It is amazing how one can take every day for granted. Just assuming that you will be blessed with yet another tomorrow. I for one and guilty of this. You would think that after twelve plus years of working with hospice patients that I would remember this on a daily basis.
February 7th at 4pm Dan had some chest pain and just thought it was anxiety as this is what he has been trying to overcome for the last couple years with this past year being the worst. After it subsided about 2 in the morning he went to sleep. Saturday was a normal day for us and then our daughter and son in-law took us out for supper in Green Bay. On our way home Dan felt pain once again. Again chalking it up as an anxiety attack. Once we got home he laid down in hopes for it to pass. I suggested that I take his blood pressure which ended up being extremely high. About 10 minutes later I took it again and it was much higher. I told Dan that I think it would be a good time to go to the hospital.
Once at the hospital they moved to find out if it was indeed a heart attack. Tests came out for the most part normal. The only thing that caught the cardiologists eye was the enzymes were not where they should be and decided that he would do a cath. Once that decision was made I was in awe! The amount of people in one ER room move and do a specific job to get things ready without bumping into one another or having to wait for someone to get out of their way was amazing. It was like perfection. They all worked so well together to get the job done. Which was within no time at all.
When the doctor came up to let me he was done he also told me that he had placed a stent due to the artery being 98% blocked. He would be in for a few days and to be honest I can't remember anything else he told me . It still feels like it is unreal.
As I think about it Dan could have dismissed his pain on Saturday like he did on Friday and there would have been a HUGE possibility that he wouldn't have woken up Sunday morning. It truly would have lived up to it's name "The Widow Maker". I think it is harder for Dan to grasp the reality that he is truly lucky to still have a today.
It will be a long road to get where Dan should be and if we all get through the ups and downs of the different moods we will all be good. In the meantime I will continue to pray for the strength to make it through all of the challenges that will be put forth me/us.
