...and the Beat Goes On....

So, here I am.  Sent home from the hospital with a heart that is working at less than half it's capacity.  Believe it or not, dying from this never really crossed my mind.  But I'm pretty sure that time was running out fairly fast at that time.  For the month of January I took alot of pills that were meant to keep cholesterol down and one that made it easier for my damaged heart to beat. 

Super Bowl Sunday was much like any other Sunday.  I think we had a few friends over to watch the game and after the game, we cleaned up and went to bed.  I was sleeping in a near sitting position at that time to keep my lungs from filling up with fluid.  About 1 in the morning I woke up with a heaviness in my chest.  The doctor told us that any kind of pressure or pain in my chest should be treated as a heart attack and I should go to the hospital immediately, and that's what we did.

Let me tell you right now that Stacy was at my side through this whole ordeal.  I believe it was harder on her than it was on me.  After all, I had drugs.  I don't believe I could have made it through this without her. We went to the emergency room and they admitted me immediately and sent me upstairs where they hooked me up with more wires than in my son's mouth.  I saw doctors and nurses and assistants and all kinds of hospital personnel including the hospital chaplain.  Dr. Castlemain ordered a "nuclear stress test" so they could stress my heart without killing me on a treadmill, as they and I believed, would be the outcome.

The doctor came back in and said "Good news!"  My heart started working some under stress, so he believed he could help me survive this with open heart surgery.  I said, "Let's do it",  knowing in the back of my mind that this was my only chance at survival.  I remained positive and upbeat the rest of that day so as to keep Stacy from totally freaking out, which I witnessed during the births of our children.  I would have my chest ripped open Tuesday morning at 7 am.  Dr. Castlemain would perform the surgery.  I consider him, to this day, as my personal angel.  You'll find out why when this continues next time.  Until then....

That is all....Peters out!!!