May 1, 2010 will be a day that we will always remember. The holiday "May Day" has a whole new meaning for our family. The day started out pretty normal. It was a typical Saturday morning. Paul was sleeping in, the kids were watching cartoons, and I was out finding treasures at garage sales. I came home about 10:15 a.m. and Paul told me that his lungs were hurting. I asked him if he was sure it was his lungs. He ate some cereal and I thought everything was fine.
I went upstairs and was on the computer. Alyssa ran upstairs and said that Dad needed me. I went downstairs right away and saw Paul sprawled out on the couch sweaty and pale. He said something was really wrong. I asked him if we should go to the ER, he said that we should just call the Doctor's office and see if he could get an appointment. I called the Doctor's office (they have Saturday morning hours) and they said to bring him right in (it was about 10:30 a.m.).
As we were driving over there Paul said that he was feeling better. I said we should still go get him checked out. By the time we got to the office (10:45 a.m.), Paul was in a lot of pain and could barely walk. As I went to check him in, I looked back at him and he was laying on the floor in the waiting room and soaking wet (sweating profusely). He was wincing because of the pain and said that his arms were numb. I told the receptionist that I thought he was having a heart attack and to get the Doctor right away. He came and we got Paul into a wheel chair and they wheeled him back to an exam room and hooked up an EKG machine. As soon as the results printed out, the Dr. ran to the phone and called the paramedics. The nurse gave him aspirin and a nitro tablet. The paramedics were there within minutes. They hooked up an IV and put him on a stretcher and into the back of an ambulance. I rode up front in the passenger seat of the ambulance.
As we were driving to the hospital, I heard them working on Paul in the back. It was so scary and yet I couldn't cry, I had to be strong for Paul (I didn't want to scare him more). We had to go to the hospital downtown, since the two hospitals close to us do not have cardiac units. We got to the hospital at about 11:20 a.m. A ton of nurses and Doctors met us there and started to hook Paul up to a lot of different machines. We had to wait for the Cardiologist and the Cardiac team to arrive (since it was Saturday they were on call). Paul was still in so much pain. I helped the nurses prep him for surgery (although I didn't know why I was doing the things I was doing, I just wanted to help). I undressed him and shaved his chest. A little sweet clergy lady came and started asking me if there was anybody they could call and asked me if I needed anything. That moment I almost lost it, but I managed to hold it together and told her that I was fine.
The cardiac team finally arrived and went running with his bed, I followed behind carrying his belongings. They finally told me to go to a waiting room and that the Doctor would come talk to me as soon as he could. I was then left alone in a dark waiting room at 12:15 p.m. on Saturday. I didn't turn on the lights, I liked the dark, and at that moment the reality of everything hit me and I sobbed uncontrollably.
Finally I pulled it together and decided that I needed to call our family members. I called my mom first, she said that her and my dad would leave right away and be here in 4 hours (they live in Wyoming). I then called Paul sister and she said she would call everyone else in his family. Then came the hard phone call to our children. I knew I wanted them to hear it from me and not wonder what was going on. I talked to Alyssa first and told her that dad was in surgery, that he had a heart attack and that everything would be alright (I truly felt it would be), she cried and I told her not to worry to just say a prayer for Dad. I then talked to the boys and said that everything would be fine. They are good kids and knelt down together and said a prayer for their Dad. After the phone calls, I decided that maybe I should have one of my friends go over and check on my kids. My wonderful friend, Andra, went over and stayed most of the day with my kids. She even bought them Chinese food for dinner (their favorite).
The Doctor finally came and talked to me at 1:30 p.m. He said that Paul's arteries were clean as a whistle and that he had, he thought, a coronary dissection that caused a blood clot to form and it completely (100%) blocked the right coronary artery causing him to have a massive heart attack. He said they were able to put a stint in the artery to repair the damaged area. He said that Paul was lucky to have made it to the hospital in time. He was in ICU for 3 days and then a regular room for another day before he could come home.
Paul is doing much better now (a month after the heart attack). He still gets tired easily and he is frustrated that he can't do all that he used to do. He is on 5 different medications and sees the Cardiologist regularly. He also attends a Cardiac Rehab class. But we are grateful that everything worked out for the best. We were truly blessed!
Cuddling an 18 Year Old
11 years ago
