Not Dead Yet - A heartbreaking story
Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2022 3:39 pm
I pass this along to preach a little at those that ignore their health, that eat nothing but junk food. In other words, people like me. I thought that I was immune to heart attacks for some reason.
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About 3 weeks ago, I went to the bottom of my 100 ft driveway to push my empty garbage can up to the house. I made it about 3 steps when…I was suddenly awake to find two strange women taking care of me. Seems that I passed out so suddenly that it took my head hitting concrete to break my fall. I sat there, beside a pool of blood, until paramedics arrived and they advised me to be airlifted to the University of Alabama in Birmingham hospital, one of the best in the nation. So, I was choppered there. The doctor stitched my head and stated that I would be discharged soon. “What about passing out?” I asked. Oh, we were told that you fell in the tub and hit your head. WTF?!? Anyways, they kept me overnight in the extended ER room because no beds were available in MCU. Doctors met with me and determined that my fainting was probably caused by my AFIB medicines which lowers my already naturally low heartrate. Just for a pre-caution, they had me take a walk around a section of the hospital and I was feeling fine…right up until I was surrounded by about 20-25 doctors, nurses and others.
I had died for 6 minutes. To those of a religious bend, I have to say that I never saw a light at the end of a tunnel and no dead relatives greeted me. Just thankful darkness. They move me from MCU to CCU (cardiac). I have had numerous chemical stress tests and fluoroscopes and all had shown no blockage. Thankfully, the doctor went in anyway with the probe and found a 99% blockage in the “widowmaker” artery. And btw, I got to be awake for the entire procedure and blockage removal, due to them not wanting to put me under with the other heart problems.
Today, it’s been 3 weeks since the procedure. I'm still not 100% but getting better. I have no great lesson to give from my experience other than “Take care of yo-self.”
And yes, everytime my 83 year-old father, 81 year-old mother or adult daughter calls to check on me, I answer “Not dead yet!” And I think that they know that I am grateful not to be.
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About 3 weeks ago, I went to the bottom of my 100 ft driveway to push my empty garbage can up to the house. I made it about 3 steps when…I was suddenly awake to find two strange women taking care of me. Seems that I passed out so suddenly that it took my head hitting concrete to break my fall. I sat there, beside a pool of blood, until paramedics arrived and they advised me to be airlifted to the University of Alabama in Birmingham hospital, one of the best in the nation. So, I was choppered there. The doctor stitched my head and stated that I would be discharged soon. “What about passing out?” I asked. Oh, we were told that you fell in the tub and hit your head. WTF?!? Anyways, they kept me overnight in the extended ER room because no beds were available in MCU. Doctors met with me and determined that my fainting was probably caused by my AFIB medicines which lowers my already naturally low heartrate. Just for a pre-caution, they had me take a walk around a section of the hospital and I was feeling fine…right up until I was surrounded by about 20-25 doctors, nurses and others.
I had died for 6 minutes. To those of a religious bend, I have to say that I never saw a light at the end of a tunnel and no dead relatives greeted me. Just thankful darkness. They move me from MCU to CCU (cardiac). I have had numerous chemical stress tests and fluoroscopes and all had shown no blockage. Thankfully, the doctor went in anyway with the probe and found a 99% blockage in the “widowmaker” artery. And btw, I got to be awake for the entire procedure and blockage removal, due to them not wanting to put me under with the other heart problems.
Today, it’s been 3 weeks since the procedure. I'm still not 100% but getting better. I have no great lesson to give from my experience other than “Take care of yo-self.”
And yes, everytime my 83 year-old father, 81 year-old mother or adult daughter calls to check on me, I answer “Not dead yet!” And I think that they know that I am grateful not to be.