A Trip to the Hospital

Busy week with lots of new experiences, as trips to the hospital tend to provide. I've acquired a new vocabulary: Q waves, troponin levels, stent, LAD. A new diet: low fat, low salt. And new medications: aspirin, a Beta blocker, an ACE inhibitor, and nitroglycerin. Yup, I had a heart attack.

When I woke at midnight with heavy pressure on my chest I thought: the cat. It must be the cat sitting on top of me. But it wasn't heavy enough and there was no purring going on.

It's interesting how we react to these things. My first thought was to brush my teeth. I rattled around a bit and looked online at the Mayo Clinic site for the symptoms of a heart attack. (Hint, if you find yourself looking up heart attack symptoms at 12:15 AM, you are probably having a heart attack.) Eventually I woke Wilhelm who drove me to the emergency room. Took us 4 minutes to get to the hospital.

Though my initial EKG was uninteresting they put me in a bed anyhow, and started treating me for nausea. For six hours I took up an ER bed while they gave me aspirin, Maalox, and nitroglycerin.

After all that slow-motion low-level treatment things suddenly took off when they gave me a second EKG and the second set of blood tests came back. Between the time Dr Haggerty said to me, "You are having a heart attack" and when Dr Hostetler began a cardiac catheterization was less than 20 minutes. I didn't have the hiccups after all.

Thursday I was pretty sick, until a nurse named Ken found somethng to get rid of my nitro headache.  Nurses are incredibly important when you're in a hospital bed. Thursday night I got less than no sleep. It's a cliche that they wake you up every hour to ask if you're sleeping ok. And I do understand that they have to take your blood pressure and draw blood, and that they might want another EKG. But the need to sign Medicare papers at 2 AM escapes me.

Friday morning The Fair Elaine came to visit me! She brought a tiny antique bottle wrapped at the neck with a little bit of lace and with some alyssum from her garden -- the lovliest and most appreciated flowers I've ever been given. And more important, she had picked out a book for me. Winnie the Pooh.

I'm not sure she (and her mom and baby brother, whom I am always tempted to call Kanga and Baby Roo) realized the situation I was facing. Finally feeling well and nothing to read except those afore-mentioned Medicare forms. Not a book in sight. The Cardio ward (everybody in the hospital abbreviates everything - cardio, cath, nitro, BP) does not have a library, more's the pity.

Four days in Bed 1, Room 603, Ward 6 North, Providence Sacred Heart Hospital. And now I'm home, surrounded by books, required to take my blood pressure every day, and on a slowly building exercise program: three walks a day, starting with three minutes each, adding a minute every day. And a whole new subject, heart health, to read about. Book recommendations gratefully accepted.

Comments

[Fay]

Oh, Mary. I am so sorry to hear about the heart attack. Take care. Be well. Warm regards, Fay

[Mary Ronan Drew]

Thanks, Fay. I seem to be doing fine. I get tired in the afternoon, but so far my "exercise program" isn't very demanding. The low salt diet is challenging. Lemon is my new best friend.

[jan r. reber]

Glad to hear you are doing well. Adio books for walking are going to be your new best friends.

[Christine Harding]

So sorry to hear you have been ill. Hopefully you are on the mend now, but do take care. And what a lovely gift from young Elaine.

[Pamela Thomas]

I am glad to hear your story - I can well imagine myself getting up and googling my symptoms, LOL!! It sounds like you've had a few rough days but things are going better now. Thinking of you - I have all kinds of book ideas, but I'm pretty sure you've probably read them all!! I've saved a few Trollopes back and will probably dig them out for my upcoming foot surgery. Keep us posted, so glad to see you blogging again!

[Mary Ronan Drew]

Jan, Laurel reads audio books all the time. I need to talk to her about how to sign up.

Christine, Elaine will never know how pleased I was with the flowers and book.

Pamela, if you have some titles to suggest, run them past me. I may have read them but . . . I may not.

[Karen]

Dear Mary -- I'm so sorry to hear that you've been in the hospital. When you hadn't posted in a several days I thought that you must be on vacation. How I wish that had been true! As for books, I can't say I know of any on heart health, but how about the new book on the Jeffrey McDonald murder case, "A Wilderness of Error." It got a bang-up review in last week's Times, and apparently turns the version we know from "Fatal Vision" on its head. Or if that's not your cup of tea, I find "Orley Farm" an enduring comfort.

[Kimberly Wold]

Oh, my. I am so sorry this happened but so happy that you reacted as quickly as you did (despite the teeth brushing and web-checking).

I used to subscribe to simplyaudiobooks.com which has a good selection of books on cd's and some available to download.

It's funny, I only know you through your blog but I'm thinking that Wilhelm will take good care of you. The blogging world is really quite lovely, isn't it?

[Barbara]

I'm so sorry to hear this! All good wishes for a speedy recovery.
Books for invalids: have you read any Eva Ibbotson? She said she wrote 'the kind of book I'd like to read when I have flu.'

[Nan]

Mary! I can't believe it. I wanted to call you as soon as I read this. Oh my gosh, what a shocking, shocking thing to have happen. So thankful you are alright. Email me if you want.
We readers tend not to be big exercisers. I'll try to walk along with you.

[Mary Ronan Drew]

Karen, Your book suggestion is brilliant! I have read three or four books about the Jeffrey MacDonald case so this will really be interesting for me. I love Orley Farm. It may be time to re-read it.

I've bookmarked simplyaudiobooks.com, Kimberly, and will look into how to get the book from the ether to my iPod. Part of Wilhelm's taking care of me is seeing to things like that. He's a sweetheart.

Barbara, Eva Ibbotson is a fine get-well book. I've requested two from the library.

Nan, I can hardly believe all this has been happening myself. I'd love to have you along on my walks.

As Kimberly points out, the blogging world really is lovely and I have many friends there, not just Facebook "friends" but REAL friends. Thank you for your good wishes.

[Les in NE]

Oh my goodness! I am so glad you're alright! What a terrifying experience for you and your husband. I wish I could join you (and Nan!) on your daily walks. Hope you're having some lovely fall weather and feeling better soon, Mary!

[Mary Ronan Drew]

It was pretty scary, Les, but I'm doing well and gaining strength. Nan and I walked 20 minutes today. We are both having delicious weather, especially Nan in New Hampshire, which is the most beautiful place in the US in the fall.

[Nan]

Well, Vermont is pretty nice, too. :<)

[Mary Ronan Drew]

Vermont is ok, Nan, but New Hampshire can't be beat for foliage at this time of year.