I’m leaving the hospital today. I’ve already spoken with two cardiologists about what I can and can not do for the next few days and what I have to look forward to in the future. They assured me the heart attack has been taken care of now it’s all about preventing another one. Once I sign the discharge papers I can leave.
Today we went to the Joy of Christmas concert at the National Cathedral. Just before going I started to have chest pains. I’ve been having chest pains for about 6 weeks but thought it was a reaction to my blood pressure medications. Usually if I sit down, the pains go away. I thought once we got to the concert and I was able to sit down and calm down, the pains would go away.
They didn’t go away. When we got home from the concert I took my blood pressure and it was 194/111. That is VERY high. My husband and our friends The Dails encouraged me to go the hospital. I didn’t want to ruin our plans but I listened to them and decided to go. I drove my husband and myself to Sibley Hospital which is really close to our house. I know, odd that I would drive but I get a little stressed riding with my husband as he drives so I thought it best that I drive.
Once in the emergency room things moved fast. Within 5 minutes I was getting an EKG. I did an ECG on my Apple Watch and it showed inconclusive results. Then the EKG was done and it also showed inconclusive results. A cardiologist looked at the results and said I was in fact having a heart attack. They then told me they would be putting me on a helicopter and sending me to Suburban Hospital because they have a CATH lab to deal with the emergency.
A few minutes after that I was in the back of a helicopter. It only took about 3 minutes to get to the new hospital. They took me right into the CATH lab and put a catheter in my right wrist. They fished a wire up to my heart and found the artery that was blocked. They put a stint in and instantly the chest pain stopped. The emergency was over. I was out of danger. They then put me in a hospital bed in the cardiac ward and monitored my heart, blood pressure and blood work. I felt so much better.
I’ll be here for a few days to be monitored. I guess I’ll be talking to cardiologists and doctors for the next few days. I’m feeling so much better. I’m so glad my husband and friends convinced me it was time to go to the hospital. I love my husband! He saved me!
So I haven’t posted anything about what has happened to my father recently because I wanted to make sure he was going to be okay. Last Monday he fell at his house and laid on the floor for almost 24 hours before he was able to crawl to the phone and call 911. They came and took him to the hospital on Tuesday. He broke his hip from the fall. On Wednesday he had surgery to replace his hip. During the surgery his heart rate spiked and his blood pressure dropped. There was a chance he had a blood clot that had traveled to his heart. He was taken to ICU right after surgery. He had a breathing tube and wasn’t awake. On Friday he was doing much better. The breathing tube was removed and he was taken out of ICU and given a regular room. He’s still on oxygen but that will be removed soon. He’ll be spending Christmas in the hospital. My brother is with him. I’m planning on driving down to Charlottesville to spend time with him on Monday and Tuesday. Right now things are looking up and he’s begun his recovery. After his hospital stay he’ll have to go to a rehab facility until he is able to walk on his own. That may be a few weeks. Today my brother sent me a picture of my father in the hospital. I’m glad to see he’s awake and sitting up. He’ll be 81 on January 1st. Here’s the picture:
My mother called me at 3:00 am this morning. She thought she was having a heart attack. I told her to call 911. I shot out of bed, dressed and met her at her house. The ambulance was just loading her in the back when I got there. I followed them to the hospital and met her in the emergency room. They took all her vitals. Her blood pressure was through the roof but she was not having a heart attack and she had not had one. A few hours and a few doctors visits later, we find out she’s just having a bad case of heart burn. Once I got her home and settled, I asked her what was wrong. She said she had a big meal yesterday with one of her old lady groups. She was fine during the day but when she laid down she started to feel bad. Oh well. At least we know what it was and she’s fine now. The drama!
