Heart attack!
May. 28th, 2010 08:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
poltr1On Tuesday, I was working on my new job at $CLIENT in downtown Cincinnati. I had brought in my own laptop in order to do some prototype coding, since the company laptop hadn't been delivered yet to me.
That afternoon, I thought I'd return the next day, so I left the power adapter at the office. But then, at around 5:00pm, I started feeling a tightness in my upper chest. "No problem," I thought, since I've had gas pains that mimic this activity. But as time went on, and got to my car and drove back to Dayton, the pain spread to the back of my jaw, and my fingers were starting to tingle. I lowered the windows in my car just to cool off, and I don't typically do that at highway speeds. By the time I reached the Mitchell St. exit, I realized something was wrong. I called Gary, one of the men in my I-group, and asked him to cover for me for the night.
I drove to the West Chester Medical Center's emergency room, and checked myself in. They were quick to take care of me. They administered morphine, nitroglycerin, and an EKG. But they didn't have a cath lab. So they had to fly me to a nearby hospital that had one. I suggested Miami Valley Hospital in downtown Dayton, and as soon as they had clearance to fly me in their helicopter, they placed me on a gurney, loaded me in to the helicopter, and flew me up I-75 northbound to downtown Dayton. I recognized some of the towns as I flew over them. Best trip on I-75 I ever had -- fast and no orange barrels.
I arrived at the helipad about 15 minutes later. They whisked me to the cath lab, where they performed angioplasty through my arm and inserted a stent in one of the blood vessels feeding my heart. Then they took me to the coronary ICU for recuperation. I stayed there overnight. Wednesday afternoon, they found a room for me in the cardiac unit of the hospital.
The food there was better than adequate. I already had a pre-diabetic condition, so they treated me as I had full-blown type 2 diabetes. My meals were tailored to reflect that. They spent Thursday and Friday stabilizing my blood sugar levels. The cardiologist who performed my angioplasty came in a couple of times to check on me. And I had a few folks instruct me about diabetes management and care -- how to use a blood sugar monitor, how to administer insulin, and foods to avoid. I'm also on a new battery of drugs.
The nurses and patient care technicians took good care of me there. I have no complaints. But I have no desire to return to the hospital anytime soon.
That afternoon, I thought I'd return the next day, so I left the power adapter at the office. But then, at around 5:00pm, I started feeling a tightness in my upper chest. "No problem," I thought, since I've had gas pains that mimic this activity. But as time went on, and got to my car and drove back to Dayton, the pain spread to the back of my jaw, and my fingers were starting to tingle. I lowered the windows in my car just to cool off, and I don't typically do that at highway speeds. By the time I reached the Mitchell St. exit, I realized something was wrong. I called Gary, one of the men in my I-group, and asked him to cover for me for the night.
I drove to the West Chester Medical Center's emergency room, and checked myself in. They were quick to take care of me. They administered morphine, nitroglycerin, and an EKG. But they didn't have a cath lab. So they had to fly me to a nearby hospital that had one. I suggested Miami Valley Hospital in downtown Dayton, and as soon as they had clearance to fly me in their helicopter, they placed me on a gurney, loaded me in to the helicopter, and flew me up I-75 northbound to downtown Dayton. I recognized some of the towns as I flew over them. Best trip on I-75 I ever had -- fast and no orange barrels.
I arrived at the helipad about 15 minutes later. They whisked me to the cath lab, where they performed angioplasty through my arm and inserted a stent in one of the blood vessels feeding my heart. Then they took me to the coronary ICU for recuperation. I stayed there overnight. Wednesday afternoon, they found a room for me in the cardiac unit of the hospital.
The food there was better than adequate. I already had a pre-diabetic condition, so they treated me as I had full-blown type 2 diabetes. My meals were tailored to reflect that. They spent Thursday and Friday stabilizing my blood sugar levels. The cardiologist who performed my angioplasty came in a couple of times to check on me. And I had a few folks instruct me about diabetes management and care -- how to use a blood sugar monitor, how to administer insulin, and foods to avoid. I'm also on a new battery of drugs.
The nurses and patient care technicians took good care of me there. I have no complaints. But I have no desire to return to the hospital anytime soon.
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Date: 2010-05-29 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-05-29 03:51 am (UTC)Seriously, I'm glad you came through it OK and here's hoping you can get and stay healthy. Will be keeping you in my thoughts.
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Date: 2010-05-29 04:11 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-05-29 05:25 pm (UTC)Dayum.
Date: 2010-05-29 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-29 10:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-05-30 01:10 am (UTC)*hugs* It was good hearing your voice this afternoon.
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Date: 2010-05-31 12:08 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-06-02 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-26 11:04 pm (UTC)As for finger stuff, do it on the side of your fingertips -- it hurts much less that way.