Sheer Heart Attack, Pure Cardiac!
Forty two years old.
Six foot, one inch tall.
Two hundred three pounds.
Not old, overweight, or out of shape...
But Friday night, I had a heart attack. At the age of 42. Whew.
It was an interesting story, so tag along for the instant replay if you'd like.
Friday
4:00pm: I arrive at work within spitting distance of KCI Airport. Everythings normal. I get a cup of coffee and proceed to a 4:30 meeting with a co-worker.
5:00pm: While the co-worker and I are talking, I notice a "tightness" in my chest. I don't think much of it since it is pretty much the same feeling I get with my occasional acid reflux.
5:30pm: Meeting is wrapping up and the "tightness" has changed to "pressure". I'm sure it's acid reflux and wonder when the burn will kick in. I also mentally kick myself for not having any antacids on hand.
5:45pm - 6:25pm: Sitting at my workstation, I notice the "pressure" is starting to travel. It's still in my chest, but is moving into my left shoulder and arm. I'm still waiting for the expected burn to kick in.
6:30pm: The "pressure" in my chest/left shoulder/arm is now almost what can be described best as a "squeezing/crushing" sensation. I start thinking, this might not be acid reflux.
6:40pm: I can't stand the sensation in my left shoulder. While my chest still feels like it is being squeezed, my shoulder and arm are beginning to throb with minor pain. This is the moment when "HEART ATTACK" flashes across the big screen TV in my head!
6:45pm: I get up and walk around my work area... maybe I just need to get my arm moving a little. I rotate my arm at the shoulder... like you would spinning a bucket of water to show someone the science of centrifugal force... hoping it will help. Surprise, it didn't do a damn thing other than make my arm tired.
6:55pm: I decide. Yep. It's a HEART ATTACK. Gotta be. I've watched enough Discovery Health Channel "Paramedics" and "The Critical Hour" to diagnose pretty much anything. So, yeah. It's a HEART ATTACK.
7:15pm: Twenty minutes later I decide I should probably go to a hospital, so I inform my co-workers. Do I call for an ambulance? NO. Do I ask them to call an ambulance for me? NO. I announce I will drive myself to the nearest hospital.... one question though... where is it? See, I live Olathe. I'm not from the great free and independant state of North of The River. I know where NW 112th St. is, and the exits southbound of there. My co-workers (being the helpful bunch they are) inform me that St. Lukes Hospital is on NW Barry Rd... just two exits south of here. Probably at worst a 10 minute drive if I push my car there.
7:20pm: I announce to my co-workers that yes, I will go to St. Lukes. I tell them I will call from the ER to let them know how things are going.
7:25 pm: I begin the approximately 5 mile drive to St. Lukes.
8:00pm: Yep, 35 minutes later! I arrive at.... Olathe Medical Center at 151st St. 40 mile drive. As I drove towards Barry Rd. I decided that if this really is a HEART ATTACK, I'd be staying in the hospital at least overnight, so why not be closer to home? I just kept going past the Barry Rd. exit.
8:01pm: As I am walking towards the ER door, I call my wifes cell phone. It goes to voice mail. This isn't something you can leave as a voice mail message, so I hang up.
8:15pm: Since there was no one in the ER at OMC, I was quickly taken to an ER exam room and hooked up to a heart monitor. My heart rate was within normal standards, my blood pressure was not. 239 over 150. Yep. Stage Two Hypertension, the highest rating of High Blood Pressure. The low range for stage two is 160 over 100. When I do something, I go all out. No half assed Stage one, or even prehypertension for me.
8:20pm: IV drip of Nitroglycerin, to bring my blood pressure down, put into my left arm at the inside bend of my elbow. I hate needles. The nurse assures me it's not a "needle". It's a very small hard plastic tube... but it feels like a NEEDLE!
8:45pm: By now I have answered the following questions about 12 times each -
1. Do you smoke? Yes, a pack a day.
2. Do you drink? Yes, beer. If I had to average it out, maybe 2 or 3 a day
(although I don't drink every day).
3. Do you have a family history of heart problems? No.
4. Do you have a history of high blood pressure? I would have to go to the doctor
regualarly to know that... I hate doctors.
5. Do you use street drugs? No.
6. Are you allergic to... I stop them mid sentence and repeat the answer to question
number four.
7. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst, what would rate the pain? Six.
9:00pm: I've been on a gradually increasing dosage of IV Nitroglycerin for about 40 minutes. Nothing changes. They ask if I'd like morphine... HELL YEAH!
9:10pm: I hear my cellphone ring. It's the distinctive ring of my wife calling me. My cellphone is in my jacket. My jacket is on a chair about 10 feet away. I am connected to several machines via wires glued to my chest. I decide it's best to just let it ring and go to voice mail. A nurse arrives a minute later and checks my blood pressure... NO CHANGE. I ask if I can use a telephone to call my wife to let her in on the fun I am having. The nurse gives me the phone and leaves.
9:13pm: "Hi honey, it's me. I'm not at work. But don't worry... I'm ok. I'm at the ER in the Olathe Medical Center... I might be having a heart attack". Her reply: "How did you get from work to Olathe?". "I drove". BOOM. Fireworks. I told her everything was fine and she didn't need to come to the ER. She wouldn't be denied. "I'll be right there".
9:35pm: My wife arrives. Followed shortly by my step daughter and her boyfriend Steve. Steve... wow. Steve had called me around 7pm on my cellphone while I was at work. We were discussing "Boys Night Out", where we go out and drink, play pool, and toss some darts. We had set up the week before for it to be tomorrow (Saturday night). I didn't mention to him earlier that I wasn't feeling well (is that a valid description for a HEART ATTACK?), but said "Sounds good... we'll firm things up tomorrow". Hmmmm, not looking good for Boys Night Out.
9:50pm: The doctor informs me that he is going to admit me because, "Mr. McBride, you've probably suffered a minor heart attack (he says it so matter of factly... not like HEART ATTACK). We also haven't been able to get your blood pressure to come down. I'm not happy. Have I mentioned that I hate doctors? I hate hospitals just as much... maybe more, because they have lots of doctors. My wife convinces me to shut the hell up and do what the doctor says.
10:35pm: While still laying in a bed, and with electrodes still running from my chest to monitoring devices, I am wheeled to the Critical Care Unit. With the exception of the now number 5 rated pain in my chest and left side, I feel great. Why am I going to CCU? Ahhhh, so the nurses can mess with me every 10 minutes. Wake up... time to take your blood pressure.
11:15pm: I am in my hospital johnny, open in the back. The nurse is placing the stethescope all over me... my stomach rumbles. I haven't eaten since lunch time (1:30pm). I beg for food. The nurse informs me that since I will be having a CT scan and a trip to the "Cath Lab" in the morning that I shouldn't eat. I beg. My wife begs... she knows I get real cranky when I'm hungry. The nurse gives me Jello. Oh boy! Jello. Well, it actually hit the spot. I've never tasted better Jello in my entire life!
Saturday
Midnight-4:00am: The nurse faithfully wakes me up (like I was really sleeping!) every ten minutes to check vital signs. Jeez... you'd think all the electronics I am hooked up to would suffice. But nope, it's a power thing. By 4am I am SUPER CRANKY. My blood pressure hasn't come down enough, and they keep increasing the dosage of Nitroglycerin being pumped into me. I wonder "just how much can they put in me before I explode?". The nurse decides to let me get some actual sleep and doesn't wake me up again for two hours.
6:00am: The nurse wakes me up. "It's 6am, I let you sleep a couple hours and really increased your nitro drip... how do you feel?" WOW. No pain in my chest. No pain in my shoulder. No pain in my arm. "Pretty good... well except for a splitting headache". The nurse informs me that the headache is a side effect of large amounts of Nitroglycerin. I figure it's got to be close to the amount it takes to blow a person up. But then I remember that my 4am "number 5" pain rating is gone. It's a ZERO now. "I feel so much better, can I go home now?" Nope. I get prepped for my visit to the "Cath Lab". The nurse shaves the groin area (where the leg meets the body) on my right side. How embarassing! I knew I should have shaved it the day before... but I hate shaving.
7:15am: No breakfast for me. I've got a busy schedule! First up... CT Scan. I get wheeled down to the CT room. It's cold. I love it. The technician informs me that they will be injected me with a substance that will give me a "warm sensation over your entire body, and a metallic taste in your mouth". I ask "how big is the needle?". No needle... well not really. They inject it into the IV line that I've had in my left arm since 8:15pm the previous night. OH JOY! The technician starts the injection.... HOLY COW. I feel warm. The first place I feel the warmth is... my butt. That can't be right, can it? But it quickly spreads, so I figure I didn't just shit on the gurney. The CT Scan goes well. I have minor heart damage. Very minor. The "Cath Lab" will be better able to access and repair the damage though.
7:40am: Off to the "Cath Lab". Interesting place, the Cath Lab. It's extremely cold. I like cool tempatures, but this place was downright freezing. I get placed on a table that had to have been built for "stick people". Now, I'm not a wide person, but lying on my back I couldn't even put my arms down on the table. That is one very narrow table. The 3 nurses in the room inform me that the doctor is on his way, probably just stopped at Starbucks. Oooooooooooooooooo, coffee. I want some coffee SO BAD. Being originally from the northeast, I'm not a fan of Starbucks (I'm a DD person)... but in this case I'd drink anything! One of the nurses pulls back my hospital johnny to reveal the area the catheter will be inserted into. The same area the CCU nurse had shaved only an hour ago. Nurse says, "Not a very good shave job, we'll have to shave more". Must have been some 5 o'clock shadow growing in. I try to make small talk. "Sure is cold in here". Upon hearing that, another nurse starts draping HOT blankets on me! Hot and cold at the same time. Weird sensation. One of the nurses explains the procedure to me while administering the local anesthetic and injecting me (using the damn IV in my arm) with a general sedative. She says that some people fall asleep during the procedure.... zzzzzzzzzz, I guess I am one of them. I open my eyes in what seems to be seconds later, and ask when we'll be getting started. A male voice (the doctor) informs me that they are almost done. I turn my head to the left and notice the monitor has a black and white version of my heart and blood vessels on it. Way cool! The doctor points out one "branch vein" in my heart, showing me the blockage. "It's a minor vein, and we won't even be ballooning it". Next thing I know the procedure is complete and I'm being wheeled out of the Cath Lab. My wife is standing outside the door waiting for me... I'm still a bit groggy from the sedative.
9:00am: I'm finally in the general population of the ill. I am put into a two person room, but the other guy is being discharged around noon. The nurse for this area puts new chest monitor leads on me, and hooks me up to a cordless transmitter! Cool! Now they can monitor my heart rate without me being physically attached to a machine. The nurses will be checking my blood pressure and the bandage on my groin every hour, on the hour. They give me a small card to put in my wallet. I have to carry it for ninety days. It explains that I have a "Angio-Seal Vascular Closure Device" in my femoral artery. The device has three absorbable components: an anchor deployed inside the femoral artery, a small collagen sponge positioned on the outside wall of the artery, and a suture trimmed below the skin. It's a plug for the hole they put in the artery, and it dissolves over a period of ninety days. Ain't technology great?
Noon: I finally get a meal! It aint great, but I'm starving. I talk to the nurse about getting out of here. She says it could be as late as Tuesday when they release me. NO WAY. This is Saturday... tomorrow is Sunday... I MUST watch my beloved New England Patriots play football, and I'm sure the hospital doesn't spring for DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket. I tell her that I'll be leaving tomorrow, before noon time.
Not much happens between then and Sunday. I have visitors, I get calls from my family in Atlanta. I get to eat more food. So lets skip to Sunday.
Sunday
6:00am: The nurse wakes me up to take my BP and check my groin. Both are in good shape. She tells me breakfast will be at around 8am. I ask her "What time does the doctor do rounds"? She informs me that since it's the weekend he could be in at anytime... including later in the afternoon which is normal on Sunday. Whoooooo Nelly. I remind her of my committment to be sitting on MY OWN couch at 12:00 noon for kickoff of the Patriots vs Dolphins game. I explain that if the doctor isn't here by 11am, bring me an "Against Medical Advice" discharge form. She says she will.
9:15am: DOCTOR walks into my room! The doctor checks me out, and gives me the doctor schpeil... "Stop smoking" "Exercise" he explains about the drugs he's going to be prescribing for me. By 9:35 he's done talking and says I can go home once his own nurse (not the floor nurse) checks me out. He says she'll be in before 11am so I can make my game.
9:40am: I go into the bathroom and pull the damn electrode thingys off of my chest. That sticky glue they adhere with is giving me red marks and it itches.
9:42am: Floor nurse walks in and grabs the heart monitor and says I have to keep the electrodes on until discharged. Dammit! She hooks me back up, but only puts on 4 of the 8 possible leads. She knows I don't like being there.
10:25am: The doctors nurse comes in and gives me my 'scripts for cholestoral lowering and adrenalin reducement. She explains that with the cath/groin hole, I can't take a bath for 2 weeks, but showers are ok. Well that's good. I can't remember the last time I actually took a bath. I don't know any men who do. It's showers for the real men of the world.
11:24am: I sign all the discharge papers, and walk out of the Olathe Medical Center.
The Patriots beat the Dolphins by the way. I had a beer in my hand while I watched it.
Life is good.
Six foot, one inch tall.
Two hundred three pounds.
Not old, overweight, or out of shape...
But Friday night, I had a heart attack. At the age of 42. Whew.
It was an interesting story, so tag along for the instant replay if you'd like.
Friday
4:00pm: I arrive at work within spitting distance of KCI Airport. Everythings normal. I get a cup of coffee and proceed to a 4:30 meeting with a co-worker.
5:00pm: While the co-worker and I are talking, I notice a "tightness" in my chest. I don't think much of it since it is pretty much the same feeling I get with my occasional acid reflux.
5:30pm: Meeting is wrapping up and the "tightness" has changed to "pressure". I'm sure it's acid reflux and wonder when the burn will kick in. I also mentally kick myself for not having any antacids on hand.
5:45pm - 6:25pm: Sitting at my workstation, I notice the "pressure" is starting to travel. It's still in my chest, but is moving into my left shoulder and arm. I'm still waiting for the expected burn to kick in.
6:30pm: The "pressure" in my chest/left shoulder/arm is now almost what can be described best as a "squeezing/crushing" sensation. I start thinking, this might not be acid reflux.
6:40pm: I can't stand the sensation in my left shoulder. While my chest still feels like it is being squeezed, my shoulder and arm are beginning to throb with minor pain. This is the moment when "HEART ATTACK" flashes across the big screen TV in my head!
6:45pm: I get up and walk around my work area... maybe I just need to get my arm moving a little. I rotate my arm at the shoulder... like you would spinning a bucket of water to show someone the science of centrifugal force... hoping it will help. Surprise, it didn't do a damn thing other than make my arm tired.
6:55pm: I decide. Yep. It's a HEART ATTACK. Gotta be. I've watched enough Discovery Health Channel "Paramedics" and "The Critical Hour" to diagnose pretty much anything. So, yeah. It's a HEART ATTACK.
7:15pm: Twenty minutes later I decide I should probably go to a hospital, so I inform my co-workers. Do I call for an ambulance? NO. Do I ask them to call an ambulance for me? NO. I announce I will drive myself to the nearest hospital.... one question though... where is it? See, I live Olathe. I'm not from the great free and independant state of North of The River. I know where NW 112th St. is, and the exits southbound of there. My co-workers (being the helpful bunch they are) inform me that St. Lukes Hospital is on NW Barry Rd... just two exits south of here. Probably at worst a 10 minute drive if I push my car there.
7:20pm: I announce to my co-workers that yes, I will go to St. Lukes. I tell them I will call from the ER to let them know how things are going.
7:25 pm: I begin the approximately 5 mile drive to St. Lukes.
8:00pm: Yep, 35 minutes later! I arrive at.... Olathe Medical Center at 151st St. 40 mile drive. As I drove towards Barry Rd. I decided that if this really is a HEART ATTACK, I'd be staying in the hospital at least overnight, so why not be closer to home? I just kept going past the Barry Rd. exit.
8:01pm: As I am walking towards the ER door, I call my wifes cell phone. It goes to voice mail. This isn't something you can leave as a voice mail message, so I hang up.
8:15pm: Since there was no one in the ER at OMC, I was quickly taken to an ER exam room and hooked up to a heart monitor. My heart rate was within normal standards, my blood pressure was not. 239 over 150. Yep. Stage Two Hypertension, the highest rating of High Blood Pressure. The low range for stage two is 160 over 100. When I do something, I go all out. No half assed Stage one, or even prehypertension for me.
8:20pm: IV drip of Nitroglycerin, to bring my blood pressure down, put into my left arm at the inside bend of my elbow. I hate needles. The nurse assures me it's not a "needle". It's a very small hard plastic tube... but it feels like a NEEDLE!
8:45pm: By now I have answered the following questions about 12 times each -
1. Do you smoke? Yes, a pack a day.
2. Do you drink? Yes, beer. If I had to average it out, maybe 2 or 3 a day
(although I don't drink every day).
3. Do you have a family history of heart problems? No.
4. Do you have a history of high blood pressure? I would have to go to the doctor
regualarly to know that... I hate doctors.
5. Do you use street drugs? No.
6. Are you allergic to... I stop them mid sentence and repeat the answer to question
number four.
7. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst, what would rate the pain? Six.
9:00pm: I've been on a gradually increasing dosage of IV Nitroglycerin for about 40 minutes. Nothing changes. They ask if I'd like morphine... HELL YEAH!
9:10pm: I hear my cellphone ring. It's the distinctive ring of my wife calling me. My cellphone is in my jacket. My jacket is on a chair about 10 feet away. I am connected to several machines via wires glued to my chest. I decide it's best to just let it ring and go to voice mail. A nurse arrives a minute later and checks my blood pressure... NO CHANGE. I ask if I can use a telephone to call my wife to let her in on the fun I am having. The nurse gives me the phone and leaves.
9:13pm: "Hi honey, it's me. I'm not at work. But don't worry... I'm ok. I'm at the ER in the Olathe Medical Center... I might be having a heart attack". Her reply: "How did you get from work to Olathe?". "I drove". BOOM. Fireworks. I told her everything was fine and she didn't need to come to the ER. She wouldn't be denied. "I'll be right there".
9:35pm: My wife arrives. Followed shortly by my step daughter and her boyfriend Steve. Steve... wow. Steve had called me around 7pm on my cellphone while I was at work. We were discussing "Boys Night Out", where we go out and drink, play pool, and toss some darts. We had set up the week before for it to be tomorrow (Saturday night). I didn't mention to him earlier that I wasn't feeling well (is that a valid description for a HEART ATTACK?), but said "Sounds good... we'll firm things up tomorrow". Hmmmm, not looking good for Boys Night Out.
9:50pm: The doctor informs me that he is going to admit me because, "Mr. McBride, you've probably suffered a minor heart attack (he says it so matter of factly... not like HEART ATTACK). We also haven't been able to get your blood pressure to come down. I'm not happy. Have I mentioned that I hate doctors? I hate hospitals just as much... maybe more, because they have lots of doctors. My wife convinces me to shut the hell up and do what the doctor says.
10:35pm: While still laying in a bed, and with electrodes still running from my chest to monitoring devices, I am wheeled to the Critical Care Unit. With the exception of the now number 5 rated pain in my chest and left side, I feel great. Why am I going to CCU? Ahhhh, so the nurses can mess with me every 10 minutes. Wake up... time to take your blood pressure.
11:15pm: I am in my hospital johnny, open in the back. The nurse is placing the stethescope all over me... my stomach rumbles. I haven't eaten since lunch time (1:30pm). I beg for food. The nurse informs me that since I will be having a CT scan and a trip to the "Cath Lab" in the morning that I shouldn't eat. I beg. My wife begs... she knows I get real cranky when I'm hungry. The nurse gives me Jello. Oh boy! Jello. Well, it actually hit the spot. I've never tasted better Jello in my entire life!
Saturday
Midnight-4:00am: The nurse faithfully wakes me up (like I was really sleeping!) every ten minutes to check vital signs. Jeez... you'd think all the electronics I am hooked up to would suffice. But nope, it's a power thing. By 4am I am SUPER CRANKY. My blood pressure hasn't come down enough, and they keep increasing the dosage of Nitroglycerin being pumped into me. I wonder "just how much can they put in me before I explode?". The nurse decides to let me get some actual sleep and doesn't wake me up again for two hours.
6:00am: The nurse wakes me up. "It's 6am, I let you sleep a couple hours and really increased your nitro drip... how do you feel?" WOW. No pain in my chest. No pain in my shoulder. No pain in my arm. "Pretty good... well except for a splitting headache". The nurse informs me that the headache is a side effect of large amounts of Nitroglycerin. I figure it's got to be close to the amount it takes to blow a person up. But then I remember that my 4am "number 5" pain rating is gone. It's a ZERO now. "I feel so much better, can I go home now?" Nope. I get prepped for my visit to the "Cath Lab". The nurse shaves the groin area (where the leg meets the body) on my right side. How embarassing! I knew I should have shaved it the day before... but I hate shaving.
7:15am: No breakfast for me. I've got a busy schedule! First up... CT Scan. I get wheeled down to the CT room. It's cold. I love it. The technician informs me that they will be injected me with a substance that will give me a "warm sensation over your entire body, and a metallic taste in your mouth". I ask "how big is the needle?". No needle... well not really. They inject it into the IV line that I've had in my left arm since 8:15pm the previous night. OH JOY! The technician starts the injection.... HOLY COW. I feel warm. The first place I feel the warmth is... my butt. That can't be right, can it? But it quickly spreads, so I figure I didn't just shit on the gurney. The CT Scan goes well. I have minor heart damage. Very minor. The "Cath Lab" will be better able to access and repair the damage though.
7:40am: Off to the "Cath Lab". Interesting place, the Cath Lab. It's extremely cold. I like cool tempatures, but this place was downright freezing. I get placed on a table that had to have been built for "stick people". Now, I'm not a wide person, but lying on my back I couldn't even put my arms down on the table. That is one very narrow table. The 3 nurses in the room inform me that the doctor is on his way, probably just stopped at Starbucks. Oooooooooooooooooo, coffee. I want some coffee SO BAD. Being originally from the northeast, I'm not a fan of Starbucks (I'm a DD person)... but in this case I'd drink anything! One of the nurses pulls back my hospital johnny to reveal the area the catheter will be inserted into. The same area the CCU nurse had shaved only an hour ago. Nurse says, "Not a very good shave job, we'll have to shave more". Must have been some 5 o'clock shadow growing in. I try to make small talk. "Sure is cold in here". Upon hearing that, another nurse starts draping HOT blankets on me! Hot and cold at the same time. Weird sensation. One of the nurses explains the procedure to me while administering the local anesthetic and injecting me (using the damn IV in my arm) with a general sedative. She says that some people fall asleep during the procedure.... zzzzzzzzzz, I guess I am one of them. I open my eyes in what seems to be seconds later, and ask when we'll be getting started. A male voice (the doctor) informs me that they are almost done. I turn my head to the left and notice the monitor has a black and white version of my heart and blood vessels on it. Way cool! The doctor points out one "branch vein" in my heart, showing me the blockage. "It's a minor vein, and we won't even be ballooning it". Next thing I know the procedure is complete and I'm being wheeled out of the Cath Lab. My wife is standing outside the door waiting for me... I'm still a bit groggy from the sedative.
9:00am: I'm finally in the general population of the ill. I am put into a two person room, but the other guy is being discharged around noon. The nurse for this area puts new chest monitor leads on me, and hooks me up to a cordless transmitter! Cool! Now they can monitor my heart rate without me being physically attached to a machine. The nurses will be checking my blood pressure and the bandage on my groin every hour, on the hour. They give me a small card to put in my wallet. I have to carry it for ninety days. It explains that I have a "Angio-Seal Vascular Closure Device" in my femoral artery. The device has three absorbable components: an anchor deployed inside the femoral artery, a small collagen sponge positioned on the outside wall of the artery, and a suture trimmed below the skin. It's a plug for the hole they put in the artery, and it dissolves over a period of ninety days. Ain't technology great?
Noon: I finally get a meal! It aint great, but I'm starving. I talk to the nurse about getting out of here. She says it could be as late as Tuesday when they release me. NO WAY. This is Saturday... tomorrow is Sunday... I MUST watch my beloved New England Patriots play football, and I'm sure the hospital doesn't spring for DirecTV and NFL Sunday Ticket. I tell her that I'll be leaving tomorrow, before noon time.
Not much happens between then and Sunday. I have visitors, I get calls from my family in Atlanta. I get to eat more food. So lets skip to Sunday.
Sunday
6:00am: The nurse wakes me up to take my BP and check my groin. Both are in good shape. She tells me breakfast will be at around 8am. I ask her "What time does the doctor do rounds"? She informs me that since it's the weekend he could be in at anytime... including later in the afternoon which is normal on Sunday. Whoooooo Nelly. I remind her of my committment to be sitting on MY OWN couch at 12:00 noon for kickoff of the Patriots vs Dolphins game. I explain that if the doctor isn't here by 11am, bring me an "Against Medical Advice" discharge form. She says she will.
9:15am: DOCTOR walks into my room! The doctor checks me out, and gives me the doctor schpeil... "Stop smoking" "Exercise" he explains about the drugs he's going to be prescribing for me. By 9:35 he's done talking and says I can go home once his own nurse (not the floor nurse) checks me out. He says she'll be in before 11am so I can make my game.
9:40am: I go into the bathroom and pull the damn electrode thingys off of my chest. That sticky glue they adhere with is giving me red marks and it itches.
9:42am: Floor nurse walks in and grabs the heart monitor and says I have to keep the electrodes on until discharged. Dammit! She hooks me back up, but only puts on 4 of the 8 possible leads. She knows I don't like being there.
10:25am: The doctors nurse comes in and gives me my 'scripts for cholestoral lowering and adrenalin reducement. She explains that with the cath/groin hole, I can't take a bath for 2 weeks, but showers are ok. Well that's good. I can't remember the last time I actually took a bath. I don't know any men who do. It's showers for the real men of the world.
11:24am: I sign all the discharge papers, and walk out of the Olathe Medical Center.
The Patriots beat the Dolphins by the way. I had a beer in my hand while I watched it.
Life is good.
posted by P. McB. at 6:57 PM
