This past Monday (6/15/2009) my mom started experiencing a burning sensation in her jaw and neck. She woke my dad and asked him to take her to the hospital. He did (after taking a shower first). When my mom describe her symptoms, they rushed her back to run the gambit of test for her heart. Oh, let's see if I can remember them all.
1. She had a heart cath: A thin hollow flexible tube is inserted in the artery by the groin.
Pressure was measured and an x-ray angiogram movie of the heart and blood vessels are taken. They inject a "dye" through the catheter to make the arteries visible on the x-ray movie. I was surprised that they keep you awake for this one!2. Ultrasounds on her heart and legs.
3. TEE (trans-thoracic echocardiogram)
Mom said the TEE was torturous! She said the tub going in wasn't that bad, but then the doctor asked her to cough. That is when the gag reflex kicked in and 2 nurses had to hold her down as she thrashed around til the doctor pulled it out. It is, of course, completely normal. Who wouldn't gag and thrash.
I'm sure there's more, but this is me so what do you expect.
With these procedures, they were able to see that my mom had a small heart attack in her right ventricle. The cause of the heart attack was a blood clot found in a vein at the base of her heart. Her arteries are otherwise clean; no plaque. She does have slightly high cholesterol, so the doctor proscribed her some meds for that and blood thinners. Also, they gave her nitroglycerin tablets to carry around with her. If she develops the same symptoms (burning sensation of jaw and throat.) She is suppose to take up to 3. If after three, the symptoms don't go away, then she is to go to the ER.
So that is the facts of it all, here is how it all went down on my end. My dad called me Monday morning at 9:35 to tell me something was wrong with mom and that she is with the doctors in the ER. I spent the morning waiting, worrying and praying (kids included). My dad told me they might put in a stint. If they did, there is a risk of a heart attack during the procedure. Later, he calls me and tells me she had a heart attack. For you Facebookers, you will remember I thought she got a heart attack from the stint. I was wrong and didn't know the full story til I drove to Wausau, to visit my mom. There, I got the info from the horses mouth, ie, my mom.
I left, Tuesday afternoon with the kids for Wausau. I drove to my sister's new house, dropped off the dog and kids with Laura's mother-in-law, Carla. The kids were just too antsy to visit grandma in the hospital. I got the blessed opportunity to meet the male nurse who talked too much and butted in on our conversations. I mean, the man well meaning, but he was just too much.
The next day was Wednesday, check out day. Mom was so eager to get out of the hospital. Plus, Laura was having an ultrasound that day and mom wanted to tag along. I met mom at the hospital just before she left with Laura, because I was in charge of gathering the massive amount of flowers people had brought her in the hospital. She got so many complements and comments on the numerous flowers she received. One nurse asked her how long she had been there and was shock when my mom told her two days.
After dropping the flowers off at mom and dad's house I met them, laura, Jeremy, and Carla, at Buffalo Wild Wings were we all learned that Laura is having a girl, Sydney Mae. Yay!!!
I am so glad I went up there. Not only did I get to see the ultrasound pictures right away, I was able to help my mom out a little. Some of you may already know that my mom is not one for sitting down. She is persistently on the move and has a million projects she is doing or wants to do. Telling her she can't lift anything over 5 lbs for 48 hours is equivalent to torture. But, that was the doctor's orders, so she had to allow me to things for her like plant the flowers she got while in the hospital in her garden (at least the ones that were potted) from and do laundry. Luckily, my aunt Jackie cleans her house every Monday, so she doesn't need to worry about that. I just wish I could have gotten her lawn mowed, but we ran out of time. I'm hoping my brother or dad will take care of that.
I can't believe how fast the time went. Mom is going back to work next Monday already. I wish could be up there longer to help her more. She isn't suppose to lift anything over 10 lbs for the next month. Yeah, I give her a week.
During my visit I made note of several things. One, my mom is proof that a life serving others is a blessing with rich returns. The day after she is out of the hospital she is having me take individual pictures of the flowers she received, so she can make personal "thank yous." Her mind was yet again on others. She saw how many people called her, sent her cards, and gifts. I could see she was blown away and yet she says, "oh, don't waste your money." I think it did her good to see that she was so loved. I know it was a testimony I won't forget, and that's saying something. The second thing I noticed was, the power of prayer. When I heard my mom's health was in jeopardy, I logged on to Facebook and pleaded for prayer on her behalf. I'm so thankful for all who lifted her life up before the Lord. Most had never met my mother or barely knew her! While I was driving up to Wausau, I did have a sense of calm wave over me. I just knew that things were going to be okay. Finally three, God is good. Oh, I've known that for awhile now, but it was nice to be reminded.
Mom's little scare helped her (and me) see the need to slow down, enjoy life a little more, stop stressing so much about little things, cherish those you love and allow other to serve you so they can be so blessed. Now, hopefully she will heed the Lord's little tap on the shoulder and gather the blessings He wishes to lavish on her.
