Soooo, if you've been recently diagnosed maybe you're freaking out, maybe you're confused WHO KNOWS.
Chances are, you're probably just thinking what tha fuck - same same HIGH FIVE
HOW I FOUND OUT
So prior to my diagnosis, I was just a normal teenager going about her usual activities. I had just gotten back from a holiday in Korea & I was out of the house everyday catching up with friends before uni was to start again in Feb! This meant going to Bondi, Newtown, art galleries, trying all the best food spots on insta, and just exploring around!
ANYWHO, half-way through January, I started getting some chest pains & shortness of breath from walking like 100 metres, but I just blamed it on me being unfit from all the Korean fried chicken I ate from Korea LOL. I literally just thought I was this meme:
I just used my puffer when it got bad, even though it didn't really do much...I didn't really think much of it and I sorta just brushed it off my shoulder for about 2 weeks.
BUT THEN, it hit like 43 degrees one day and I happened to be house-hunting with my dad that day - which meant going to like 7 auctions in 2 hours. ***SIDE NOTE: This was our usual weekend activity because he just loves property investing, but ANYWAYS, this involves a lot of running in and out of the car and in and out of houses - a not so great thing to be doing in the heat!
Usually, I'd run faster than him, but oddly enough, I was lagging behind and found it hard to keep up because the chest pains just got too much - like to the point where I'd shake hands with the realestate agent and be like HI instead of a regular person being like HOW ARE YOU - because I would've sounded like a ran a marathon. It sorta just felt like I was having a low-key asthma attack RIP.
After all the auctions, my Dad was actually going to drop me off at the GYM so I could go to my fav Zumba class (I KNOW THIS IS FOR OLD LADIES BUT I LIKE DANCING OK BAHHAH don't judge me pls teehee). I was actually really determined to go to this class because I hadn't gymed in aaaaages so I really needed to get moving again. BUT, I felt sorta weird from the chest pain & shortness of breath I experienced earlier, so I thought HEY, maybe I should see the doctor. GOOD ONE.
I called up and although they were full, they were nice and let me slip-in as the last patient, BLESS.
K, so I arrived at the doctors and described my symptoms to her (which were actually very similar to what I experienced April last year), but I had an x-ray then and it showed up clear! ANYWAYS, she suspected there might be something going on in my chest wall, so this time she decided to a blood test.
I did one the next day, and that night, JUST BEFORE DINNER
I got a call from my doctor and she was pretty much like - there's something funny in your blood tests, you need to go to the emergency now.
I was sorta like loool wtf for real?? And was like - Uh, how do I go to hospital? Like do I just rock up and be like my blood tests were funny, like WHAT DO I DO - because I've never been in hospital, broken a bone or done anything dangerous before LOL TOTES LIVE LIFE ON THE EDGE OVER HERE.
Anyways, she was like - come to my practice, I'll write a referral letter for you, pick it up & go to hospital
So I was like okieeee chill, I'm coming!!!
Anywho, I picked up the letter and although it's rude to open other people's letters, I DID. So the letter pretty much showed the my D-dimer levels were THREE TIMES HIGHER than the normal range LOL DED. (I am so not a serious person as you can tell) Legit, I was laughing in the car being like BAHAHHA this is so funny - because there was this table that showed the averages of D-dimer levels for diff people like under 18, old people and pregnant peeps and mine was higher than all of them BAHAH.
ANYWAYS, I had no idea wth D-dimer levels were so I googled it & it pretty much said that high levels can indicate a blood clot. GR99999. So I was like ohhhhh, maybe there's a blood clot in my lungs or some shit, hence the breathing troubles LOL. At this stage I was still pre calm, I just thought this whole thing was a joke - I WAS ALSO HUNGRY because remember, I was legit setting up the table for dinner and putting the dishes on the table AND it was a pre lit dinner with my fav foods like eggplant & chicken and shit.
AT THE HOSPITAL
Okieeee, so I arrived at emergency, they sorta processed me for like an hour (told the doctor my symptoms & just waited around). I then got assigned to like a stretcher thingo and they told me to get changed into a hospital gown. This was all so new to me & it was sorta chat because while I was waiting for someone to come and see me, it was just curtains that was blocking me off from everyone else in the emergency room, so I could legit hear peopleon the other beds groaning, yelling, moaning, like ew. You sorta just hear the sounds and you're like shiteee wtf is going on.
Anywho, nurses eventually came, they were all quite lovely & they asked me basic questions like my age, symptoms, all that basic stuff and they soon put a canular in me. I'd never been jabbed by one before, but it wasn't too bad.
By around 9 PMish, so like 2 hours later, I got an x-ray and that was pre chill. I just stood in front of this board thing and pressed my chest against it - it took like 5 mins all up, so yea LIT.
The wait continued and around 10 pm, the doctor came and said that they found extra fluid around my heart that shouldn't be there. She explained that there were multiple reasons why this might be the case, but I'd have to stay the night for observation.
SOOOO, I laid on my stretcher and they wheeled me for like 5 mins until I eventually reached some place. This was quite the experience, it sorta felt like I was in a zombie apocalypse LOL - but like the ride was so bumpy and looking up, you just see the white light & peeling ceilings.
I hopped off the stretcher and they were like - your bed is the one by the window. SO, I walked into the room, noticed there was already an old-looking woman in the first bed, who was curled up in a foetus position. GREAT INTRO. Then, passed the half-way curtain and saw my bed.
My parent stayed till 10 ish then went home, I tried to sleep but then I realised SHIT I have not eaten since like 2 AAAND I couldn't even brush my teeth, so like EWW. Despite my first world problems, I actually fell asleep quite easily LOL.
Morning came, and I was woken up at 6 friggin AM, like wthhhhh. It was someone coming in to deliver a tray of food LITTT (keep in mind this is my first time in hospital EVER in my 19 years of life lololol) but then she PULLED OPEN THE CURTAINS like bitchhhhh WHY YOU DO DAT.
I continued to sleep in, but then a nurse came in to check my blood pressure & temp, like omg disrupted sleep much bahahah. Yet again, after she left, I tried to sleep BUT THEN construction noises started... ARE YOU SERIOUS.
Eventually I gave in and got up.
The tray of food was actually semi-decent, there was cereal, milk, two toasts, jam, peanut butter, canned fruits, it was pre much all the breakfast staples littt. After breakfast, I had a heart ultra-sound which was right next door which was ALSO when I realised I was in the friggin CARDIOLOGY WARD LOOOL - no wonder everyone was so old jeeeez.
Heart ultrasound was pre chill, just sorta felt like cold jelly being casually pressed against my exposed chest LOL - it's like what you see in movies when they do it to the pregnant lady's belly - pre painless.
It took around 15 mins all up, walked back to my bed and a short while later, my rents came to visit. Around morning tea, more food came lololol coffee/tea & biscuits wooo fun times. Then, these people* came to explain what was up & from my x-ray & ultra-sound, they said there's a mass but there could be several reasons for one, but they couldn't be sure unless I did a CT scan, BUT they were hesitant to do one on me, because of my age & radiation and all that jazz. SO they explained how we were all waiting for this fancy-name cardiologist to make the call of yes/no to a CT scan.
*THESE PEOPLE - it was actually the registrar & resident LOL, but I had no idea what those words meant. LEGIT, when the person said he was a resident, my dumb ass thought he was some dude who lived in the hospital monitoring patients LOOOOL & as for registrar, I thought she was saying register the whole time & I was like ummm ok cool. No questions asked LOL.
Around 2PM the cardiologist came in for like 5 mins, asked about my symptoms, then was like yea, do the CT scan. THE CONSULTATION WAS LEGIT 5 MINS like bruhhhh could you not have just said yes over the phone - jeez louise.
Anywho 4PM came & I did my CT scan - they wheel chaired me to this seperate building & into this room that had the typical circle dome thingo that you see in movies. I already had the canular in my right arm, so all they did was connect it to this long tube. OH YEA, before I did the scan, they full had to legally disclose all the risks involved & it was DRAMATIC AF LOL. The main one was pre much like, you might have an allergic reaction, but WE DON'T KNOW because you've never come into contact with this radioactive chemical before GR9. Then I had to sign this from being like - I ACCEPT THE RISK, COME AT ME BITCHES.
K, so back to the CT scan - the person there explained that when the chemical enters me, it'll feel like I need to pee, but I won't actually have to. She also said if I feel anything, just say something and they'll help. Soooo I sorta laid there like okkk, not sure what to expect. Suddenly, I felt my throat tightening and it felt really warm, so instinctively I was like
"Uh, I feel like I'm choking"... "ummm hello???"
LEGIT, I said that out loud but no one responded - LIAR much. But in like 5 seconds, I FELT THAT "need to pee" feeling - pre much like a warmness in your bladder. I just continued being still and in 10 ish mins, the whole thing ended.
The rest of the day was just chilling in my hospital bed, ate din din, my bestie visited & supplied me with toothbrush & toothpaste BLESS as well as chocolate & my fav sweet & sour Haribo gummy bears - HIGHLY RATE BTW pls try!!! We pre much ate everything, except for two gummy bears which I decided to save for tomorrow LOL TWO. But anyways, she left around 10, then off to bed I went.
Morning came, and once again I was woken up by similar things, but around 7AM, a person who wasn't a nurse or anything came. She introduced herself as a haematologist, seemed SUPER friendly & kind, then grabbed a chair and sat down next to my bed.
MORE COMING SOON
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