back to the ER that time. She's requesting my records so she can have the bloodwork and all too, just to be sure.

Surprisingly enough, the ER doc called me today to make sure I was doing okay. He just jumped UP in my estimation of him. He sees probably 75-100 patients a night and he called to make sure I was okay. When I get the survey - and I will, I intend to note his caring on there. I was highly pleased with that, and his acknowledgment that he wasn't 100% sure of the diagnosis, and insisting I see my primary care doc right away.

Hey Andrea, apparently this "can happen again" per both doctors. However, they are taking a proactive approach with both prilosec and Zantac, and also lots of liquid anti acid's. Then, in about a month my doc wants me to drop one, and it will probably be the Zantac, because prilosec helps heal damage. And yes, if you don't get GERD under control, and have the spasms regularly, apparently you (me) are susceptible to esophageal cancer. Joy of joys, eh? as if the fibro and sudden pain isn't enough?

For me, I'm doing my best to see it doesn't happen again and so is my husband. I'm laughing cuz if I remind him about his diabetes stuff he gets soooo pissed, but right now he's going nuts if I forget to take the liquid anti acid's. I had popcorn last nite and he's like "Did you take your stuff?" No, but I promise to take it after okay? As much as I'd like, sometimes you can't take stuff 30 min before. But after is always good, and major meals it's easier to plan. :)