Relief After a Late-Night Heart Scare

February 11, 2022

Richelle Blackwell-JonesAs the clock approached midnight on a night last December, Richelle Blackwell-Jones, 53, was experiencing heart palpitations. “My daughter thought it was best for us to go to the Palmdale Regional ER instead of me sleeping,” Blackwell-Jones recalls. “She wanted to make sure I wasn’t having a heart attack.”

Since her husband’s death about a year ago, Blackwell-Jones was dealing with a high level of stress. Faced with visiting the ER, she was nervous about her symptoms as well as her safety during a pandemic.

Quick Attention and Peace of Mind

Palmdale Regional immediately eased her fears. “I was greeted at the ER right away. They checked my temperature for COVID-19 safety from the start,” Blackwell-Jones explains. “That made me feel comfortable. Shortly after I sat down, they called me up several times to make sure I was OK.”

The Palmdale Regional ER staff got to work investigating the heart palpitations Blackwell-Jones was experiencing. They drew blood and took urine samples, measured her vitals and monitored her heart. Fortunately, it was a false alarm.

“Once the doctor got the lab work back, he told me that I had no enzyme that would be connected to a heart attack,” she says. “He asked me several questions, even though he was very busy, and showed me why it was stress and not a heart attack.”

Before she was discharged, her ER team educated Blackwell-Jones on ways to relieve the stress that was causing her symptoms. “The fact that I was under such stress, to find comfort that night was so important,” she says.

Feeling Better — and Thankful

Blackwell-Jones is very grateful for the care she received at Palmdale Regional. “They were very professional, very prepared, even with a busy ER,” she says. “I’m very pleased to have had such a good experience. I think more people should share their positive experiences.”

Thanks to the care she received in the Palmdale Regional ER, Blackwell-Jones is no longer experiencing heart palpitations and is better coping with stress. She encourages others to get immediate help if they experience symptoms of a heart condition. “Seek help because heart disease is such a common killer. Don’t ignore little things based on just feeling like they will go away,” she says.