Heart Attack
It was not a typical Sunday. It was the first Sunday in months that I was not scheduled to be on worship team, so I was still home at a time when I am usually already at church, practicing. I was just about ready to take the kids with me to Sunday School, when Bill came into the bedroom and laid down on the bed. He said he wasn't feeling well. When I asked what was wrong, he said that his chest and upper back were hurting, and his left hand was tingling. He thought maybe he had hurt himself during his early morning workout. He also said that he wasn't having a heart attack. I probably raised my eyebrows.
Bill is in excellent shape, because he works out several times a week, eats healthy foods most of the time, and has lost more than fifty pounds in recent years. Although Bill's symptoms were classic, they were not severe. He was not ready to admit that he needed to get to the hospital. I said a quick prayer for guidance, told Bill to call 911 if his symptoms got worse, then drove the kids to church. When I returned a little while later, Bill was feeling about the same. He had researched his symptoms online while I was gone, and conceded that we had better head to the hospital to rule out a heart attack, even though it meant delaying our plans to drive across northern Nebraska that afternoon to attend my aunt's memorial service on Monday. Before we left for the hospital, he took some Excedrin, which was the only form of aspirin we had at home.
Bill let me drive him to the hospital. I don't remember the last time he let me drive him anywhere.
I dropped him off at the emergency entrance, then went to park the car. By the time I walked into the hospital a couple of minutes later, he had already been whisked back into a room. I was impressed with the speed at which the emergency room staff assessed the situation, gave him some more aspirin, started an IV, and hooked up the EKG machine. The first EKG was normal. The second was not. Bill just stared at the doctor in disbelief when he told him he was having a heart attack.
Within a couple of minutes, that tiny room was crammed with medical personnel who did their jobs efficiently, with great precision. In just a few more minutes, the helicopter personnel arrived to take Bill to Loveland, Colorado to the Medical Center of the Rockies, which has an excellent cardiac unit. We were at the hospital in Scottsbluff for less than forty-five minutes. Then, Bill was airlifted to the heart center, and I headed home to make arrangements to join him in Loveland.
Bill's sister, JoAnn, volunteered to drive me to the hospital in Loveland, which is a couple of hours away by car. Meagan and Andy agreed to look after Victoria and Levi for as long as necessary.
Bill did not realize just how many hundreds of people were praying for him that day.
On Monday, Bill had an angiogram to assess his heart for damage and make any needed repairs. Before surgery, he bet his nurse ten dollars that he would not need to have a stent. He needed two. He was dismissed on Tuesday morning. When we arrived back home that afternoon, Bill headed right over to the high school track to deliver some equipment his vaulters needed, and to reassure them that he was going to be okay. He didn't stay long.
Bill went back to work on Wednesday, but he did come home for a nap part way through the day. He has complained about the medications he has to be on, some for a few months, and one or two others for the rest of his life. Other than taking the meds, Bill does not have to make any significant lifestyle changes, because he had already done that in hopes of preventing a heart attack.
I can see so many ways that God was looking after Bill. He had that heart attack at home on a rare Sunday when I was at home, too. He was not traveling or working through his discomfort. We were not yet driving across the no-man's-land of northern Nebraska, as we had planned to do that day, so we were within easy reach of excellent medical care. Our whole family was already packed for a trip, so it took me very little time to get ready to go. Specifically, the kids' meds were packed and ready--that's a job that usually takes some time. And, my sister-in-law was the perfect travel companion, because she had spent several days in Loveland with Bill's Dad a few years ago, when he had heart bypass surgery at the same heart center. She knew what to expect at the hospital, and she was already well-acquainted with the community.
The clot-busters that Bill was given at the Scottsbluff hospital did their job so well that Bill's heart has no lasting damage. Bill's heart cath was administered with a brand new procedure, through a tiny incision in his wrist, which prevented the longer, more painful recovery period which is typical when the incision has to be made in the groin. Because Bill had already made several lifestyle changes, he undoubtedly prevented an earlier heart attack, or a more severe one. And, since he paid attention to his body and, perhaps, to his wife, he received the medical care he needed before lasting damage occurred.
We have many reasons to be thankful.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
Bill is in excellent shape, because he works out several times a week, eats healthy foods most of the time, and has lost more than fifty pounds in recent years. Although Bill's symptoms were classic, they were not severe. He was not ready to admit that he needed to get to the hospital. I said a quick prayer for guidance, told Bill to call 911 if his symptoms got worse, then drove the kids to church. When I returned a little while later, Bill was feeling about the same. He had researched his symptoms online while I was gone, and conceded that we had better head to the hospital to rule out a heart attack, even though it meant delaying our plans to drive across northern Nebraska that afternoon to attend my aunt's memorial service on Monday. Before we left for the hospital, he took some Excedrin, which was the only form of aspirin we had at home.
Bill let me drive him to the hospital. I don't remember the last time he let me drive him anywhere.
I dropped him off at the emergency entrance, then went to park the car. By the time I walked into the hospital a couple of minutes later, he had already been whisked back into a room. I was impressed with the speed at which the emergency room staff assessed the situation, gave him some more aspirin, started an IV, and hooked up the EKG machine. The first EKG was normal. The second was not. Bill just stared at the doctor in disbelief when he told him he was having a heart attack.
Within a couple of minutes, that tiny room was crammed with medical personnel who did their jobs efficiently, with great precision. In just a few more minutes, the helicopter personnel arrived to take Bill to Loveland, Colorado to the Medical Center of the Rockies, which has an excellent cardiac unit. We were at the hospital in Scottsbluff for less than forty-five minutes. Then, Bill was airlifted to the heart center, and I headed home to make arrangements to join him in Loveland.
Bill's sister, JoAnn, volunteered to drive me to the hospital in Loveland, which is a couple of hours away by car. Meagan and Andy agreed to look after Victoria and Levi for as long as necessary.
Bill did not realize just how many hundreds of people were praying for him that day.
On Monday, Bill had an angiogram to assess his heart for damage and make any needed repairs. Before surgery, he bet his nurse ten dollars that he would not need to have a stent. He needed two. He was dismissed on Tuesday morning. When we arrived back home that afternoon, Bill headed right over to the high school track to deliver some equipment his vaulters needed, and to reassure them that he was going to be okay. He didn't stay long.
Bill went back to work on Wednesday, but he did come home for a nap part way through the day. He has complained about the medications he has to be on, some for a few months, and one or two others for the rest of his life. Other than taking the meds, Bill does not have to make any significant lifestyle changes, because he had already done that in hopes of preventing a heart attack.
I can see so many ways that God was looking after Bill. He had that heart attack at home on a rare Sunday when I was at home, too. He was not traveling or working through his discomfort. We were not yet driving across the no-man's-land of northern Nebraska, as we had planned to do that day, so we were within easy reach of excellent medical care. Our whole family was already packed for a trip, so it took me very little time to get ready to go. Specifically, the kids' meds were packed and ready--that's a job that usually takes some time. And, my sister-in-law was the perfect travel companion, because she had spent several days in Loveland with Bill's Dad a few years ago, when he had heart bypass surgery at the same heart center. She knew what to expect at the hospital, and she was already well-acquainted with the community.
The clot-busters that Bill was given at the Scottsbluff hospital did their job so well that Bill's heart has no lasting damage. Bill's heart cath was administered with a brand new procedure, through a tiny incision in his wrist, which prevented the longer, more painful recovery period which is typical when the incision has to be made in the groin. Because Bill had already made several lifestyle changes, he undoubtedly prevented an earlier heart attack, or a more severe one. And, since he paid attention to his body and, perhaps, to his wife, he received the medical care he needed before lasting damage occurred.
We have many reasons to be thankful.
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19
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