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Near Death Experience
September 14, 2006
Well I had a long and pretty boring post planned for last Thursday when Friday my world got flipped upside down and is just starting to settle down. The story starts two weeks ago. My husband started feeling a little sick. He has a history of bronchitis. He gets it every fall and spring. We assumed it was that. He started feeling a little better and didn't worry anymore then he got an earache. The next day he went to the dr and he said it was bronchitis and an ear infection. On Friday Mike was extremely short of breath and could not carry on a conversation with out stopping to try to catch his breath. He called our Dr but he was out of the office and wouldn't be in until 1 they suggested he go to the ER. I am glad her did. The found out he had paricarditis. His was caused by a virus that caused inflammation and the inflammation caused fluid build up and the fluid put his heart under serious pressure. When they finally did surgery on Monday morning he had 600 cc of fluid, which is more than 3 times the amount needed to KILL a person. His heart was hardly able to beat. I had no idea how serious it was. I drove up behind the ambulance (they transported him to one of the top 50 heart hospitals) were there from Friday until Wednesday. I stayed in the hospital and slept on a fold out bed beside him. I had no idea that my husband was dying. I am so grateful that he is doing better. He is still in pain due to the recovery and the chest tube that stayed in after the surgery. I have never in my life been more scared. Mike's uncle is a surgeon and he has performed the surgery that Mike had on hundreds of occasions so he knew what was going on but he was nice enough not to tell me. I tend to get hysterical when it comes to my family so I am grateful that I didn't know. As it was I just turned on my nursing assistant hat and took care of him the best I could. The actual aides were happy because I helped him to the bathroom and wrote down his input and output so they could just relax until it was time for vitals. Mikes uncle waited with me while the Dr explained everything that happened during the surgery. I was again grateful because he asked all the questions that I didn't know to ask.
Our Primary Care Dr's Office staff didn't tell him that the ER called to see what hospital they wanted him sent to. So he had no idea that Mike was in the hospital. He called after the surgery to talk about getting his short-term disability papers done when the staff gave Mike a hard time. They did get Mike's number but when the Dr called Mike was busy so I took the call and the dr was like "Why can't he work" so I had to start the whole story over again. The Dr was 1. Amazed he was alive, and 2. Concerned that people had explained to me what was going on I said they had finally told me the severity of the situation. We really do have a great Dr I love him dearly. He is great but his staff is not that great. They are mostly friendly but they can be a pain if you need anything done. I will eventually get around to posting that boring post but right now I am really tired and trying to rest.
He can't do anything including work or drive for a month until the cardiologist and surgeon check him out. Poor baby is really bored. He hates TV so he has been crocheting and he is so sick of it. While in the hospital he made bird houses for two of his nurses and a floppy hat for the other.
Oh I forgot to mention that my mom spent the entire time I was at the hospital with Mike here at home watching the girls and making sure that they had their regular routine and that Abbey made it to school and did her homework. I cannot say how happy I am that she could do that. I know that made the girls lives easier they didn't have to worry about where they would be on top of what is happening with daddy. Although when I got home both girls attacked me with hugs and kisses. I had never been away from them longer than a night. I missed them so much.
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