Costochondritis...

Yeah, I hadn't heard of Costochondritis either! Until today.

First...

I was doing some very light housework this afternoon, removing things from the entertainment center(at eye level) so I could dust, and watching a very interesting documentary. VERY low energy activity. Anyway, my upper back had a pain, like a tight muscle, so I rubbed it with a tennis ball and continued on with my chores. Suddenly I was struck with chest pains, dizziness, and a flushed tingly feeling from my chest, to my face and the top of my head. I walked toward the couch, where the phone happened to be and was able to think clearly enough to get the kids to come in from playing in the hose before I dialed 911. The whole time I was wanting to just curl up on the floor, it felt that bad. I figured that if I didn't call 911 right then, I might not be able to later. The dispatcher told me that they had help on the way so Mark was next on my list. He got home just as they were examining me.

Then...

I got to ride in an ambulance!!! Woohoo, NOT, and dang I didn't have time to grab my camera or I would have! By the time we got halfway there we'd figured out that I was probably not having a heart attack but it could still be something serious and my blood pressure was crazy. I had all the usual testing, x-rays, bloodwork, etc. I got two potassium pills but nobody told me why(still looking into that because of the kidney implications). Luckily all was ok with my heart and lungs, probably the initial pain caused a panic attack which raised my bp. Everything was mostly normal by the time we left the ER.

Of course, coming home to google this whacky condition has unearthed some unpleasant things, such as Fibromyalgia and Costochondritis and (eeek) Ankylosing Spondylitis(I have been having horrible stiffness in my extreme lower back for the past few weeks), among other things. Just what I needed to start my week off!! But I'm OH SO THANKFUL that it wasn't heart related.

I've noticed that it hurts worse when I operate the mouse with my left hand so I might have to limit my computer for a while.