Tuesday I'm sitting at my desk at work. I've been on light duty all month and pretty much sedentary since the middle of September when I had the knee surgery.
I get up to go to the bathroom at 5 and chat with Ethyl at her desk. I start getting chest pains and a little bit of pain in the jaw and left arm. I keep moving for the bathroom, getting more and more uncomfortable.
I route my trip back to my desk past my coat so I can get my car keys with my nitro. Go back to the desk and sit down. It's about 5 after.
Five more minutes and I can't take it, I pop the 1st nitro. 5 more minutes, no relief, 2nd nitro. Don't make it another 5 and take the 3rd. Sweating like a pig and starting to get "tunnel vision" I use the cell to call 911.
I let the people in the room know what's going on and things start getting nuts. 911 operator wants a landline so they call. The "emergency response" team for the P.O. shows up. Starting to feel a bit better, but still pretty bad.
Ambulance shows up and we start the whole deal. Stretcher, asprin, oxygen.....and we're off to Harrisburg Hospital. BTW, if you're in the Harrisburg area and having a heart attack I strongly reccommend the Harrisburg Hospital.
I start to calm down when we get there. They do my blood draw in the ambulance (lots of fun finding a vein over the bumps) so that is ready when we get there. They get me in a slot and hook me up.
A few folks come by, the 1st doc orders a CT scan. This is right around 6 o'clock. About 30 minutes later I go up.....wait in the hall for about a half hour, then go in. I've had these before, they shoot you up with dye. Usually I'm pretty good, but this time it feels like it's coming up. Nurses scattering is really fun. They were out of bedpans, so they kick a trash can over in a panic. Fortunately, it was a false alarm.
I go back downstairs. Deb, Chrissy and Mike showed up right before I went up and were waiting when I got back. It took forEVER to get the results back. I didn't get into a room until midnight.
They tell me that it was not a heart attack. There are markers in the blood that indicate that that weren't present. They thought it might be a pulmonary embolism (clot in the lung), hence the CT. It wasn't. So, the only way they can make sure is to do a cardiac catheter.
Up in the room they get me settleed and the gang leaves. Deb stayed at Mike and Chrissy's so they could get my car the next day.
The guy next to me sounds like he's talking in his sleep. Turns out he fell in the shower and twisted his back. It's 1 o'clock. He has to be showered at 4 for open heart. The nurse trys to pawn off some crappy sleeping pill on me and I insist it HAS to be Ambien. It took a while, but I got it. It's 2 o'clock. I do get some sleep, but it would have been zero without the Ambien. They wake me up at 4 and again at 8.
I get breakfast and nod off. The crappy doc from my cardio group comes in. He says that I will have my cath early afternoon. Then he sees my tray. "Is this yours?". Yes, I say. "Then it will be late afternoon". Great
I call Deb and tell her. Then I nod off. Nurse comes in at noon and says "You're going for your cath". Great. So, long story short, it's done in the afternoon, the nurses are cool (and hot) and I'm back in the recovery room. The cath Doc comes out and says I have a 50 percent blockage, 30 percent blockage and 20 percent blockage. Hence the title of this post. But they're gonna cut me loose.
I get to the room and they do the sandbag on the leg. I talk to the nurse about going home and she says...."Oh no, you're not scheduled to". So I get another night of their hospitality. I watch TV and take it easy. The gang comes in and bring the inlaws as well. We hang until about 8. They leave, I stay. I get a good night sleep and they cut me loose the next day.
Everybody at work was very cool. I guess because I scared the hell outta them. :)
They day before all of this I went to Hershey Med to start working on micro doses of Statin (anti cholesterol) drugs. So the plan is to do that, get back on my diet (which won't be hard since I've been pretty close to it). Then, as soon as the Ortho doc clears me, start walking and working up exercise.
And since you were so nice to read this, you can check out the new pics.
So what's new with you??
later
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2 comments:
You're a pretty good writer, you know that? Had me on the edge of my seat.
I'm very concerned. I know you're doing everything you can. You seem so young to be having these terrible heart episodes or whatever they are.
You aren't even neglecting your health. Is there a history of heart disease in your family?
I'm glad you're better, but you probably shouldn't be sitting up reading this.
Take a yoga class or read up on meditation. Self-hypnosis and meditation have a lot in common and can be beneficial in your condition.
Poor Fitz. You're being very brave. I wish I could be there and be a cheerleader and start being your exercise partner. I need one and maybe you do too.
I'm going to think on all this and pray and try and figure out what I can do to put my oar in. We just connected again after 30-odd years (very odd, in my case!) and you're being a party pooper. I know you don't mean to be.
Anyway, any support I can offer from a few thousand miles away is yours whether you want it or not.
Well, you know where I'm going with this. You're getting no sympathy from me, and I'm not going to "Poor Fitz" you. You know what your history is and have known what you have to do for years. So the choice is yours. 180 degree change in lifestyle, food, weight control immediately and forever or make sure you will me the black axe...if nothing changes, I'll be collecting it in five years or less. And if I didn't care about your sorry ass, I wouldn't say this.
...Cat...
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