My Anniversary

Today, is my anniversary.

Not the normal kind of anniversary celebration.

Normally, you celebrate anniversaries of marriage. Or a child being born. Or even moving day.

Today is none of those.

Two years ago today, at 1:30 PM (Central Time), I had a heart attack.

You can read about the experience here, here, here, here, and here.

I've re-read these blog posts today. Not that I've forgotten a moment of those days. But, to remind me just how blessed I am.

I'm thankful to be alive. I'm thankful to be in good health.

I'm glad to have you as a friend!

Anniversaries--100 Words

Anniversaries.

Do you like anniversaries?

I do!

Today is my one-year anniversary. Columbus Day, 2008. A day that will live in my infamy. At 1:30 PM, while holding my 8-month-old son, I had a heart attack.

A real one. One of those the TV commercial describes—“1/3 of people about to have a heart attack feel fine” kind-of-heart-attacks.

Fine to heart attack, in one heartbeat.

The Bible says, “Life is just a vapor.”

I didn’t see my life pass before my eyes. I didn’t have a near death experience.

Today, one year later. I’m fine.

Oops. Probably shouldn’t say that.

Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow!

Sometimes, when we ask for prayers, we forget to get give updates or “final” reports after the fact. Today, I have two reports to pass along to you.

Yesterday was a day for two good reports. First of all, I took Evan for his follow up exam after tubes (that’s what Evan--our son--got for Christmas, if you didn’t know). The ENT gave a glowing report on his ears! Never been so excited over the word "drainage." Plus, his hearing test was absolutely normal. We do not have to go back to the ENT for a year—unless there is a problem.

Then, yesterday afternoon, I went to my cardiologist for my follow up after my heart cath in mid-December. The doctor and I had a great discussion about where I am and how I am doing. We talked about a few issues/concerns that I had and how to address them. At the end of our discussion, the doctor released me until next January!

So, both Evan and I received about a good a report as you can get!

Thanks for your prayers.

Thanks for your "friendship."

Monday Morning

Hello!

Thanks for stopping by.

As you read this I am, well, I don't really know when you will be reading this. If it is December 15, and after 8:00 AM, I am at the hospital having a heart cath performed on me.

I suppose you could be reading this at 1:00 AM on December 15, and hopefully, I am sleeping, even though there's a good chance I am tossing and turning in my bed.

But, then again, you may have stumbled upon my blog on April 12, 2009, and my strong hope is that you will find a few hundreds more posts added since this one posted on December 15!

So, for whatever reason and on whatever day, I'm glad you stopped by my blog site. I don't really know why I blog, well, I have a few ideas of why and what I hope to accomplish. To be honest with you, most days I just like sharing a story or two that will make you laugh, smile, think, or simply want to respond back with a comment or two.

While I may not always understand my purpose in blogging, I do know this about my blog, I love networking with all kinds of people who stop by. Some comment, most do not. Either way is fine with me, even though I really do like chatting with those who comment.

Today, there probably won't be much chatting on my side, at least not on my blog. This morning, I'm heading off to the hospital to have my heart cath (I'm getting old, I've already said that). The doctor said it would happen around 10:00 AM, Central Time. If you are a Christ follower, a prayer would be appreciated, nothing too long, the Lord has many more important things to do today, so just a short one will be fine and appreciated.

I hope to be back home tonight and if my wife will let me hold our laptop for a few minutes, I'll jot a note to you and let you know how I've done. If she won't, well, it will be later before I can communicate. Tonya is rather short, but she really packs a punch!

So, nothing I have shared today will make you smile or laugh or probably even think. But, maybe for just a moment, we shared a moment of our journey together. Our life. Ourselves. Just a piece.

Hopefully, I'll be back shortly. Just being myself. And, enjoying life.

See you.

Either here or There!

The Results are In

Last week, I asked for prayer.

As many of you know, I've been on a journey for the last two months. On October 13, I had a heart attack. After a heart cath, balloon, and four days in the hospital, all has been well, for the most part.

My first doctor's visit was two weeks after my heart attack. Everything was normal, about as normal and boring as could be. The doctor next scheduled a stress test, to make certain everything was okay. Normal procedure. Standard procedure. Just checking.

Last week, I had that stress test. You know. Wear gym clothes, comfortable shoes, then get on a treadmill from hell? That stress test.

Fairly quickly, I knew everything wasn't quite normal. An irregular heartbeat. I knew that was coming. I had felt it. I had felt it for four weeks. So, no shock. And from what I had read, nothing out of the ordinary. It's almost expected. In many patients. I thought I would see the doctor that day, but was told, "No, you will have the results in a day or two."

Their mistake. I was supposed to see the doctor. The technician made a mistake.

Well, I waited 8 days for the results from the doctor. Not quite "a day or two."

I'm terrible at waiting. That's what I posted about, other than asking for prayer.

Today, I have the results.

Maybe I should have been more patient. Maybe I should have waited longer.

The results aren't terrible. Not as bad as they could be. But, something was "abnormal" in my stress test. Don't you love that word: abnormal. What does it mean? What does it remind you of?

It reminds me of the Young Dr. Frankenstein movie--the abby normal brain--remember that scene?

Now, something was found that is abnormal. And this time, I'm not laughing. Not crying either. But, not bouncing off the ceiling in joy. This time, it's my heart that is abby normal.

I find myself waiting again. Until Monday. At 8:00 AM, I return to the hospital for another heart cath. The doctor wants to see what's going on inside my heart. The best way is from the inside. A heart cath is the easiest way to do that. Beats a long incision from my neck to groan area, and another one on my leg.

The options of what the doctor might find are several: from a new clot to an enlarging of the one the doctor left behind. The doctor doesn't know. I don't know either. So, he waits. And, I wait. I have a feeling this isn't as much of a concern to the doctor as it is to me and my wife.

I'm not worried. I'm really not. I trust my doctor. I believe in the hospital that I will be admitted to. And, more importantly, I believe in my Heavenly Father who knows what is best for me.

I'll know more Monday afternoon. If everything goes well, I'll be home then. If it is a little more complicated, I'll be home Tuesday.

Either way, you know I'll post about it!

Thanks for reading.

Pray. I would appreciate that too. Tonya would appreciate it even more!

Hurry Up and Wait

[The picture above isn't me! It is from Google. But, the leads, monitor, and blood pressure cuff look identical to what I used today.]

I'll confess.

I'm not very good at waiting.

Never have been. And, even after a heart attack on October 13, I'm not much better at it.

I really don't like to wait when I go out to eat. I don't like to wait at the traffic signal. I don't like to wait for my favorite show to come on TV. I don't like to wait in the checkout lane at the grocery story. I don't like to wait for my refund check from the IRS--when I get one.

Simply put. I don't like to wait.

But now, I'm in a waiting mode.

No. I don't like it.

But, there's absolutely nothing I can do about it.

You see, I had my nuclear stress test this morning. I see why they call it a stress test--because I found myself stressing over it as I waited to have it done! The test really wasn't bad--honest, it wasn't. I walk and jog regularly. What they put me through didn't even cause me to break a sweat! At one point, I did think my head was going to hit the ceiling though--as high as they had me inclined on the treadmill.

I had an IV put in. And I waited. I had leads applied to my chest. And I waited. I had a screening done to show what my heart does at rest. And I waited. Then, I got on the treadmill and the "heart in action" test began. Once the test was over, I waited. Then, I was screened to see what my heart was doing while in action. And, you got it. I waited.

Finally, a nurse said that I was done for the day. The doctor would call me in a day or two.

What??? I have to wait for the results??? No one could tell me anything about what my heart did or how it functioned? Am I going to live or die? Should I expect another heart attack soon?

I guess I won't know right now. I've got waiting to do. Please pray for me as I wait. Better yet, pray for my wife! She'll need your extra prayers as I nervously await the news.

Even as I was typing this, the doctor's office called. Guess what? They were not supposed to send me home when they did! The techs were misinformed! I was supposed to see the doctor today! Do you think someone is going to get chewed out by the doctor?

At least it won't be me! I just did what I was told to do--while I was waiting, of course.

Oh well, I'm still waiting!

Too Soon to Die

This story really breaks my heart. Don Doane belonged to the same bowling team at a Ravenna, Michigan, bowling alley for 45 years.

Just moments after rolling the first perfect 300 game of his life, Doane collapsed onto the floor while high-fiving his Nutt Farm teammates. The 62-year-old Ravenna resident was taken to a local hospital but couldn’t be saved. A medical examiner determined that a heart attack killed Doane.

Jim Nutt spoke with Grand Rapids TV stations WOOD and WZZM about his friend and teammate, who collapsed at the bowling alley. Nutt says Doane won’t be forgotten by his many friends at the Muskegon County bowling alley. They say it’s strange not seeing Doane anymore on league nights.

How terrible that is to be celebrating such an amazing accomplishment, only to die a few minutes later. How sad to be high-fiving your friends and collapse immediately to the floor.

I’ve never heard of Don Doane before and I don’t know any thing more about his medical history or why this heart attack happened as it did. However, speaking from personal experience, let me encourage you to get regular heart checkups. If you have a family history of heart problems or if your job is extremely stressful, don’t even question doing it—just do it! Talk to a cardiologist. Set up the appointment. There’s no good reason to wait—but there are at least four good reasons to see the cardiologist—those would be your four arteries in your heart.

Okay, enough preaching to you. Just don’t wait too long. I’d really like to hear about you running your first marathon or winning a cooking contest or riding a new distance on your bike or seeing the birth of your first grandchild or finding the perfect place to serve God. You can’t do those things if you are dead. Don Doane’s celebration was way too short. Don’t let your celebrations be like that.

Heart Attack--20 Lessons Learned

Some of my blogger friends have questioned whether or not I would be able to blog only one more time about my recent heart attack or whether I would need to do more. Good question. And, to be honest, I don't have a good answer at the moment. I suppose I'll just write about it as needed. Writing about this has been good. I think it has been healthy. I know writing has allowed me to formulate my thoughts better.

As promised, I wanted to share a few of the lessons I've learned over the last few days. By no means will this be all of the lessons, but a few random thoughts I've discovered along the way.

1) I am so thankful for medical technology in our country! It is amazing how in one or two little eraser-sized holes doctors can insert a device to clear out my artery and to see exactly what he is doing! Unless you really knew where to look, you wouldn't even see their incisions!

2) Now, even though medical technology is great, I do have a bone to pick with the people in the field. Don't you think they could develop tape that doesn't pull every hair out of your body by the roots! I hate to shave as it is. And, I'll grow a beard at the drop of the hat. So, I am well-blessed with a strong hair gene--everywhere except on the top of my head! So, when you are taped by a nurse or doctor, much pain is ultimately realized by the patient when said tape is removed by the nurse, doctor, or patient. Come on scientists! Find something that will attach itself in a good way and let go when no longer needed! Please! For the love of all that is good, and holy...and right. And decent!

3) Got a small bruise on your arm or leg that is causing you some grief! Let me show you a bruise! Blood thinner does great things to areas where only an eraser-sized incision was made!

4) While urgent care or primary care clinics get a bad rap at times, the one Evan and I went to on Monday deserves an A+ Award of the Day. I'll definitely write more about them in the days ahead!

5) Riding in the front of a firetruck or ambulance is definitely more fun than riding in the back on a gurney! Facing backward!

6) I still hate needles!

7) I have learned that 33% of all people who have a heart attack have no early warning signs. I am one of the 33% of people! If you are male, over the age of 40, find a cardiologist. Talk about taking an aspirin a day. Don't wait for the gorilla to sit on your chest! Trust me, you can't move him.

8) Not much looks better than to be wheeled out of the cath lab and see your wife standing there, waiting for you! What a sight for tired eyes.

9) I'm learning just how many people have gone through similar things! Two of four staff members at our church have had heart attacks or open heart surgery! Folks, that's just another "perk" of the ministry.

10) It's great to have blogging friends who I've never met, but know are praying for me. Your support system means much to me!

11) It is actually good to be back at work today. I hate sitting on the couch, watching TV, doing nothing. Today has given me the opportunity to focus my brain!

12) Want to feel a closeness to your parents? Well, just have a heart attack and you talk about similar medicines you are taking, procedures you are having done, and rides in ambulances! I wish I had not learned this lessong.

13) During the 13th day of the month, don't check out at WalMart in the 13th lane, as I did last Monday morning. While I am not overly superstitious, I did just that last Monday. There was absolutely no one in that lane--all of the other lanes were full. I remember saying to the casher, "Well, I guess today is my lucky day!" Depends on how you look at it, I suppose. I'm still here!

14) Animals really do know when something is wrong. Our little dog knew I was in trouble Monday. She jumped into my lap and licked me in the face during my heart attack. She wouldn't let me put her down. She seemed to know that I was facing some problem. Since I've been home, she has acted so weird. One minute, she's closer to me than my shadow, the next she acts as if I've beaten her terribly (which I would never do).

15) God still works miracles! During this entire experience, I've seen miracle after miracle that could have only come from His hands. He's been far too good to me, far better than I deserve.

16) I'm very behind on reading blogs! I read every blog listed under my blog roll to the right every day. Well, that was true until last Tuesday. I'll come back! I promise!

17) I'm glad to be alive!

18) I'm glad to be a Christ follower!

19) I'm glad to be a parent!

20) I'm glad to be a husband!

Heart Attack--Part V

As I share my journey through the events of the past week, I have learned much about myself along the way. I've also learned how important the details really are.

On Wednesday of last week, I was transferred to the Cardiac Care floor. I was very excited to finally be out of the CCU and moved to a private room. For the first time since my admission to the hospital, I would be able to sleep, see my family, get up and walk around, and even use normal bathroom facilities instead of a plastic container. Oh, the little things in life!

In CCU, I had grown accustomed to seeing my nurse every few minutes. At times in CCU, the nurse was coming by every five minutes to verify my vitals. Don't misunderstand, I am appreciative of the care they gave and their attention to the monitors. I have no doubt those things saved my life. However, as you progress and start getting a little better, you'd like just a little privacy, downtime, if you will. You'd like to get up and walk around and feel human. You'd like to go the bathroom without someone watching over your shoulder or holding your arm to steady you. I don't even like public restrooms, so you can understand how little I liked them watching me go.

My nurse checked me into my room and little did I realize that that would be last time I would see her before the end of her shift--I suppose I was doing better! Every couple of hours I would be visited by the PCA (personal care assistant) who would check my temperature, blood pressures, and administers my medicine. Other than that, I was on my own. I was able to get up, sit up, and walk down the halls. It was great to actually see outside! It was great to walk around and to stretch my legs. It was great to visit with family and friends for longer periods of time. And, come nightfall, it was great to actually close my eyes, lay on my side, and sleep, actually sleep for a couple of hours without interruption.

On Thursday morning, as promised the night before, the doctor came in early. He checked my heart and lungs, asked a few questions, and then sat on the foot of the bed and gave me a quick history of what had happened to my heart on Monday. He drew a diagram of my heart, talked about which vessels had been blocked and why he thought it had taken place. He talked about the meds I would be on, and the upcoming stress test I would have to take in 30 days. Most of what he said made sense, and I could see the importance to taking my meds faithfully, exercising, resting, reducing stress, and eating properly. The doctor told me how, when he was in the third grade, that while on vacation, his father suffered a heart attack--much like the one I had just had. He said, you'll be pleased to know that today, my father is 82 years old, and has never had another heart attack.

So, there's hope! I think if I do what I'm told, eat a little better, exercise a little more, and stop letting stress eat me alive, then I'll live to see a nice old age.

Thanks for all of the prayers you've said on my behalf. They have been felt, and they have been appreciated! I'm sure there are plenty of others who need prayer more than me at this point, so as you need to shift your prayers to them, I fully understand. You've done your part in helping me through one of the most serious crises of my young life, well, I'm not sure young applies any more. Let's just say I appreciate all of you!

Heart Attack--Part IV

Yesterday, I shared with you about my journey to the hospital in the ambulance and about my cath lab experience. Today, let me tell you a little about my experience in the Critical Care Unit (CCU). I think I was in the Critical Care Unit, it may have been the Cardiac Care Unit, I don't really know for sure, but there were people in my unit that were not heart patients, but all heart patients did go to my unit.

I had my heart attack at 1:30 PM. In less than three hours, I had been transported to the hospital, had a heart cath, and was wheeled the the CCU for the night. My hope was that I would spend a night in CCU and then go to the room the next day or so. Unfortunately, that plan failed to materialize. Maybe I was unrealistic in my thinking, but even the doctor implied that would be the schedule.

The CCU was an experience. Every 10 minutes or so I could count on a nurse coming in to read the monitor that I was hooked to. Let me set the scene. I was hooked to a heart monitor, that looked identical to the monitor above. The monitor recorded my pulse, blood pressure, oxygen level, breathing, and a few other things I didn't really understand. I had twelve pads adhered to my chest, with twelve leads running to the monitor. I also had an oxygen monitor attached to my left hand, a blood pressure cuff wrapped around my left arm, and an IV in my right arm. Needless to say, there wasn't much moving around in my unit. Let me also say that a key part of the monitoring, from my perspective, were the adhesive pads attached to my chest. Now, I realize that some women like men with hair on their chest and some women prefer men to have none. Well, God has blessed me with my fair share of chest hair. And, unfortunately, these adhesive pads were not made for people like me. Let's just say that the scene from the 40-Year-Old Virgin (I didn't see the movie, but I've seen that scene on various shows) was relived several times in my CCU room. My nurse said that there were men who regularly paid to have people pull their hair out by the roots--I reminded her each time she riped out my hair that I was not one of those men!

I settled down in the room about 4:30 and was able to see Tonya for the first time. Those were welcomed moments. I'm not sure Tonya has ever looked or sounded better than when she walked into the room. Those were precious moments and I think calmed a lot of our fears and concerns. We held hands, kissed, and just watched each other for the next few minutes. Tonya sat on the bed with me and we talked about all that had happened. As often happens, Tonya only knew bits and pieces of all that had taken place. I also had no idea what had happened to Evan after they rolled me out to the ambulance. So, those moments were husband and wife, mother and father, friend and friend talking, catching up, and celebrating the miracles that had taken place. And, the protection of God's hand upon me, Evan, and Tonya.

The specialness of the moment didn't last long, as the nursing staff, technicians, and others continued to come into the room to check my condition. And, we knew that Tonya needed to go take care of Evan. Fortunately, when she picked up Evan from the clinic, she was able to drop him off with one of my coworkers. This coworker is a wonderful Christian woman, who along with her husband, had served for many years in Europe as an international missionary. Their boys are now almost grown, one in college, and one a senior in college. They did a great job of keeping Evan--but I do think Evan pushed them to the limits. Dealing with an 8-month-old isn't quite the same as teenaged boys. But, maybe it was good practice for being grandparents one day!

The night in CCU was long. Somewhere around 8:00 PM, I began experiencing some discomfort in my chest. What was happening? Was I having another heart attack? Had something gone wrong in the cath lab? I didn't know. My heart was racing, that I did know. As I told the nurse, it felt as if the left side of my heart was fighting with the right side of my heart. Ironically, I could feel the onset of this battle before the monitor recorded it. The pain would last for a few seconds, be recorded on the monitor, and then would go away. That fight would happen every 30 minutes or so, and lasted until about midnight.

But, from what I soon discovered, that fight that began around 8:00 PM was simply the warmup for the main event to come. At midnight, the fight went into overdrive. The pain started, but the pain never went away. My heart raced and raced and raced, causing a great deal of soreness in my chest. I could not tell if I were having chest pains or if my chest was simply sore. Around 1:00 AM, the nurse called the doctor and discussed my situation. He changed a little of my medicine and told them to watch me closely--more closely than every 10 minutes! Oh yes, that is possible. Now, they were in my room every 5 minutes, at the max, checking my monitors, talking with me, etc.

This heart racing continued until the doctor arrived at 5:20 AM. I guess he got tired of being called at home, so he just came on in to check for himself. He was able to adjust the medicine once again, and the pain slowed greatly. What he found was that there were two irregular heartbeats going on. The first one, the feeling that the left side was fighting the right side, was nothing to worry about. The blood flow was being restored and the heart was adjusting to the new amount of blood. That was the pain I could feel. The other irregular heartbeat was much more serious and concerned him. That's what started around midnight. I can't remember the name he gave it, but even the name sounded serious.

Because of the irregular heartbeat, there would be no leaving CCU on Tuesday. I was going to be grounded for at least a day longer. Tuesday was some better, but I was at the point of exhaustion. I had not slept since I woke up at 5:15 AM Monday. My chest was sore. The meds were taking their toll on me. And, then the other shoe dropped, literally. Because of the meds I was on, my blood pressure began to drop. And, I don't mean a little. By nightfall, my heartbeat was down in the 80/50 range, and they were PLEASED to see it at that rate! When I was resting, my heartbeat actually dropped to 66/45 at one point. I'd say the meds overdid their work, wouldn't you?

So, most of Tuesday afternoon and evening were spent trying to regulate my heartbeat. I feel asleep, finally, and rested in the deepest sleep I had had in a long time! Maybe that's what a 66/45 heart beat will do to you!

However, what I had hoped would happen--being transferred to a room--didn't happen on Tuesday...or even through much of Wednesday morning. I was so disappointed because I knew that the longer I stayed in CCU, the longer it would be before I could go home, to be with Tonya and Evan.

Finally, on Wednesday morning I was transferred to the Cardiac Care Floor. I would be monitored in my room, for at least 24 hours before going home.

So, what did I learn during my stay in CCU? Several valuable lessons:

1) You'd better be sick if you are in CCU! If not, you soon will be. The pressure is intense in there. There's little food, no bathroom, and the bed is about as uncomfortable as sleeping on the floor! At one point, I told Tonya that if she wanted to rest, she could take my place and I would sleep on the floor! She didn't understand my point until she knew just how uncomfortable the bed really was.

2) Be prepared for noise! Wouldn't you think that floors don't need to be stripped and waxed every night in CCU? And, wouldn't you think that there had to be a better time than midnight both nights? I guess not, at least not at this hospital.

3) Nurses really need to remember where they are in CCU. My room was directly in front of the nurses station. I heard way too personal stories about things going on in their lives. I heard disagreements with floor nurses on bed counts, and how patients being moved out of CCU would hurt their daily counts. Patients really don't need to be involved in the politics of medical care. Treat the patient, take the personal and political somewhere else. I really didn't need to know all that I heard, and I really didn't care.

4) Just because a person is designated as a nurse doesn't mean that he or she has the nursing gene! Some people just don't have an ounce of compassion in them. I had some great nurses, and I had a couple who had never met anyone they cared about.

5) Never decide to go back to school to become a cardiac care doctor! Because, when you do, you will be on-call at times. And, on-call generally means midnight, 1:00 AM, and 3:00 AM calls to your house. And, certainly, waking up your wife!

6) Even though my wife and I eat fairly healthy, and the doctor says that I'll need to do even better, it is just wrong when you are served grits with no salt! Sorry, I guess I won't include grits in my new diet--because they just need some salt, any salt!

7) Be thankful for modern technology. A few decades ago, I would have had open heart surgery to correct the problem I had. Or, I would have died. Thank God for things man has learned!

Tomorrow, I'll share about my stay on the cardiac care floor and dismissal from the hosptial. Then, unless something changes, I'll only write one other post after that of the lessons I've learned during this whole experience.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for your prayers. Thanks for your ongoing friendship!

Heart Attack--Part III

Thank you for following my blogging journey of what has taken place this week. I'm finding that blogging is helping me process what has taken place and helping me to put into perspective all that God has done this week.

As promised in my last post, I mentioned that I would share with you about my journey to the hospital. Now, if you've followed my blog over the months, you've read about some of the experiences I've had as a volunteer fireman. I've driven firetrucks, water-tank trucks, and even our personnel carrier--that had previously used as an ambulance.

But, I must say that driving an emergency vehicle is nothing like riding in the back of an ambulance, strapped to a gurney. Looking out the back window was interesting, seeing where we have been, not where we were going. I listed to the siren and air horn as the driver moved through Birmingham traffic. Fortunately, most people moved out of the way, most but not all. The driver did the same thing we did when we drove fire trucks--if people don't move, sit on their bumper, blowing the airhorn as frequently as possible, and just hope and pray that they finally get the message the red lights, sirens and horns aren't just decorations! I am always amazed at how some people get their license to drive and not know what red or blue lights mean!

While in the back of the ambulance, the EMT and EMT-in-training monitored my condition, administered oxygen, checked my vital signs, regularly talked with me about how I was feeling and the level of pain I was having. The EMT also talked with the hospital, preparing them for my arrival.

To go from my house to the Urgent care to the hospital, you have to go over a "large" mountain. Not large as in the Grand Canyon, but large for our area. I must say that going down that hill, on the gurney, at what seemed to be 80 miles per hour was an interesting experience. I don't like roller coasters and fast rides at amusement parks. Finally, I couldn't look any more and just closed my eyes! That did help. Some. Not much. But some.

It took 10-12 minutes to get to the hospital, not bad for the way we had to go to get there. I didn't know what to expect at the ER. Would I have to wait in line? Would I be pushed into a corner and told that someone would be with me soon? I really didn't know what to expect.

I was surprised at what happened upon my arrival at the hospital. A person on the cardic team met the ambulance in the parking lot. His first question was: "Is this Mr. Heartsill?" Once he knew it was me, he immediately led the EMTs to take me to the cath lab. In a matter of minutes, I was moved from the gurney to the cath table. And, in less than an hour, the cath procedure was finished.

As a pastor, I had sat with many families as family members went through a heart cath. I knew what was coming, what to expect, and most of the language the doctor would use. None of it was really new to me. The only difference, this time it was me they were working on. I listened as the doctor worked. I heard most of what he and the others said they were doing. I felt the pressure in my leg as they worked. I heard the razors as they shaved me.

What the doctor found was simple. It seems that an artery that goes from the front to the back of my heart, a clot broke off of that artery, settling into another artery in the back of my heart. That clot caused 100% blockage in that second artery. That was the cause of my heart attack. The doctor inserted a "balloon" into my heart, made his way to my blocked artery, and completely opened it within a matter of minutes. Fairly quickly, the pain began to ease in my heart.

After he finished cleaning out that artery, he went back to check on the other narrowing of my artery. That part of the artery, where the clot came from, was still at 30% blocked. Doctors do not like to work on an artery that is less than 70% blocked, fearing that they will do more damage that the smaller blockage. Hence the need for medicines! Some of which I'll be on for the rest of my life.

The days ahead include heart meds, a stress test, countless trips to the doctor, and cardic rehab with diet and exercise. I suppose, keeping those things in perspective, they are far better than deciding where to bury my body and what suit to bury me in.

At this point, pray for the meds to do their job--to keep further clots from forming or breaking loose from the blockage. Pray that they will dissolve slowly with the meds.

In my next post, I'll share about my experience with the CCU! Trust me, before checking into the CCU, please make sure you are really, really, really sick! If not, it will just about kill you!

More to come!

Heart Attack--Part II

Well, by now, you know that this hasn't been a normal week around the Heartsill household. The week started normally enough, going to church on Sunday, hearing my wife sing on our church's praise team, eating Sunday lunch out, and spending time relaxing on Sunday afternoon and evening. Monday, my wife went to work, and Evan and I planned out a "Daddy Daycare" kind of day. It was a great weekend and a great start to the week.

All of that changed at 1:30 PM on Monday afternoon. At 1:30 (almost on the dot), I had a crushing pain in my chest. Almost immediately, the pain radiated to my jaw. I became nausated. I felt weak. I really had no choice but to sit down and catch my breath. Well, sitting didn't help. Not a bit. So, I tried to lay in the bed for a few minutes. But, laying down was not an option. I couldn't do it!

Almost immediately, I knew what was happening. If someone tells you that they had a heart attack and didn't know it, then they are a far better person than me! I knew immediately. I've seen enough commericals on TV that I knew what to do. I went to the bathroom and found an aspirin. Unfortunately, the aspirin didn't help.

That's when the reality kicked in. My wife was 30+minutes away, in a teacher training meeting. I didn't know whether or not I would be able to locate her. Also, I was upstairs. And Evan and I were alone. At 8 months old, there was not much Evan could do to help, but I knew I had to take care of him no matter what! So, what should I do? Call 911? If I did, what would the firemen and EMTs do with Evan? Would they call Child Protective Services? If I called 911, I also realized that I was upstairs and they would have difficulty geting me downstairs, not to mention the fact that the front door was locked and deadbolted as well. So, I knew they would have to kick in the door, which would leave the house exposed to whatever and would leave Tonya to deal with the mess.

So, I picked Evan up and we headed downstairs. I laid him on the floor, and tried to call my wife. No answer on her cell phone. I knew I couldn't wait to talk to her. I remembered that about 2 miles from our house is an Urgent Care facility. So, I loaded Evan into his car seat, believing that I could drive him the short 2 miles. I also knew that if I started to feel worse that I could pull over and dial 911. On the way to the doctor's office, Tonya called. How does a husband tell his wife he is having a heart attack and not frighten her beyond reason? How does a father tell a mother that their 8 month old son is okay, but not sure what to do with him? There's no way, trust me. Tonya dropped everything and headed toward the Urgent Care clinic.

When I arrived at the clinic, I walked past 12 people sitting in the lobby, those waiting patiently to see the doctor. I leaned over the counter and told the person behind the counter that I was having serious chest pains. The nurses came out, and took me and Evan to the back. Within a minute, the doctor was there, I was being stripped naked, was getting an IV, having a nitro patch placed on my chest, and having an EKG run. The nurse didn't wait for the doctor to read the strip, she immediately said, "You're having a heart attack. What hospitial do you want to be taken to?" Within three minutes, the ambulance was there. Here's another piece of the God-thing. The ambulance for our area is normally about 5-10 minutes from that clinic, but they were at the fire station resupplying their equipment. That fire station is less than 1/4 mile from the clinic!

The nurse tried to reach Tonya on the phone, but she was in a dead spot and didn't answer (maybe we need to switch to Verzion). A minute or so later, she tried again, this time reaching her and explaining a little of the situation. Within 9-10 minutes of arriving at the clinic, I was on my way to the hospital. Here's another God thing. Two young nurses came over. One said, "I'm due in January. I also have a little boy at home." Would it be okay if we take care of Evan until his mother gets here?" The other nurse said, "I have two children as well, I think we will know what to do!" The nurses and their staff had begun meeting my physical needs and now they were taking care of my wife and son--I couldn't ask for more.

Well, you now know a little more of my journey. I plan to blog about it for several more days. I have much to say and much praise to express. Bear with me if you will. Before long, I'll return to more regular programming. But, that's days away.

So, hopefully you will say, after reading this, that I was very calm through the whole process. What caused me to be so calm? Well, I could say that it was my training as a pastor, or even my training as a volunteer fireman--and I'm sure those things contributed to the calmness. But, I think an even greater answer was knowing that God was in control of everything. He knew long before I felt the first pain what was going to take place. He had prepared me, in numerous ways, to be ready for what was to come. So, with Him in charge, I really didn't need to fret. That's another God thing.

I'm stronger this morning and had a good night's sleep. I'm still very weak and am having to adjust to taking 4 meds! Thanks for your prayers and words of encouragement!

In my next blog, I think I'll share my thoughts about my ambulance ride and arrival in the ER.

Heart Attack

Monday, October 13, 2008, will go down in my life as "one of those days." Do you know the kind I'm taking about? It will be like the day the space shuttle exploded and Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered. While the history books will not note any thing significant to October 13, 2008, me and my family will.

My son's daycare was closed on Monday, so I took off work to be with him. We were having a great day. We had gone grocery shopping at Wally World. We had done a few "honey-do" list items. Evan had taken two good naps that morning and was getting ready for his next nap, probably to come around 2:00 PM.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to his 2:00 PM nap. At 1:30 PM, I began experiencing pain in my chest unlike anything I've ever felt in my life. Within a couple of minutes, I knew beyond a shadow of doubt what was happening--I was having a heart attack.

Needless to say, the last few days have been weird days. I am finally at home this morning and am feeling pretty good, considering where I've been the last few days.

In the weeks ahead, I have no doubt that I'll fill in the details of what all took place. Let's just say that I'm okay and the doctor has given me a fairly good report.

Some of you knew a little of what was happening...others just thought I'd given up on blogging! So much for your wishful thinking! :)

If you knew what was happening and prayed, thank you! God pulled all of the pieces of the puzzle together for me and caused miracle after miracle to take place during the entire process. What do you do with an 8-month old, when you are alone with him, and having a heart attack? Thankfully, God took care of that for us.

If you are just now reading about this, and are a praying person, I'd appreciate any and all prayers. If you would, please keep my wife, Tonya, in your prayers. She has the difficult task of dealing with me for the next few days! That's not going to be an easy job!

I'll be back blogging soon. I'm kind of grounded to the house until Monday, when I hope to return to work.

Steve