Basically, he shows up in the throws of a nervous breakdown/panic attack that looks a lot like a heart attack. And that's my question: Can a panic attack have similar/same symptoms of a heart attack? I want him to be hospitalized at least over night, so it needs to be bad enough to have to be monitored for 24+ hours, but not bad enough to kill him or leave him there long-term.
Jordyn Says:
As far as the scene, it can work medically. I think instead of a panic attack-- you should go with an arrhythmia called SVT (supraventricular tachycardia.) I've included some links for you. At its simplest, SVT is a super fast heart beat. For an adult-- it would be a sustained, unwavering heartbeat over 180 beats/min.
The reason to change it to this type of medical condition is if the medical team determines he had a panic attack-- he will not be observed overnight. However, if he had an arrhythmia for which he was hemodynamically unstable (low blood pressure)-- then observing overnight is warranted-- particularly if they converted him out and he went back into it.
When you have SVT-- it can feel like you're having a heart attack. Many of the symptoms can be the same. Chest pain. Pain down the left arm. Jaw pain. Difficulty breathing. Low blood pressure. Sweating (diaphoresis). Pale, cool, clammy skin.
I don't know if this is the direction you want to go but would be my suggestion.
You're awesome, Jordyn. Wow - did I write that email in a hurry??? Sounds like I was the one with the panic attack - hee!
ReplyDeleteI DID change it to SVT, after exploring your links. Made SOOO much more sense to do it that way.
Thanks for posting this!
Excellent! Glad my scenario gave you a good option to write about.
DeleteJordynn, I'd like to suggest something, based on personal experience. My case might be unusual, so it might NOT work with the book, but Becky's required scenario rang a bell with me.
ReplyDeleteLast December, I started having shortness of breath and what felt like a racing heart. It wasn't the first time, but this time I had radiating pain, so I headed for the closest ER. I've had a panic attack, so I didn't think it was that. My EKG was clean. They apparently believed me, however, even though they couldn't detect anything right away. So they kept me overnight to run a series of tests, and they put me in an observation room.
The verdict? Low potassium. $35,000 later, it turned out I needed a mineral supplement. The good news is that all those tests showed I have a perfectly healthy heart, with no blockages or other issues. That reassurance made me feel even better.
Ramona-- that is a GREAT idea. I'm going to log it for future reference. I think I advised a previous author to perhaps use low sodium in and elderly person as a reason for their confusion. It is really surprising how sensitive your body is to swings in electrolytes. Excellent option!
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