My terrible horrible no-good very bad weekend

[struggle4progress]

began Thursday morning

I was going to a more-or-less routine mnorning doctor visit and then I planned to grade exams all day

Doc: How are you feeling?

Me: Well, not so great: my feet are swollen, and I'm tired and I'm having trouble breathing

Doc: Here: wear these wires a minute

Doc: Hmm. I'm calling EMS

Me: Look. I'm planning to go on vacation after I finish grading my exams. Could we call EMS when I get back in two weeks?

Doc: Um, no

Me: Look. I've really got a lot to do today. Could we call EMS after I run just a few errands?

Doc: Um, no

Three docs (standing around me in a circle): We think you're having a heart-attack. We'll do our best but can't make promises: you could die. Which hospital would you like to go to?

Me: Maybe the one three or four blocks down the road?

EMS: Off we go!

Surgeon: We're going to have you wear this lovely hospital gown.

Surgeon: Holy shit! A completely blocked coronary artery! What size stent?

Friendly ICU staff: Hi! Welcome to ICU! What's your name? What's your date of birth? Do you know where you are? Do you know why you're here?

Me (able to tell them everything because I've been conscious the whole time)

Friendly ICU staff: Well, now you get to lie flat on your back for three days without lifting your arms or bending your legs!

[SarasotaDem]

1. BUT you're alive ....

I had to go through the same

[struggle4progress]

8. Incredibly. Undeservedly. Gratefully

[struggle4progress]

2. Friday!

Friendly ICU staff: We need a blood sample

Me: OK

Friendly ICU staff: Here take these pills

Me: OK

Friendly ICU staff: We need flush this port with saline

Me: OK

Friendly ICU staff: Somebody or other ordered this magnesium drip

Me: OK

Friendly ICU staff: We need a blood sample

Me: OK

Friendly ICU staff: We need flush this port with saline

Me: OK

Friendly ICU staff: Here take these pills

Me: OK

Friendly ICU staff: We need a blood sample

Me: I think you're just stockpiling my blood

Friendly ICU staff: Yup. That's what we do here

Friendly ICU staff: Here take these pills

Me: OK

[Midnight Writer]

6. The worst thing to me about a hospital stay is they will not let you sleep.

I would think the best thing for a convalescing patient is peaceful rest.

[Demovictory9]

16. they sure don't let you sleep!

[Midnightwalk]

18. You know why they take so much blood don't ya?

They never really stopped believing in blood letting and leeches but that’s embarrassing. So they hide it by pretending it’s for blood tests.

Just a theory.

Glad you’re doing ok. Get better.

[struggle4progress]

29. :)

[LakeArenal]

3. Great save. Best of luck.

[Phoenix61]

4. Actually that sounds like a very lucky weekend.

If you’re going to have a heart attack the place to do it is in the doctor’s office or the hospital. Hope you have fully recovered.

[struggle4progress]

9. Doctor's office three or four blocks from university research hospital

[SWBTATTReg]

5. Take care of yourself and get well my friend.

[struggle4progress]

56. Thanks!

[Lars39]

7. I'm so glad they caught it!

Get better asap! Your vacation will be all the sweeter now.

[MyOwnPeace]

10. And HEY - while you're just lying around.......

get those exams graded!!

But seriously, hope all's going well - glad you were at the right place at the right time!


PS: Your story is much more dramatic than Alexander's!

[cate94]

11. Glad you made it!

Scary weekend.

[bullimiami]

12. welcome to the club. me too. ha and stent. awake the whole time. 100% blocked. we are lucky. cheers.

[struggle4progress]

28. 100% blocked and walked away alive a few days later

Our medical frontliners are a blessing

[orleans]

38. maybe dumb question, but why r u awake the whole time? nt

[struggle4progress]

39. (1) I'd guess with 100% occlusion of a coronary artery, the docs would prefer

not to depress coronary nerve/muscle function further, to avoid change of further inadequate-oxygen-related damage to heart and/or other critical tissue

(1a) let's crank up the O2
(1b) let hope to get everything as close to normal again ASAP

(2) The less they give you in terms of unnecessary drugs, the less there is to undo later and the less there is that can go wrong

(3) They can do this as a minimally invasive procedure -- so take advantage of that!

[bullimiami]

61. This is really a miracle afaic. Have a look, open it up, place a stent.

All in no time flat.
Amazing.

[struggle4progress]

62. About 17 years ago they stuck a camera inside me to monitor

coronary arteries: this time, I think it was all done by exterior scans (CAT? ultrasound?) while they slid the stent into place up through the circulatory system

It really is frickin "Gollee! Mr Wizard!" stuff

[orleans]

73. you seem like you're doing pretty damn good. and that's great! nt

[bullimiami]

60. The cath and stent are pretty painless. They get to it quick.

No need to put you under.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

13. Could always be worse.

I know a few people whose first sign of heart disease was a coffin.

[struggle4progress]

33. There but for fortune ...

[Scrivener7]

14. OMG. So glad you are here to write about it.

Take care of yourself.

[dawg day]

15. I hope you're feeling better--

Can you resume the vacation?

[struggle4progress]

40. I'll put it off about two months

[Demovictory9]

17. feel better

[struggle4progress]

57. I feel much better than I deserve to feel, I think

[KT2000]

19. I would say lucky weekend

amazing how it all worked out - good dr. too.

[struggle4progress]

42. Many many good doctors and nurses -- all specialists, ready at an instant

[MLAA]

20. So sorry! That is very frightening.

Husband had heart surgery two years ago.

This is the best book I found it is a must read. If you are interested direct message me and I will send you a copy.

https://www.amazon.com/Prevent-Reverse-Heart-Disease-Nutrition-Based/dp/1583333002

[struggle4progress]

52. Thanks for the reference! I'll look it up!

[Niagara]

21. I'm glad to hear that the Doc found it before you were

aware of the problem.



Take it easy and get well soon!

[struggle4progress]

58. Me too! I really should be pushing up daisies!

[Solly Mack]

22. Yikes!

Hope all is well!

[TygrBright]

23. I am SO grateful you're still with us! n/t

[struggle4progress]

71. Me too!

As a generation of leaves, so is that of humanity

The wind scatters the leaves on the ground
but the live timber burgeons with leaves again
in the season of spring returning

So one generation of men will grow while another dies

Homer (translated by Richard Lattimore)

[Pepsidog]

24. Very lucky. Get well.

[ancianita]

25. Yeah but now all your future weekends will be better because they saved your life!

So there's that, right?

[spooky3]

32. +1

[GoneOffShore]

26. Bonne chance! And glad that they caught you in time!

[struggle4progress]

27. Very early AM memories. Saturday? Sunday?

There's lots of noise somewhere down the hall: bustle, shouting ...

Much later: there's quiet conversation about a patient coding

Later still (perhaps the next night): somebody is gently stroking the hair on my forearm

[Hekate]

30. Welcome back and am so very glad you went to the doctor! Happened to my brother that way....

He was offloading things from his truck into his garage and had a sharp persistent pain around the back of his shoulder — thought he’d strained a muscle, and went to his nearest “doc in a box.” Next thing he knew he was in an ambulance on his way to have 2 or 3 stents put in his heart. Scared the crap out of him — he’s got 3 kids he and his wife are still raising.

So follow the doctor’s orders, and get well and stay well.

[LittleGirl]

31. My brother had 9 stents in his heart

Some had been there so long, his heart grew around them. They were old school design so faulty. He got his first at age 32. The youngest guy in CCU.

He passed away 2 years ago at age 57.

The new ones are better. Rest up. You’ll be fine!

[struggle4progress]

51. Science progresses with time: the cutting-edge flint flakes

of former days have been replaced by the better tools of today

I'm really sorry about your brother

[LittleGirl]

74. Thanks. I miss him. eom

[Skittles]

34. um

I guess if I was having trouble breathing I would not consider it a routine visit?

get well!

[struggle4progress]

43. The visit was already scheduled for other reasons

but when I walked in I thought I was having an unrelated asthma attack

[burrowowl]

35. You are lucky! Glad you are still here.

[Karadeniz]

36. So glad you paid attention to those symptoms!!! Keep up the good work!!! J

[Imallin4Joe]

37. Healing vibes to you, struggle4progress! nt

[Fla Dem]

41. Wow, sometimes fate is a life saver.

This was an already planned Dr. visit. From what you related, not sure you would have picked up the phone and called your doctor or gone to the ER. Had you not been in the Doc's office already, you could have had the attack at home and who knows how it would have turn out.

Somebody's watching over you for sure. Glad it turned out OK.

[Maine Abu El Banat]

44. I call that very lucky

You had a great weekend, your life was saved. Take care.

[struggle4progress]

59. Yeah, I'm gonna tell that Doc from Thursday she ruined my weekend

but I'll overlook it this one time on account of that she saved my life

[NJCher]

45. you live a charmed life

going to the routine doctor's visit to have your heart attack. Wow.

[yardwork]

46. I can relate more than you would believe!

[struggle4progress]

54. I would believe you: we've interacted many times over the years

though I can't presently remember if we've ever actually met in person

[Grins]

48. Tough question: "Which hospital would you like to go to?"

The correct answer: The one(s) that will take your insurance.

Because if they don’t...!!!

- Do you know what hospitals in your area accept your insurance?
- On vacation in another state - know the hospitals near your hotel that will accept your insurance?

In my case I know of 2 good local hospitals that will.
On travel? Nope! Not a one. Because you never think about it....

[struggle4progress]

53. Here, both nearest hospitals are run by the same provider, and both

would take my insurance: one was about three minutes away, and one about six minutes away, so there wasn't much of a choice except, well, what's fastest to get to?

[onecaliberal]

49. Thank goodness you went to the routine doctor visit.

[JudyM]

50. Whew!

So glad you’re ok...

A family member had a minor car accident, saw a doc for the related headaches, and they found a brain tumor. If she hadn’t had the minor accident she very likely would’ve died from the brain tumor.

Fortune steps in sometimes. Timing is everything.

[struggle4progress]

76. Amazing!

[struggle4progress]

55. Saturday: they take out the temporary pump!

I am so very excited! Finally I won't have to live flat on my back without moving

Well, sort of

They're taking out the pump around 9:30P

Four hours after they take out the pump, they're going to let me roll over on my side

Maybe sometime Sunday they'll actually let me out of bed

[struggle4progress]

63. Sunday! They let me walk around the ICU ward!

Monday! They send me home!

I google my condition on the web: it seems there's about a 90 minute window between 911 call and appearing in the newspaper with "massive heart attack" beside your name

[struggle4progress]

64. Lord of all hopefulness (Slane)

[smirkymonkey]

65. OMG! What a close call! How frightening!

You are lucky that you were in a doctor's office while this was occurring and close to a hospital. I am so sorry for your ordeal. How are you feeling now?

I wish you a solid recovery and I hope you have a lot of support around you. Take care of yourself and please check in to let us know how you are doing. Wishing you all the best!

[struggle4progress]

68. It's a reprieve. I don't know for how long. I'm grateful for it

[smirkymonkey]

69. I am not a prayer, but I am sending you healing thoughts and good vibes.

I am glad they caught you in time and I hope you and your doctors can turn this around. It is possible. I wish you a long and healthy life. Please take care of yourself and follow doctor's orders. We would miss you very much if you weren't here.

[struggle4progress]

70. Many thanks for your kind thoughts! Of prayer, I can often recall only what The Freethinker

once had as its masthead many many years ago: to plow to pray and to plant is to prophesy

I have had the good fortune to spend this last weekend surrounded by people who in some sense practiced "Love your neighbor as yourself" with a cold-eyed professional realism: doctors, nurses, case workers, janitors, food prep folk -- a nice seamless team

I learned so much from them, even as I teased and heckled them for watching over me like hawks 24/7

[smirkymonkey]

72. I am glad you are being well taken care of!

I wish you all the best and may you be blessed with good health going forward!

[TexasBushwhacker]

66. You might enjoy Kevin Smith's heart attack story

Stephen Colbert just lets him go ...

[struggle4progress]

67. The surgeons had a bit less drama from me

Them: You could die

Me: OK. Life isn't permanent. Just do your best

[Rhiannon12866]

75. Oh my goodness!

What a scary time for you - but a lucky one, too! So glad to hear you had a checkup when you did and they caught this when they did - and that you're back with us again! Please take care of yourself, okay?