Coping With Pericarditis

recently i had no choice but to go to the local hospital emergency ward after a night out with my mates with a fever, shortness of breath, dehydration, chest feeling like it had been kicked in repeatedly, or someone was crushing it from within from the sternum right around to the lower rib bones in my back.

I thought i was having a heart attack Now this may sound like an over exaggeration, more so since i am a 26 year old male normally healthy outgoing and fit. I went to the emergency ward in the Melbourne (AU) CBD Area and was admitted, with views that i may have had a blood clot in my lung or worse, a collapse.

They pretty much wiped me unconcious with pain killers so i wasn’t coherant, however they said to my ex that i needed rest and rehydration and that i had partied a little too hard the night before.

I had had xrays and thorough checking as far as i recall, i was fine a day later, slept for about 20 hours and i felt right as rain. I then proceeded to a mates place and found that the 10 minute walk there near on killed me, all the symptoms had come back and i had such a short amount of breath that i felt like i was going to pass out. I called the 1300 number here for a nurse to tell her my symptoms and she urged me to go to the hospital. I produced a fever of 39c whilst in the waiting room, and i had become incoherant once more, they took me in at this other hospital around the corner from my place and did the same tests.

They told me that they suspected i had Pericarditis Of course my blood run cold. anything with card in it generally means the heart. They told me of my symptoms and the classic text book, and it made sense. I spent a few days in hospital on 24 hour antibiotic drips and heart rate monitors, Apparently an irregular line in my heartbeat was the trigger for them to realise what i had.

I was then discharged, and feeling very fragile, so much blood and tests had been done, i went home.. i was fine for about a week and a half, I ended up going to a mates and had a couple of drinks, i went to walk home and found myself suffering short breath, dizzy spells and my heart rate was beating very fast. I walked back to the same hospital that diagnosed me seeing it was my local, and they took me in right away and hospitalised me once more. My pericarditis had come back from what they told me, (I know this is long, but it does assertain a certain lesson). During my second visit (me being an inpatient) they had forgot to discharge me with the medication to combat this infection, therefore i had had another episode and ended up in hospital again. Once again, they almost discharged me without my medication, until i recall a doctor saying he cant believe i was discharged without the medication needed last time.

This is a nasty infection to have and i would not wish the fatigue and chest pains on my worse enemy, i may only be 26, but i now know what the closest association to a heart attack feels like.