Coping With Pericarditis

Hi my name is Matt,
I first had pericarditis @ age 27. It was an awful experience to have, as I thought that I was having a heart attack/stroke or something. Not that I knew what that was like though.

It hit me hard and fast the 1st time whilst showering. I had a really sharp stabbing pain around the sternum area. I wasnt worried at first, thinking to myself WOW what was that? But then within about 2 minutes my condition had changed dramatically. I knew now that something wasnt right. I was very weak, went as white as a sheet. Exiting the shower in a hurry to the phone, I looked real bad! I made it to my bedroom to my mobile phone. By this time I was on the floor in pain, short of breath thinking that this may have been the end. I called my father to get me. He got me to hospital, and by this time I was too weak to walk on my own. He basically carried me to the ED!

I was taken straight thru and given Ecg’s and morphine shots to cope with the pain, which I told the doctors was pretty much a 9 out of 10. I became really drowsy soon after so the rest is a bit of a blur. But the result of the ecg was that my heart was having trouble to pump blood properly. I spent 3 days in hospital. I didnt work for 1 month after that, and it took about 4 months for me to even feel a bit normal again. I was riding my bike a lot before this happened, sometimes up to 75 kms in 1 ride. It took me probably 6 mths to get back on the bike as I was worried that this would happen again to me.

I was told that riding wont cause this to happen but, my confidence was shot. I was told that some sort of infection probably caused this to happen. I was told to take Cartia tablets and take it easy. It can take a while to overcome this condition mentally and physically. Anyway I am 33 now and have just had a second bout of the condition. Not as bad this time round though! Some of my symptoms include: Dizziness/light head feeling, chest pains all over chest area, giddyness/slight shaking in hands, heavy legs, shortness of breath. The main thing to do is to seek medical help promptly!!! Never dismiss chest pain as nothing. Get to a hospital right away.