A couple of months ago, I thought I was having a heart attack...

[benniG]

I am a 52 year old woman with history of DVT and Pulmonary embolism (since age of 17 - hereditary).  I've been off my anti-coagulants for over a year and a half now due to no insurance.  I'm an LMSW and work with elderly and disabled individuals.  About 2 months ago, I was doing visits and was out in the middle of nowhere, driving, when I felt a pressure across my chest and then my back started hurting pretty bad (around right shoulder blade and right arm).  I could not get comfortable.  Since, I wouldn't have known where to tell anyone to find me (I was really out in the countryside somewhere), and there was no traffic where I was, I decided to keep driving.  This happened for about 15 to 20 minutes, before it finally stopped.  

Since that time, I've noticed that in the evening, when I sit down to watch television, or just rest after working, my heart will start skipping multiple beats.  I can have 10 of them within a very short period of time.  Sometimes, the vision in my left eye will go kind of wonky - sort of like I lost partial sight, or it gets kind of a tunnel vision, like I'm losing sight in that eye.  My pulse has been over 100 and even when taking my pulse, I can feel it skipping beats.  It doesn't hurt but it is uncomfortable.  

One night, I went to CVS to take my BP and it was 130 over 86 (I usually suffer from low blood pressure, not high - normal BP for me ranges between 90/60 to 120/80.  I've never had it really go higher than that.  I've had vasovagal syncope for years, and even had my doctor recommend that I eat a lot of salt because that will raise my BP (since my BP is usually so low).  

Tonight, I noticed that if I take a carotid pulse, and I push in on the left side of my neck, that tunnel vision will start and I feel pressure in my neck and head.  

I don't have insurance so seeing a doctor is out of the question right now.  But any ideas/suggestions?

[ayl291]

Warfarin is 4 dollars a month at Walmart.  Or 10 dollars for 90 days.  Although you'd need to bridge it with another medication, heparin, lovenox, fondaparinox, until your inr is leveled out.  

Any chance you can head to your emergency department.  You should be able to get your visit 100 % covered, since your uninsured.

Check financial aid websites for the hospitals.

But I would do that asap.

You should not be without anticoagulation.

Even if you get billed and can't pay it's better to have your credit go down the drain than get permanent damage.