I'm getting all kinds of calls this morning. Many yelling at me for not saying anything about my stay in the Hospital last week. To me not a big deal. I had been having an annoying littl pain in the chest for the last few weeks. Not bad just an annoyance to me.
Wednesday I was at the Gym doing my usual routine. I had worked in the free weight room for about a half hour then went up stairs to the Cardio Room. After finishing my work on the Nautalis equipment I moved to a stationary bike. I started peddeling and set up the resistance, and darn that annoying little pain was back. I peddled for about 10 minutes, but it would not go away this time. My heart rate was only in the mid 80s, so that should not have been a problem I thought. So I got off the bike and started walking away. Suddenly it felt like someone was stabbing me under my left shoulder blade. I sort of stooped over, and stopped walking. Then my left arm went numb, and the little pain became major. I grabbed my chest and other people around me went into action. One guy called the front desk, two others helped me get to a seat and sit down.
Allen the facility manager and a good friend was the first to arrive, he was carrying a defibulator, and a bottle of asprine. Allen had his resident EMT in tow. She gave me four asprine, and started asking all kinds of questions. Allen stood over me till the city EMTs arrived, along with firemen. The EMTs got an IV started, put me on Oxygen, then got me into this wheelchair type contraption. They wheeled me through the Gym, down the elevator, and out to the ambulance. Then off to Fairbanks Memorial.
At the Emergency room they did a series of EKGs, took blood, and monitored my diffusion rate. Then the Cardiologist came in with good news. "You did not have a heart attack" was the first words out of his mouth. The cardiologist said since I had failed my stress test for that day, he wanted to go in and have a look see at what was going on. So he admitted me to the hospital.
Next morning we went down to the Cath Lab. I’m laying there as the doc and the assistants was getting me ready then the Doc said “Let’s get this show on the road”. I watched him pick up a schapel, he then reached down and made a slice in my groin area. I laughing responded, “Ouch Doc I feel that”. He looked at me and said “Hurt did it”? I replied “Darned right” and laughed. He said “Oops, sorry you won’t feel no more, guaranteed”, then nodded to the person sitting at my head. Can’t say the lights went out, but they sure got dim. I was looking around watching people doing their jobs, but I no longer carred. What they were doing did not register, I was just there watching, and not caring about anything. Then we were taking an elevator ride back to my room. That’s when the lights went out.
Back in my room I remember the nurse telling to lie still, I could not get up. I told her my back was hurting and I had to move around. Doc said for you to lie in your back for two hours, so she gave me a pain pill. I went back to sleep. A while later the Doc came in and said I had a shiny new stint. I had a 78% blockage in one of my arteries, right next to an old stint. Then he started chastising the VA doctors for taking me off the Lipitor and Plavix. He said he wanted me to spend the night, then he would release me the following morning. Thursday morning I had breakfast, showered, then left.
Went back to the Gym this morning and worked out at my normal routine. Everything is back to normal.
