WHEW!!!

It's been over a month ago, my mom called me one Monday morning wanting the number for her cardiologists office. I asked her why and she said she thought she might have had a slight heart attack over the week end. I asked her all her symptoms and why she thought this, and from everything she told me, I had no reason to think any differently. I looked up the number for her and gave it to her, and she said she was going to call and see if she could get in. She hasn't been to her heart dr in years (she's not one of those good patients who goes every year like she's supposed to) so when she called they couldn't find her records anywhere. They looked for three days, and finally on Thursday they called and told her they could see her on Tuesday. She was relieved, but still not feeling well at all. She was having anxiety attacks, because she didn't want to be left alone, thinking something might happen to her while she was alone. So, on Sunday her and Dad came down to stay with us, so I would be with her. She was having a lot of pain in her arms, and her chest felt funny.

Tuesday I took her to the dr, and he told her she was going to have to have a heart cath on Friday to check and see if she had blockages. We left the office that day with two pages of prescriptions for her to take. So, we went to Wal-Mart to get those filled.

Wed. morning she got up and took her medicine and one of the pills she took made her very sick. She didn't get out of bed all day, and the pains in her arm and chest kept getting worse. I stayed home with her that night because she didn't feel like going to church, and I didn't want to leave her alone. While Brian, Dad, and the kids were gone to church, her pains kept getting more severe. I was kind of at a loss of what to do for her, because she wouldn't just let me take her to the hospital. The pains got so bad she finally took a nitroglycerin tablet. (Which she never takes, because she says she can handle the chest pain, better that the migraine it gives her.) After the nitro, she took an aspirin. Still no relief. FINALLY at about 10:00 I talked her in to going to the hospital.

I called Brian and Dad (they were still in town) and told them we were headed that way, and to meet us at the hospital. We got to the hospital, and since she was having chest pains they took her straight back. They got her hooked up to IV's and started running all kinds of test. They admitted her, and were going to go ahead and do her heart cath. on Thursday instead of Friday. I had called Cassie on the way to the hospital to let her know what was going on, so they headed this way. They got there before she was admitted. We stayed around until they admitted her, and got her settled in her room, and then we came home. It was about 2:00 or so.

I called a friend of mine on the way home and she told me to bring the kids over and she would watch them until I didn't need her any more. She was such a huge blessing to me during this time.

Brian had to get up and go to work, as usual. So, after I got him off to work, I stayed up and got my shower and got ready to go back to the hospital. Jack and Cassie had were staying the night with us, so we all went to the hospital together.

When we got there that morning, Mom was kinda out of it. She didn't look good at all. Dad said that the pain had gotten so severe in the night that they had to give her morphine. When she woke up she was still in a lot of pain, and they had to give her morphine a couple more times during the day. They set her heart cath. up for 3:00 that afternoon. So, we sat up at the hospital all day, just waiting.

My Aunt Peggy and Uncle Joe had come to be there for my dad. It was really good to get to see them and visit with them while we were waiting. We also got to go down to the cafeteria and have lunch with them.

About 2:00 that day, they came in and took her to surgery. We waited for what seemed like hours, but it was only about 20-30 min, and the nurse came out and told us that her stint had collapsed and he was putting in a new one, and she had another 80% blockage that they were going to dilate, and she should be out in just a bit. She wasn't back there for a full hour before he was done with the procedure. They called us back to the "consultation" room to tell us what all he had done. He showed us before and after pictures of her arteries. It was pretty cool! We got to walk back to her room with her, and they got her all settled back in. She had to lie flat on her back for hours before she could move her right leg where they had ran those wires up through her.

The men all went to eat, and Cassie and I stayed with mom. She slept most of the rest of the afternoon, and evening.

Brian got off work at 4:30, and ran to get the kids. He came home, showered, and then headed back up to the hospital. The kids got to see Nana and know that she was all bettered, and would be home the next day.

Mom got out of the hospital about 11:30 the next day, and they finally made it home about 4:00. She was exhausted. She was feeling great, with no pains, but just extremely tired. They stayed with us a little while after her surgery, because Dad didn't want to take her home and have to leave her by herself. In the next several days to follow they have been in and out of residence here, with post-op blood work, paper work, and finally yesterday a post-op visit. But with her post-op dr visit, I feel like we have finally come to the end of the journey. She is healthy again. If she continues to eat right she should stay that way for quite some time. All her paper work is done. (that I know of) And she's not worried to stay by herself, because she knows she's ok.

After the last several weeks, I think today was the first time I have sat down and took a sigh of relief, but when I looked around it looked like my house had imploded. We have been going, and going so much lately, I hadn't even stopped to realize what a disaster things had become. OH MY, and what a disaster it was. So today I spend the day trying to find my kitchen table and counter tops. I FOUND THEM. I was so happy to see them again. I cooked supper for the first time, in what seemed like months. So, I will go to bed tonight with a great sense of accomplishment. Not only for the house work I got done, but Courtney is done with her school work now, and I've got Bret on target to be done by next Wed. Brice and Carrie will both be done this week. WOO HOO!!!! Can't wait for summer break.

WHEW!!!