Heart Condition Part XVIII

Heart Condition Part XVIII

7/3/12

I continued to lie on the exam table for a while until everything was ready for me to leave and make my trek over to the hospital.  Of course I was hooked up to the blood pressure cuff and the pulse oximeter instrument which is an annoying little thing which slides on your finger and clamps down on both sides of the finger it is on.  So when you move it falls off and then gives a reading of zero and alarms go off, and when this occurs you want to get it back on as quickly as possible so that no one comes storming in thinking you are dead.  Which in this case I was not fast enough to get it and the alarm went off and I had people in the exam room within seconds.

I was ordered that under no circumstances was I to get off of the exam table and to keep calm as possible until I reached my room in the hospital.  I informed the nurse that her “bed” that she had for me was not very comfortable and that I would like to have a more private setting if at all possible, she smiled as she left the room.  Needless to say I had no idea of what I would encounter in less than twenty-four hours and I afterwards I wished for that exam room bed or at least the angle it provided.

Bonnie had been in the lobby of the doctor’s office making phone calls informing everyone that needed to know what was transpiring and what the immediate plans were for me.  Evidently she had noticed the wheelchair going into my room and ended the phone conversation since she entered the room shortly after the nurse did and told of her actions to me.  I could tell she was nervous with everything which every normal and sane person would have been at this time but this unfortunate clown, me, was calm and collected at least that was what I portraying.  Internally I was not helping my blood pressure issue at all because I was racking my brain trying to figure all of this out and trying to find a solution to this obstacle.

A few more minutes gradually passed by and then the door to the exam room opened again with the nurse wielding a wheelchair.  My chariot had arrived and was waiting for me to place my royal pain into it so that I could take a ride to the big house.  The nurse covered me with a blanket and then placed all of my paperwork on my lap and told me to hold on to it and don’t lose it.  I said “yes ma’am” and then we slowly backed out of the exam room and then made a turn in the hall towards the front entrance of the office.  I was greeted with many of the staff telling me to behave myself and to get better soon each one was said in jest but of concern at the same time.  I knew each one of these people and I consider them as part of my family as they did me.

As we went through the open doors I could not help but think back to little over an hour before I was walking through these same doors and now I was leaving in a wheelchair.  Somehow I did not think that was a positive step for my day.  As we turned the corner and headed towards the hospital I could not help but notice the new hospital building and how far the construction company had come with its completion.  The new hospital was going to be bigger than the old hospital building by far and would have many more opportunities for growth when that time arrived.  It took a while to get to the hospital building since we had to go all the way around the property since everything else was fenced off.

The ride over to the hospital was bumpy since we had to go through dirt and concrete to get to the other parking lot.  Bonnie and the nurse were conversing between each other while she pushed me along the sidewalk.  A small dip from the sidewalk to the leading edge of the front end of the hospital gave access to the direct path to the emergency room entrance.  The push up the small hill to the emergency room entrance was a tough one for the nurse because at that time I was not a light fellow but everything went well even though I felt terrible about the strain it must have had on her.  The automatic doors opened and I watched myself enter into the same place I had just a few days before.  This time I knew I was trapped, at least for twenty four hours until they could figure out what was going on inside me.

Bonnie opened the small glass door to the main waiting room and the nurse wheeled me through the door to the volunteer’s desk which was immediately to the left after going through the door.  She politely directed us to the admissions clerk where we had to stop and check in so that they would know that I had arrived.  The nurse pushed me across the waiting area to the appropriate clerk’s area.  I sat in my carriage for a few moments while the clerk was on the phone with the nurse’s station.  She obtained my room number and then said that I was on my way down.  She then gave me a clipboard and pen and asked me to sign these release forms.  She told me to read them but I had viewed these forms many times and knew exactly what they said.  I signed the paperwork and returned them along with the clipboard and pen to her.  I was now officially checked into the hospital as a stable angina patient which meant I was not going anywhere for a while.

The admissions clerk then gathered her paperwork along with the paperwork from the doctor’s office and stood up from her chair.  She stated that she was coming out her side door and for the nurse to begin to move me in that direction.  She opened her door and came through to our side.  The nurse then backed me out of the area and turned towards the direction of the patient rooms.  We turned the corner and met the clerk in the hallway and all of us proceeded to head to my humble abode. 

As I was riding down the hallway I could not help but remember all the times I had walked in this hallway and meeting patients being admitted or all of the times I walked up and down this hallway looking for patients that were waiting to be checked in the emergency room; there was a time when the emergency room was down this hallway and not in its current location.  It was my turn to make this trek which at the time I really did not believe that the wheelchair bit was necessary since I had no pain and I was feeling the best I had for a few hours but never-the-less my wheelchair journey continued down the hall and I could do nothing to stop the procession.  And it was no use in trying to bribe my driver into taking a wrong turn and letting me escape from my captors I had finally given into the idea that I could not leave no matter how much I willed the thought.

At the end of the hallway we had to turn left to continue towards my room.  This short hall took me right by my workplace which had many people waiting in the waiting room as I passed by.  I thought to myself that I should not be in this wheelchair but in my work area helping my fellow colleagues process these patients.  No stopping and reminiscing with the lab folks and without any hesitation from my driver I continued to the end of the hall and then made a right turn to enter the hall that would take me to my room.  As we made this turn I asked which room I was going to and I received an answer of “71”.  Which when I turned my head back around to face in front of me, I saw my room since it was the only private room that was located directly at the end of this particular hallway.  The transportation process was now complete and all went well without any hiccups.

A short stop at the side of the nurse’s station was the only thing that was keeping me from being deposited into my room.  It was right at shift change but the nursing supervisor already knew I was coming and she was the one who met us at the station and took my paperwork from me.  She asked how I was feeling and I told her ok.  The office nurse gave her a short report on what happened in the office and on my general condition.  The office nurse then proceeded to drive me into my room in which as soon as she stopped I promptly stood up and was ready to get out of my carriage.  By the time I stood up the charge nurse and an aid were already in the room barking out orders to me, which I knew was coming and accepted it as charged.

After I got out of the wheelchair I took a few steps and reached the side of the bed.  I turned around and sat down on the side of the bed.  Another aid entered the room with all of the vital sign equipment and I immediately said “no thanks, I already had that done” and no sooner than those words left my lips the charge nurse told me to behave myself and to let her do her job.  I mumbled “fine” and scooted myself back onto the bed pulling my feet up so that I was now fully lying down. The nurse that was going to be assigned to my room then walked in and began to talk about the plans for my immediate future.  Not many introductions were needed since I knew everyone on that shift and we had all worked very close with one another over the years.

The charge nurse’s beeper went off and she silenced it quickly.  She looked at me and asked if I would behave myself while she was gone and I said “of course”.  She left the room and went to her desk over by the nurse’s station.  The two nurse’s aides were scurrying around the bed fixing this and adjusting that all trying to make me as comfortable as possible.  Just then one of them began to get the thermometer out to take my temperature and when I saw this action taking place I said to her “make sure you use the blue one” and ended it with a big smile.  She put the cover over the tip and then placed it in my mouth.  The hand held thermometer began to count upwards and stopped at where it usually did when taking my temperature.  Ruled that out I thought as the device made its “I’m finished” sound and she pulled the tip from my mouth.

The other aid then placed her fingers on my left wrist looking for my pulse.  My heart rate was fast and regular and easily obtained.  She brought her arm up to her waist and began counting silently and from the look in her eyes it was a fast count.  I took a deep breath because out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of the other aid retrieving the blood pressure cuff which could only mean one thing.  The first aid finished her count and then rattled the number “120” to the other aid which then recorded her words.  We all knew that number was not a good thing even though she had told me that my heartbeat was strong and regular.  “Yeah” I thought strong and fast.  The blood pressure cuff being ripped open was next and I stuck my right arm out and up so that the other aid could place it around my arm.

While the blood pressure cuff was tightening the other aid placed the oximeter on my left index finger.  Once again I had the two items that I disliked the most on my body doing what they are supposed to be doing at the same time.  However, I was in no position to argue so I laid there and waited for the numbers to come off their respected instruments.  My oxygen flow was normal at 96% without any additional oxygen needed and my blood pressure was still being taken since the same scenario occurred as in the doctor’s office the cuff had to be tightened further than the initial setting.  180/120 was my first reading and when the aid told me what it was I said something to the effect of well at least it is consistent.  All initial measurements pointed to high blood pressure and a possible underlying heart problem stemming from some other unknown process occurring.  There was no hiding this fact from me since I had worked in the medical field for so long and knew what symptoms meant.

  

Bonnie came into the room and said that my parents were here and wondered when the nurses and aids would be done.  I really did not want to see them because I knew what they were going to say but I also knew that they would not stay too long since they were going to be picking up the girls soon.  So, the nurses let everyone in for a few minutes while they continued to decipher my doctor’s orders at the nurse’s station.  After a short visit dad wanted to pray before they left and after a short prayer they left the room and my admit process continued.  I tried to convince mom that I was ok and that everything was going to be fine, she did not buy it of course and told me to mind the nurses or she would come back and whip me into shape for them.

It was time to get the show on the road with the IV start.  I was informed from my nurse that it needed to be done pretty quickly since I would be heading to CT for a chest scan in a few minutes.  At first I did not know why my doctor was doing that but I quickly remembered that since some of the pain I had encompassed my entire chest all of this could be a PE instead of a heart attack.  My nurse then brought her IV tray and supplies into my room and sat them on my bedside tray.  She got all of the appropriate supplies needed and laid them next to me on the bed.  I looked at her and said “ouch” in a moderately loud voice which got her attention.  She looked at me and I said that I was just practicing and gave her a big smile.  She then asked me if she had the correct tubes for the lab work that had been ordered and I responded if they ordered admit cardiac labs then yes she did.

As my nurse placed the tourniquet around my right bicep, my aid began to take a long tube out from a plastic package.  I looked to see what kind of tube it was and immediately recognized it which I then protested in a moderate manner.  The nurse said that I knew it was coming and that it is standard procedure until the doctor deemed it unnecessary but until then I had to have it.  The aid plugged the cannula into the wall and turned the oxygen level to 2 liters.  She then placed the tube around my ears and put the cannula end into my nostrils.  She completed this task as my nurse was preparing my arm for the IV.  I was double teamed and there was nothing I could do about it.

I turned my head as my nurse began to stick the IV needle into my right arm.  It went in nice and smooth and I was nice and kept my mouth shut while she was completing her task.  She took the needle out and left the plastic sheath in my arm.  As she withdrew the needle blood began to flow from the tubing which meant that it was in a good spot.  She put a syringe on the end of the IV and drew back which brought blood into the syringe so that it could be transferred into the appropriate blood tubes for testing.  She took the syringe off and laid it on the bedside tray and then placed the cap on the end of the IV tubing.  She then undid the tourniquet and began the cleaning up process around the IV site.  She then placed tape around the site and asked if it was feeling ok to which I replied that it was fine.  She then took out another syringe and filled it with saline and flushed the IV to ensure that no clot was developing.

By the time my nurse had finished starting my IV it was time once again for my vitals to be checked, time flies when you are having fun passed through my mind so I voluntarily gave up certain parts of my body to get more bad news from automated instruments.  Not much had changed with my stats including my oxygen level and upon hearing what the results were of that test I began to lobby to have the cannula removed.  I knew that this was a mute point but I felt that it was a bit of tidiness that I could do without and I would eventually involuntarily win this argument after a while.  My blood pressure was continued in the danger zone and it seemed like it was not going to lower anytime soon unless some type of drug was administered.

Radiology was chomping at the bit for me and as soon as everyone got things cleaned up I found myself staring down another wheelchair ride.  Radiology was close to the lab which meant I had to ride down the main hallway once again but like all my other protests I asked if I could walk to the CT room but the radiology tech answered it best when he gave me a big smile said absolutely nothing in return concerning the matter, his point was made clear.  I sat up on the side of the bed and then I stood up and took off my oxygen cannula which was one of the real few times that I could actually do this step and not get yelled at for doing so.  I took a few steps towards the wheelchair and then turned around and sat down into the chair portion and raised my feet so that the tech could place the feet rests in their appropriate positions.

The tech told Bonnie that it would be about forty or forty five minutes for this procedure and that I would then be returned to my room.  He slowly backed me out of the room, turned me around and stopped to let the nurse’s station that he was taking me.  The slow ride began with a few words of chit chat along the way which eventually gave way to a heavy wooden door and behind this door was my tube that I was going to lay into for almost an hour.

It is human nature for us to believe that all is ok even when our ship is visibly sinking.  The waters continue to rise all around us but at the same time we can hear the house band still playing relaxing music within the center of our life.  All of us have been placed into this situation at least once during our lifetime and some of us many times throughout our life.  No matter what the circumstances might be or how we ended up with a sinking ship something along our voyage trouble presented itself and imminent danger for our survival surrounds our present position.

How many times has the captain of our watch tried to warn us, the ship, of the dangerous paths that we take and then ignore his warnings?  We cannot get any more specific than this type of example.  By the time we realize that the path that we have chosen to take has produced a serious course of events that pose a possible sinking of our lives.  Yes the known course and path of my life had already been played out through its creation but still the warning signs from the captain of the watch were ignored by the ship’s navigator.

Denial of the water rushing into your bowels from outside sources is not a response that is rational and neither is resisting the appropriate orders from the crew members which are in charge of making sure your safety is upheld at all times.  Crisis situations are not the time to try and to implement your own ideas of survival by bucking the standard rescue procedures.  These procedures are put into place by people who have experienced these types of conditions and have learned from these conditions and know how to react and save lives.

Lying and waiting around when the warning signs are being given is not the planned course of action.  God is always in direct communication with us concerning the dangers that are lurking around us but it is our own navigation that either heeds these warnings or ignores them and continues “steady as she goes”.  What consequences are we proving to ourselves when we ignore these warnings and what purpose does that course serve after our sides have been ripped into shreds by the obstacles of our enemy?  Our lives are divinely constructed to make a long journey in which it will encounter many things along the way, but still a captain of the watch is posted within our command center whose job it is to serve out warnings so that we may have the opportunity to make corrections before the destruction comes.

The journey will not be an easy one and it is our own course that we chose to follow, but God will never leave you nor will He abandon your ship when troubled waters arise.  However, if we are so blinded in setting our own course and not listen to the warnings we will damage ourselves to an extent that we will eventually need major repairs or we might even have to scuttle ourselves by the continued disregard of God’s warnings.  Our lives have a direct purpose and it is our responsibility to take heed of the opportunities that God gives us to avert the dangers that are ahead.  Yes, sometimes we will feel the bumps in our road and we may have to repair a few details but we need to understand that even while we are stopped for repairs God is still watching out for dangers ahead and giving us constant updates on our conditions.  Listen to these reports and further danger will be averted.

DLB

Part XIX to follow…..