Heart Condition Part XXIV
11/01/12
It has been a while since I have completed an article about my heart condition. I apologize that there has been a gap in space with this story but I have been completing other projects that God has been showing me and needless to say I am still far behind in my writings. So, without any further delay, here is the next installment of Darin’s Heart Condition.
As the door closed behind the aide and I found the nasal cannula, I began to think about things that I had missed that might have prevented this current event from happening. But as I laid there in the bed I stopped and realized that everything that I had done up to this point was my choice and if I had the opportunity to do all of the things leading up to this point over again I probably would have done them the exact same way. But what was done was done and I now had to look forward to a few more procedures in the coming days, my only concerns now was which procedure or procedures I would have to complete.
I rolled over to my side and tried to clear my mind of the near future and focus on getting some rest for the next day. I did not take too long to fall asleep but my mind continued its thinking course and I really did not rest very well. The nursing staff came in a few more times during the next few hours to do their routine checks and no real deviances were noted during those checks. I was now beginning to wake up a bit more and once again reality hit me in the face when I saw the cardiopulmonary tech come into my room with the EKG instrument.
He quickly started in by saying that he heard a rumor that I was not behaving myself and that I needed another checkup to see what my heart was doing. I laughed and I had no idea what he was talking about but since I was in the bed and that he was bigger than me that I would cooperate quietly. The procedure did not take long at all and as the results printed out I caught a quick glimpse of the reading, which really did not show too much abnormal activity but there were a few changes that could have some significant meaning. I said thank you as he pulled off the patches from my skin and promised him I would not forget the way he pulled off those patches in a “friendly” manner. He too asked if there was anything that he could do and of course I said “no”. He then wished me luck and to keep him informed of what was going on and he then walked out the door.
By this time the halls were bustling with activity and many noises rang up and down the hall. I then heard another familiar voice somewhere close to my door, it was my doctor. He was asking questions about my night from those who took care of me through the evening. There really was not much to report since he had already heard of my late night lab results so he then asked to see the EKG report. Within a few minutes I heard his voice on the phone talking with another physician which meant that I was taking a ride soon, but I now wondered if it would be by helicopter or by bus. I had always wanted to ride in a helicopter but not a medical one so I had mixed emotions about that thought. But being in the medical field for a while I realized that if I was in bad shape I would have been out of there already so most likely my ride would be in the back of an ambulance.
I few minutes later my doctor walked in the room and immediately said that he had heard that I had caused a stir during the night and that I was being kicked out of the hospital. He knew that I would understand what he was telling me and that I would not take any offense to his way of telling me that I needed further procedures done that we could not provided for at our hospital. He then began to show me the EKG report and how some of the waves did not really look normal and that it could be a sign that some significant cardiac activity had taken place. At that time he could not say how much damage was done but he did indicate that it was affecting the left side of my heart and we did not want to play around with it too much longer.
Both sides of the heart are very important to the human body and both really need to be functioning at their best in order for us to keep up with our daily activities. If there is a more important side of the heart it would be the left side of the heart since it is mainly responsible for the movement of blood to and from the lungs. It is vital for the left side to be at the ready for this constant flow of blood and if anything goes wrong with this function, the entire body will be affected and cannot function in its full capacity. It is funny that even though many people who have heart attacks on the left side of the heart function at less than 100% and really do not feel their decline after their problem is fixed, as I would find out in a few days time.
After a few more questions and a quick listen to my heart and breathing sounds he sat on the side of the bed and began to tell me about the changes that I needed to make in order for me to have a bright future with my family. Most of the time my doctor was serious about things but in this instance his tone and demeanor were completely different in the fact that he wanted me to understand that the ballgame had changed and that I stepped up into another category and that my life was now dependent upon how I responded and changed things in my life. He made his point very clear and I told him that I understood what he was trying to get across to me and that I would do my best to change my activities and make my life healthier.
With that being said he officially told me that I was being transferred to the hospital in Grand Junction and to begin with performing a heart catheter procedure to see what was going on inside the vessels of my heart. He also stated again that he did not know to what extent of damage had occurred to my heart but at the same time he made it very clear to the cardiologist that I needed a heart catheter done immediately and really would not accept any answer than “ok” from him. So even though he did not come out and say I was about to have a major blowout, I could sense in his tone that I was a time bomb waiting to explode and he did not me to have to wait around a couple of days to get this completed. He then asked if I had any questions before he signed my discharge paperwork and at that time I had no real questions since my mind had not been able to completely process all of the information just yet.
A few minutes after the doctor left the nurse parade began with my night nurse telling me goodbye and that she would be looking forward in seeing my face roaming the halls again soon. She gave me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek and once again asked if I needed anything. I thanked her for everything that she had done throughout the night and not to worry about me that I would be doing what she told me to do in the halls. I also told her that I did not need anything right at that moment and with that she turned and walked out of the room for the last time of the early morning. Soon afterwards my day time nurse showed up in my room with another checklist for me to fill out so that I could legally be transferred to Grand Junction; gotta luv paperwork huh.
Bonnie soon came into the room and a few seconds later the girls showed up as well. They had to stop and see everyone at the nurse’s desk before coming into the room, everyone loved those two. Tatem came in as well but really was more concerned about me than others in the area so the two girls were in good hands at the desk for a few moments. I quickly told Bonnie what was going on and what the plan of attack was going to be. She then decided to call mom and dad and let them know of the goings on and then called my brother shortly afterwards to inform him as well. She had taken care of the information to the family within a few short minutes and had everything lined out before I knew what was happening.
After a few minutes of filling out the paperwork and having Bonnie check it over to see that I did it correctly, she decided to take the girls to their respective schools and then grab a few things from the house to take up to Grand Junction. According to my doctor if everything went smoothly and only a heart catheter procedure was in order I would be home in a few days at the most and that my road to recovery could then begin at home. So with this knowledge Bonnie would only have to bring a few things up with her for both of us, since I would still be dressed in a lovely hospital gown for the majority of my stay in Junction.
My nurse came in to inform me that the transfer ambulance had been dispatched out to my room and that it would be few minutes before they arrived but some things had to be unhooked before I could leave. My paperwork was completed and I then handed it over to the nurse who then took it to the nurse’s desk. She immediately came back in with the aide and they began to go through their own discharge checklist, which was kind of cumbersome to me but when I look back at that process now every point taken was necessary for my departure. Bonnie said that she was leaving and I gave her and all my girls a hug and a kiss and told them that I loved them and that everything would be fine. One of the girls asked if they would be able to see me that night and I told all of them that we will see how things go but I don’t think that would be a problem.
All the girls scattered into the hall and I told Bonnie that I was fine and that she needed to get going if she was going to get them all where they needed to be without them being late. As she was leaving the room I told her that she made sure to tell Pastor Lee what was going on as well. As she left the room the nurses returned to their checklist and continued their poking and prodding to make sure I was fit enough for travel. I just laid there in my bed and did what I was told when asked. Another nurse came in and handed me a small paper cup with a couple of pills in them and said that I needed to take them before I left. No better time than the present I thought so down they went without any problems. My IV was unplugged from the wall and my nurse asked if I needed to go to the bathroom before things became interesting to which I obliged.
There really was not much that I could do in the bathroom since all of my belongings had been taken by Bonnie. So, I just washed my face, arms and hands with warm water and then dried myself with the towel. I then walked out of the bathroom and placed myself back on the bed and remained on the side of my bed until the aide came in to take my final set of vital signs before the ambulance arrived. Before she could finish her tasks a knock on the door occurred and it slowly opened with another familiar face coming through the portal. It was the captain of my ambulance ride and he came in to ask if I was ready to bust this place. I laughed and said I guess so and then told him I was not too thrilled about the place that we were going to however.
I had now come to the realization that my life had taken a dramatic turn and that I was going to have to make some major decisions of how I was going to live my life. I also knew that I had no idea of what damage had been done to my heart and did not know just what I could ever do again on a physical basis. My future choices could be very limited or no limitations what-so-ever, or even somewhere in-between. I did know that it would not be too much longer before I would find out my fate.
I was not mad at the world or even myself. I knew that I had lived a good life and that if major changes were called for that I would eventually make them and carry on with what was left of my life. I knew I had a responsibility to my family and that I would do whatever necessary for them to be taken care of as long as I could. But for this moment I had to wait and see what the answers to those questions would prove to be which I was vastly becoming anxious to find out about.
DLB
No comments:
Post a Comment