My aunt told the ER triage nurse she had jaw pain, left arm numbness, and sweating, and got sent to the waiting room for two hours.
She drove herself in at 7 PM. Told the triage nurse every symptom: chest pressure, jaw pain, sweating, left arm numb. Has been going on forty minutes.
Nurse asks if she's having trouble breathing. My aunt says not exactly, just pressure.
Nurse marks her as "moderate priority" and sends her to the waiting room.
Two hours pass. My aunt's symptoms aren't going away. She goes back to the window.
Different nurse this time. My aunt lists her symptoms again.
This nurse stops typing. "How long have you had arm numbness and jaw pain together?"
"About three hours now."
Nurse stands up immediately. "Why are you in the waiting room?"
"They sent me here."
Nurse comes around the desk, takes my aunt's arm, walks her directly back. Doesn't wait for paperwork.
Calls for a cardiac workup. EKG, troponin, the works.
Forty minutes later: heart attack. Minor, but real. Caught with enough time to treat it properly.
The original triage nurse had marked her as "possible anxiety, chest discomfort." Didn't list the jaw pain or arm numbness.
My aunt spent four days in the cardiac unit. Cardiologist told her if she'd waited another few hours, it would've been a different conversation.
She filed a detailed complaint. The triage nurse got retraining. That's all.
My aunt now carries a card with cardiac symptoms listed that she'll hand to any triage nurse going forward.
Jaw pain plus left arm numbness is a five-alarm fire. Every triage nurse should know that.