March 27, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.
Husband is healing after heart attack
By Diana Dolecki-
“Get up! You have to take me to the hospital right now!” That was how I was awakened last Monday morning by my husband who was sitting crumpled up on the side of the bed.
I threw on some clothes and we were at the hospital in two minutes. I dropped him off and parked the car. By the time I found him again, he was sporting decorative stickers all over his bare chest and had received his first dose of nitroglycerin.
He described a pain across the top of his chest, a cold sweat and nausea. Thankfully, the nausea was short lived, as were the cold sweats. The nurses did all kinds of tests while the doctor asked questions. I watched the color drain from hubby’s face several times and silently panicked because of the times I saw the same thing happen when my mother was dying.
The first tests were inconclusive. There was a shift change, another round of questions and more tests. Yet another EKG was ordered. This time I saw the tech’s eyebrow raise and took that as an ominous sign. The next thing I knew the room was swarming with people. The decision was made to transfer him to Ball Hospital, or whatever it is called now.
The burly ambulance guys told me that under no circumstances was I to try to follow the ambulance. I left hubby in capable hands and went home to put in my contacts and grab a can of pop. I was at the hospital by mid-morning.
They told me he was in the cath lab. I sat down to wait. One of my fellow waitees (is that a word?) was talking on the phone. His loved one’s procedure had been postponed because of an emergency. I assumed that my hubby was the emergency.
The next time I saw him he was the proud owner of not one, but two brand-new stents, both in the same artery. His color was back and I was more than relieved. He told me that the ambulance ride was a real adventure and that he would have landed in the EMT’s lap a couple of times if it had not been for the restraints. He wanted to go home that same day but that didn’t happen. They kept an eye on him for a couple of days and he was released on Wednesday.
According to the Center for Disease Control about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. That’s more than 2,000 every day. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for American men, accounting for one in every four male deaths. Thankfully, hubby has survived.
He did have several risk factors that led up to our adventure. Diabetes, excess pounds, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a lack of physical activity all contributed to his heart attack. We don’t know his family history but I am sure that was also a contributing factor. We had thought that having his diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol under control was enough. We were wrong.
Now he has expensive medication and several doctor’s appointments. We went up to cardiac rehabilitation on Friday. One of the questions asked was about smoking and was he exposed to second-hand smoke. I said, “No. We made the cat stop smoking years ago.”
The nurse stopped, looked over the top of her glasses, and gave me “the look” as she tried to figure out if I was serious. I didn’t mention that the cat still uses catnip on occasion.
My grandfather died of a heart attack. He didn’t have the option of stents. There was no such thing as cardiac rehab. The medications given to hubby didn’t exist in my grandfather’s time. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to all the people who treated my hubby.
Modern medicine is a wonderful thing and I am eternally grateful that my husband did not suffer my grandfather’s fate. He is home. He is healing. He will be fine.
I threw on some clothes and we were at the hospital in two minutes. I dropped him off and parked the car. By the time I found him again, he was sporting decorative stickers all over his bare chest and had received his first dose of nitroglycerin.
He described a pain across the top of his chest, a cold sweat and nausea. Thankfully, the nausea was short lived, as were the cold sweats. The nurses did all kinds of tests while the doctor asked questions. I watched the color drain from hubby’s face several times and silently panicked because of the times I saw the same thing happen when my mother was dying.
The first tests were inconclusive. There was a shift change, another round of questions and more tests. Yet another EKG was ordered. This time I saw the tech’s eyebrow raise and took that as an ominous sign. The next thing I knew the room was swarming with people. The decision was made to transfer him to Ball Hospital, or whatever it is called now.
The burly ambulance guys told me that under no circumstances was I to try to follow the ambulance. I left hubby in capable hands and went home to put in my contacts and grab a can of pop. I was at the hospital by mid-morning.
They told me he was in the cath lab. I sat down to wait. One of my fellow waitees (is that a word?) was talking on the phone. His loved one’s procedure had been postponed because of an emergency. I assumed that my hubby was the emergency.
The next time I saw him he was the proud owner of not one, but two brand-new stents, both in the same artery. His color was back and I was more than relieved. He told me that the ambulance ride was a real adventure and that he would have landed in the EMT’s lap a couple of times if it had not been for the restraints. He wanted to go home that same day but that didn’t happen. They kept an eye on him for a couple of days and he was released on Wednesday.
According to the Center for Disease Control about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack every year. That’s more than 2,000 every day. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for American men, accounting for one in every four male deaths. Thankfully, hubby has survived.
He did have several risk factors that led up to our adventure. Diabetes, excess pounds, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a lack of physical activity all contributed to his heart attack. We don’t know his family history but I am sure that was also a contributing factor. We had thought that having his diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol under control was enough. We were wrong.
Now he has expensive medication and several doctor’s appointments. We went up to cardiac rehabilitation on Friday. One of the questions asked was about smoking and was he exposed to second-hand smoke. I said, “No. We made the cat stop smoking years ago.”
The nurse stopped, looked over the top of her glasses, and gave me “the look” as she tried to figure out if I was serious. I didn’t mention that the cat still uses catnip on occasion.
My grandfather died of a heart attack. He didn’t have the option of stents. There was no such thing as cardiac rehab. The medications given to hubby didn’t exist in my grandfather’s time. There are no words to describe how thankful I am to all the people who treated my hubby.
Modern medicine is a wonderful thing and I am eternally grateful that my husband did not suffer my grandfather’s fate. He is home. He is healing. He will be fine.
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD