Scary chest pains
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Yesterday I had to run for the Metrolink train in Union Station. Like, really run. The Metro subway that I normally take from Pershing Square (where my work is) to Union Station stopped for an abnormally long time. After nervously glancing at my watch every couple minutes and watching the long hand hit “5” and thinking, omg, I know my watch is a few minutes fast but I don’t know how much faster exactly… the train operators opened the door between the subway cars and had us cross over into some empty cars they just attached so we could exit into the station. That never happens.
The distance between the Metro Red Line and my Metrolink train to Orange County consists of 3 long sets of stairs and, I’m estimating, about 200 meters of hallway. As I ran with my purse, oversized water bottle, and coat in my arms, my chest started to burn and I started wheezing. Five seconds after I stepped onto the train, the doors closed. I was so relieved. The next train would have been 45 minutes later.
But the next 10 minutes, every breath I took caused a stabbing pain in my chest and I was seriously afraid of an asthma attack. I’ve been developing asthma since the end of college and was not formally diagnosed until law school. I forced myself to relax, and slowly the pains subsided. My lungs felt like they were fluttering instead of constricting.
When I got home, the breathing-related pains were gone, but I had pains on the left side of my chest. Pretty scary. I measured my blood pressure and it was higher than normal. Dave convinced me to stay home today. And so I am.
Stupid asthma.
I’ve had asthma all my life and yes, it is stupid. If it becomes serious, get an albuterol inhaler from your doctor and that’ll calm down your respiratory system. You can even use it before engaging in activities that might lead to an attack as a preventative measure.
I’ve used albuterol before, and it helps a little. I’ve also used inhaled steroids (Advair) but stopped after a couple years because I was afraid of the long-term effects of corticosteroids. I might need them again. I’m surprised to hear you have asthma, since you run and are so active.
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