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My 6′ Tall Christmas Miracle
My Christmas Miracle!
2 weeks ago my husband Ted was experiencing some unusual indigestion…
(Ah ha… Some of you might already know how this story will proceed. )
After a few episodes over several days, I convinced him to trek to the ER just to make sure it wasn’t anything serious.
They admitted him because he had a few more indigestion episodes while in the ER. Two days of tests later, we left
to come back home… the blood work, ekg’s etc all showed his heart as fine, so the doctors said it must be indigestion.
2:30 that night it attacked again. Ted was arguing that it would pass, but was agitated and his forehead was cold and clammy. I shoved him into clothes
(how I did this I have no idea, he is quite tall and was really against another hospital visit!)
When we arrived at the hospital he was in shock and had had a Heart Attack. Within 30 minutes the Heart Team at our small local hospital had him in and out of a successful “stent” procedure, his carotid artery was 100% blocked and 4 more arteries were 60-90 % blocked
They were able to stent the carotid artery and bring it back. This was a Miracle, they call this artery the “Widow Maker”… 50% don’t ever even live through it to arrive at the hospital!
Tuesday this week he had two more stents put in and is now home recovering.
The wisdom that I can share from this is:
- It is better to go visit the doctor than go to ER.
- It is better to go to ER than to have a heart attack.
- If your husband/wife argues that his/her cholesterol numbers make an “okay” ratio even though they are considered high, insist they get at least a non-invasive “Stress Test” or if warranted a more invasive “Heart Cathe”.
- Insist on looking at the blood tests during a hospital stay and make your physician explain them to you. The general consensus is there were indicators in the blood work that were dismissed during our first trip.
- Get together for family reunions before bad problems arise. It had been 11 years since we had our sons ALL TOGETHER and they rallied awesomely around their Dad, but we all would have enjoyed it more without the stress and fear of illness or worse!
- Texting news like this is easier to do in a waiting room at 4:30 am with sleeping families all around you than calling, and it was amazing to get so much support all at once while waiting… AND for those first two days I couldn’t look at anyone and tell them this news without sobbing!
- Bring your own tissues. The ones at the hospital are made of sand paper, and your nose and eyes will pay! LOL..
Appreciate every sound, sight and joy you have in your life… you just truly might not get the chance to experience it again!
Merry Merry Christmas!
Patty
PS..
THANK GOODNESS we have such a great team here to help take care of things while we have been dealing with the turmoil! You guys ROCK!
I would appreciate hearing about others experiences and I will be sharing recipes and other lifestyle change ideas as we learn them…
About the Author
Written by Patricia
Patricia is a self-taught painter, world traveler, educator, and businesswoman currently calling Gallipolis, Ohio home. She's built a team of wonderfully creative people and loves to make her life about creativity & art.
I can appreciate what you went thru…my first husband died of a heart attack…they didn’t think the ‘indicators’ were anything to be concerned about either. Two weeks later, he was dead ! Good thing that you had the good sense to push your 6 footer to go in for another look…Merry Christmas to you and yours !!
Hi Patti, I’m so happy this had a happy ending. I truly believe that a woman’s instinct is a life saver. Men never think there’s a problem. I’m so glad you went with your gut and brought him in.
I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a healthy New Year.
Sincerely, a friend up in Canada (Ottawa)
Kathy
41/2 yrs. ago me brest cancer, husband heartattach, mom stroke all within a month of each other.Nothing like packing all the good things (sarcastic) into 1 fun filled summer… me fine Husband now reconizes hes 64 mom passed 1 yr later ay 92. YES YES YES STOP and smell the roses,, slow down ….learn to breathe…we spend too much of our lives running helterskelter trying to keep up… its amazing the insight you gain when you stop…..breathe…smile… god bless you and your husband ..
Oh, Patty! I am so thankful for you and your hubby. I cannot imagine how you would be handling a much worse outcome, especially at this time of year and in your work!!! I am so happy the Lord provided you with a Christmas miracle!!! My unspoken life’s motto has always been, tell everyone what you feel when you think it! You never know when you’ll wish you could just have one more conversation to tell them! This especially was meaningful when our family lived in Dayton and my Dad taught at Ohio State and was gone during the week and only home on weekends. My little sister was mad at him one Sunday evening as he was trying to tell her good-bye and she wouldn’t tell him. (It broke my heart, but he understood her.) That week is when the Kent State shootings happened. I used that news story to help my sister realize that could have been our Dad, at Ohio State!! And she would never forgive herself if something had happened to him. It does not pay to hold grudges, hang onto hurts or bitterness, and not forgive! A lesson, I know you know too well
Thanks for sharing your story and reminding all of us to not brush aside “minor” symptoms and to take care of our loved ones – even when they don’t want us to!! PS. Any smokers out there? please pay attention!! Prayers for you and your family Patty, and Merry, Merry Christmas!!! Love, Rita
PS. My Dad died of a massive heart attack on April 4, 2008. He was 83 years old. And, thankfully, I had many conversations with him over the years – telling him how I felt, (in case that day came when I couldn’t tell him any more.) And, he too told me to remember these things he said to me….when that day came. I am so thankful I lived up to my “motto” of telling someone how you feel instead of keeping it to yourself.”
Me, too, been there, done that (both of us) and don’t even want the t-shirt.
A lot of years ago (nearly 30?), hubby woke me up at around 3:00 in the morning the day after Labor Day, to say that he had been having chest pains for 20 minutes, and would I please drive him to the hospital that his insurance preferred. I grabbed my jeans and put them on and was ready to go. Did anyone hear me say t-shirt? So then I had to try to find the t-shirt that matched those jeans, giggle. I don’t think all that well at hour of the morning, let alone being scared that he was having a heart attack. I tried to get him to let me call 911, but he wouldn’t hear of it. The firestation was a block and a half away, so we got in the car and I pulled in to the firestation driveway. They gave him nitro and he passed out (learned later that this is usually a good sign, but I went into more panic). They loaded him into the ambulance and off we went the mile to the nearest hospital (the other one was about 25 miles away in Los Angeles). The end result, which we didn’t learn for 6 months after all the tests were in, was that it was pericarditis, not a heart attack, but in some cases is more painful. I did learn to cook differently, and he quit smoking for several years.
In my case, I woke up at 6:09 a.m. with horrible pain under my breast bone. We now live out in the country, again 25 miles away from hospital, and that’s the closest one. Emergency vehicles are not very pleniful, either. About 6:30, I went in and told him that I thought he better take me to hospital because I had pain that wouldn’t go away. I had already got dressed. His eyes popped open and he looked at me for about 5 seconds, which seemed like 10 minutes to me. Then he got up to go to the bathroom, while I took care of the 3 cats and 1 dog (food, water, litter box, etc). Went back to see what was taking him so long, and he was still taking care of business in the bathroom, lol. Time had slowed down for me, and I was accomplishing lots of things in short time, lol. We finally got in car and he drove me to Hot Springs. I got out at the emergency room door and he went to park the car. Now time sped up for me. He was in and interrupting me before I could tell the admitting nurse why I was there. Long story short, that wasn’t a heart attack either. They did all the non-invasive tests, and then even did an angio, and the surgeon told us that he wished he had my arteries. I do have high cholesterol, but the pain was apparently indigestion, so now I am on medications for that (not statins). I don’t understand how I can have high cholesterol and good arteries, but I will go with it, lol.
Oh, hubby has finally quit smoking again. This doctor (in Hot Springs) told him that he didn’t have emphysema yet, but there were indications it would develope, and there was a small spot on one lung, and they did a ct scan, but it is too small to biopsy and most likely not cancer.
Glad to hear your husband is okay, basically. I had a stint put in last winter about this time. I have problems taking the blood thinner as my stomach and colon bleed since chemo. I am supposed to take a pill a day but I can’t so I am taking 3 hoping it is enough. Can’t take closteriol (?) pills either. I would appreciate some copies if you find food to eat. I can’t eat a lot due to the bleeding, nothing hard or crunchy. I could live on salads but can’t eat them, nuts either. No chocolate or cheese are killing me. I have never wanted chocolate or a pizza so mush. It pays to watch what you eat when you are young, but you don’t think about it though that is the time not to eat so much fat or carbs.
I try to cut my son down but it is a loosing battle. Hope you all have a great Christmas and New Years and you husband continues to do well….Maggie in NE KY (just down the road a ways.)
Been there, done that with my husband also. God bless you, your husband and your whole family and staff. We just never know what one day will bring us and we need to make the best of what we have together. Ours was a successful outcome, too. Take care and have a Blessed Christmas and New Year.
Patty, Thank God for your “happy ending” to the story.
Have a wonderful Christmas enjoying what really matters. Pam
Patty I am so happy everthing came out OK and yes what a wonderful miracle! My Brother in Law had the same thing done a a whle back. he went in for some tests and then wham in the hospital for the surgery. he is doign great, My sis says tha fake bacon is pretty good will get the brand they use.
God Bless You and Your Family!
Deb B
Patty
I am so sorry to hear about your husband, but I am glad you had a great Christmas gift of having your husband in your life. Enjoy your hubby and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
See, there is a God and He has Blessed you; what a gift! All of us need to slow down and realize there are consequences if we do not pay attention to what our bodies are telling us. Life in the fast lane does get us There sooner! Let’s all slow down and enjoy what we have been given and thank God every day for all his Blessings. I am a nurse and have seen more than my share of heartache around any holiday but especially between Thanksgiving and New Years; I think we somehow miss the point of the holidays and feel we have to cram so much in and so little time. Do share your feelings with loved ones for we can be gone in the wink of any eye. My 36 yo niece died last week suddenly of cardiac arrest. Live each day joyfully. Have a happy, healthy New Year; exercise daily, eat healthy and never, ever smoke. Follow the directions of your nurses; we tend to stress this more so than most Dr’s. Be Healthy, live long! Pat
God blessed you both in a wonderful way! I love your happy outcome! It certainly points out the necessity of living each day as if it were our last, which we often forget. We see so many life lessons in such experiences. I think God attempts to get our attention at such times. Life can change in a twinkling of the eye! Merry Christmas and God bless!
Patty I am so thankful your husband is doing well. Your right life is to short to wait till sickness or death to get family together. We all need to appreciate the time we have as tomorrow is never promised. Love to both of you and hope to see you again soon.. Merry Chirstmas and many more to come.
Patty, I am so glad you insisted and took your hubby to the ER. I did this too many years ago (when my hubby was only 42 years old and our youngest son was in pre-school!) and am so thankful that he is still with me today!
We live in a rual area and so my policy is if there is any chance he is having a heart attack he will get a nytro (or asprin) and assisted to the car and we go straight to the ER. It has served us well!
Hugs, Peggy
Thank God you stood your ground for the return visit. A Very Happy New Year to you and your family, your in our thoughts.
Patty, I thank God each day that when my husband was having chest pains our teenage daughter made him get in the car and drove him to the ER. His family doctor sent him home! The cardiologist called and told him to get back to the ER. The next day, they put a stint in. May you and your husband have many more joyous Christmases!
My bestest friend, so glad this had a happy ending! Gene was surprised about this and said “You mean ‘laid-back Ted?” and I said “Yep” and he was all over me asking for details. I sent him the link to your blog. When Ted’s up to it, have him email Gene sometime and they can talk about the “bad shoe, bad shoe!” and laugh a bit. My prayers and thoughts are with you all. Much love, sweetie!
God was with all of you! My husband had reflux that was very bad, but it was also Conjestive Heart Failure. His mother, grandmother and younger brother all died from it since 1994. He was stubborn and ignored my warnings. His “indigestion” kept him up most of the night before passing on Sept 13, 2008. He had a massive heart attack and fell over on the bed dead before he knew what hit him. You were lucky that God wasn’t ready for your 6 footer yet! My prayers are with you all.
Very happy for you and your husband’s outcome. Why is it that men don’t want to go to the hospital (ER) when you think they should be checked. I’ll tell you about 2 episodes with husband. First was a headache, not severe, but noticed he was a little dizzy and when he drove he would come too close to the parked cars. After seeing his doctor for the headache he said just to take some Tylenol. When he was almost hitting parked cars he went back but I went with him. Dr. said just take Motrin, I then told him he was a little dizzy. Two days later they did an MRI. They came out to get me because I was in the waiting room. Still didn’t think much, then they told me to sit down and that they didn’t know how my husband was still walking around, he had a massive bleed in his skull which pushed his brain to the side quite a ways. They showed me the x-ray. They put him in an ambulance and transported him with sirens blaring to another hospital approx. 15 miles away. My two adult children caught up to me as I was walking out of the hospital so I was not alone. End result they operated the next morning, he spent a few days then sent home. He figures it must have happened when he hit his head on a kitchen cabinet otherwise doesn’t really know what caused it. He is fine from that incident. From one day to the next ???? won’t even go into this years trauma that is another story for another day. We just feel very blessed that he is with us and his comments are that “These golden years suck”.