Raise your hand if you like the ER....NOT ME!

Well, last Sunday evening about 5pm I started feeling a little lethargic and just not well. I couldn't even explain how I was feeling, I just kept saying that I didn't feel well. Then it slowly got worse....so by 8pm I started crying because my chest was killing me, my throat felt like someone was strangling me, I was having trouble breathing and I was wheezing pretty bad....oh and I still just felt bad all over. So I took some TUMS thinking it was bad heartburn, then some Tylenol, then I tried to sleep but it was worse when I laid down. By 11pm my chest was hurting something fierce and I called my OB doctor and he basically told me that if I felt bad enough to go to the ER. (I hate the emergency room) So I woke up Schuyler, called my mom to come stay at the house while the girls slept, then we got dressed and were out the door.

When I go to the ER I told them my symptoms and they did my vitals and my blood oxygen levels were real low....so they immediately did an EKG. While in the room doing an EKG she asked me how long I had been wheezing like that and I said for a while. After the EKG came back normal (other than fast heart rate) she listened to my lungs...."honey, your lungs sound real bad, do you have asthma?" to which I responded no. Then I was placed in another room and a doctor came in and after listening to my lungs he ordered a breathing treatment and called my OB. After that treatment my lung were still pretty bad and they ordered another breathing treatment. After the second one I was feeling a lot better. They said my lungs opened up a lot more and then started asking questions.

"Have you had breathing trouble and wheezing like this before?"
Nothing near this bad just a little when I have allergy problems.
"How long have you had that"?
A few years.

Then I was told that I have asthma that has gone undiagnosed this whole time. Fortunately I have not had any major problems before now. But this was a pretty big asthma attack and with all the symptoms I was having I was in the beginning stages of respiratory failure. So, even though I hate emergency rooms I am glad that I did go.

My OB then requested me be taken to labor and delivery to have the baby checked out and make sure she handled the low oxygen and the meds all ok. I was wheeled (yes in a good ole' wheelchair) up to L&D, where I was put in a room, had to put the pretty blue gown on and my belly was hooked up to all the fetal monitors for an hour or so. After seeing that she was doing fine I was released. It was about 3:30am and both myself and Schuyler we so sleepy. But my wonderful husband was there by my side the entire time and never complained, even when we had to pay for the not so small ER co-pay. Oh the joys. :o)

It sure was a scary night but now I feel totally fine and I am back to 100%. Apparently I have asthma and need to find out about seeing an asthma doctor.