Phyliss
10-16-2008, 07:38 PM
So the EMT says “ Nice toes, where’d you get ‘em done?”
Two quick questions come up. Why is somebody looking at my toes? How come it’s an EMT asking the question?
Back up to early Monday morning. Came back from the gym after an easy 2 miles on the treadmill and some weight work with some of the resistance machines. Feeling pretty good about my self and getting ready to take a shower.
Strange feeling in my chest. Must have pulled a muscle or something, I’ll just sit here for a moment. Dang, it’s not getting any better, in fact it seems worse. Maybe if I lay down for a minute and stretch it out it’ll be OK. Nope no luck there either. Hmmm my left arm feels fine. RATZ , wonder where the aspirin is hiding today. Hope it’s still in the kitchen closet where it normally is, don’t want to go looking for it. Bingo got it, grab 2 and swallow them. Wait a few minutes and nothing happens. Seems to be getting worse, in fact, it hurts like I just got kicked by a mule. Not a tightness or unable to breathe but a sharp pain dead center of my chest.
Lay on the bed and nudge wife, “Honey, I think you better call somebody, I’ve got a problem” Very calmly she picks up phone makes the call and gives out needed information, location, my age, my weight, my condition, follows directions to get 4 baby aspirin and have me chew them. I only live about 2 miles from hospital so it didn’t take them long to get to me.
Fortunately I had gotten ready to take a shower, so all I had on was my robe. Not that I would have cared about being found “underdressed” at that time, but I think I would have been upset when they cut my bra off, ($50 bra sliced up in half a second, enough to give a person a heart attack)
So they begin their routine of taking care of me. O2 mask, needles with some kind of stuff, stand by with electric paddles, ( which they didn’t need) and all kinds of other items. Put me on a back board to carry me out of the bedroom and place me on the stretcher. I have a small bedroom and of course four people in full turnout gear trying to carry me doesn’t allow for much room. One of them had the bright idea of bringing me out head first, so they proceeded to turn the board around, and of course you just know they dropped me. Didn’t fall far but still it was a bit exciting on top of everything else happening. Don’t know if any bra strap marks were showing from my sport bra or not, but like I said I didn’t really much care at this point. They covered me with a blanket to carry me down the steps out to the ambulance. Once in the wagon one of them asked me about my toes. I told them where I had them done. No question of why I did it just where I had them done. Reddish orange color and a cute little pumpkin with a witch hat painted on each big toe.
The rest of the day is kinda fuzzy. Ya think. Drugs and lots of them being pumped into me. Local hospital had me transported to the big regional for a catheter insert. Placed two stents in the main artery. I guess it was a bad blockage.
Usually a person has a heart attack and they’re told to loose weight, eat healthy, and exercise. I’ve been doing that for 4 years and now I have the heart attack. Don’t that just “frost” you. All that work and eating bland whole wheat toast and I have a problem. Talk about really upset.
So, I sorta come to after the insertion and the “happy juice” is wearing off. Can’t move my right leg. OH, OH what’s wrong? “Why can’t I move my leg?” I ask the nurse standing over me. We have it immobilized to prevent any bleeding from the insert point. “Hey it’s my heart not my leg that’s the problem” she says “The catheter was inserted through the main artery in you leg and fed up to your heart” Quick remembering of high school biology and I realize what happened. OK I guess.
Feel something hard wrapped around my lower torso in the groin area. Can’t see it since I’m laid out flat. feel it with my leg hand and it’s some kind of plastic thing that I can only describe as a large “C” clamp with a half ball pressing down on me. “What’s this thing?” she says “It’s a fem stop” I know I’m still woozy but did I hear that right, and how do “THEY” know? “A WHAT?” “A fem stop” “Uh what does it do?” not really wanting to hear the answer, but maybe the scalpel slipped and “IT” got cut off accidentally. She says “ It’s a clamp to put pressure on the Femoral Artery to prevent bleeding. “Oh Ok”
I kind of found it strange that even in a drugged up state I’m thinking about girlhood, I must be farther “along” than I thought.
Fitful night trying to sleep with them taking blood every hour to monitor me and checking blood pressure, “here wake up and take this sleeping pill” A bit more coherent in the morning and I want OUT NOW!!! Threaten to hold my hospital gown closed with one hand and use the other to hitchhike home if they didn’t let me out. Talked with Dr. and explained in terms that left no room for doubt about wanting out. Finally convinced him I’d be careful at home and rest up there. He agreed to let me go. IF I started taking PLAVIX and LIPITOR for prevention. Called wife and said to bring me some clothes that I was leaving. About an hour later she showed up with some clothes.
Here is the silver lining in all this. Open the plastic bag to find sneakers, jeans, shirt, stockings, panties and bra. Bless her soul. I had figured she would have gone to K mart and picked up some white gym socks and a pair of jockey shorts for that.
Instantly felt better than any kind of drugs they could have given me.
Two quick questions come up. Why is somebody looking at my toes? How come it’s an EMT asking the question?
Back up to early Monday morning. Came back from the gym after an easy 2 miles on the treadmill and some weight work with some of the resistance machines. Feeling pretty good about my self and getting ready to take a shower.
Strange feeling in my chest. Must have pulled a muscle or something, I’ll just sit here for a moment. Dang, it’s not getting any better, in fact it seems worse. Maybe if I lay down for a minute and stretch it out it’ll be OK. Nope no luck there either. Hmmm my left arm feels fine. RATZ , wonder where the aspirin is hiding today. Hope it’s still in the kitchen closet where it normally is, don’t want to go looking for it. Bingo got it, grab 2 and swallow them. Wait a few minutes and nothing happens. Seems to be getting worse, in fact, it hurts like I just got kicked by a mule. Not a tightness or unable to breathe but a sharp pain dead center of my chest.
Lay on the bed and nudge wife, “Honey, I think you better call somebody, I’ve got a problem” Very calmly she picks up phone makes the call and gives out needed information, location, my age, my weight, my condition, follows directions to get 4 baby aspirin and have me chew them. I only live about 2 miles from hospital so it didn’t take them long to get to me.
Fortunately I had gotten ready to take a shower, so all I had on was my robe. Not that I would have cared about being found “underdressed” at that time, but I think I would have been upset when they cut my bra off, ($50 bra sliced up in half a second, enough to give a person a heart attack)
So they begin their routine of taking care of me. O2 mask, needles with some kind of stuff, stand by with electric paddles, ( which they didn’t need) and all kinds of other items. Put me on a back board to carry me out of the bedroom and place me on the stretcher. I have a small bedroom and of course four people in full turnout gear trying to carry me doesn’t allow for much room. One of them had the bright idea of bringing me out head first, so they proceeded to turn the board around, and of course you just know they dropped me. Didn’t fall far but still it was a bit exciting on top of everything else happening. Don’t know if any bra strap marks were showing from my sport bra or not, but like I said I didn’t really much care at this point. They covered me with a blanket to carry me down the steps out to the ambulance. Once in the wagon one of them asked me about my toes. I told them where I had them done. No question of why I did it just where I had them done. Reddish orange color and a cute little pumpkin with a witch hat painted on each big toe.
The rest of the day is kinda fuzzy. Ya think. Drugs and lots of them being pumped into me. Local hospital had me transported to the big regional for a catheter insert. Placed two stents in the main artery. I guess it was a bad blockage.
Usually a person has a heart attack and they’re told to loose weight, eat healthy, and exercise. I’ve been doing that for 4 years and now I have the heart attack. Don’t that just “frost” you. All that work and eating bland whole wheat toast and I have a problem. Talk about really upset.
So, I sorta come to after the insertion and the “happy juice” is wearing off. Can’t move my right leg. OH, OH what’s wrong? “Why can’t I move my leg?” I ask the nurse standing over me. We have it immobilized to prevent any bleeding from the insert point. “Hey it’s my heart not my leg that’s the problem” she says “The catheter was inserted through the main artery in you leg and fed up to your heart” Quick remembering of high school biology and I realize what happened. OK I guess.
Feel something hard wrapped around my lower torso in the groin area. Can’t see it since I’m laid out flat. feel it with my leg hand and it’s some kind of plastic thing that I can only describe as a large “C” clamp with a half ball pressing down on me. “What’s this thing?” she says “It’s a fem stop” I know I’m still woozy but did I hear that right, and how do “THEY” know? “A WHAT?” “A fem stop” “Uh what does it do?” not really wanting to hear the answer, but maybe the scalpel slipped and “IT” got cut off accidentally. She says “ It’s a clamp to put pressure on the Femoral Artery to prevent bleeding. “Oh Ok”
I kind of found it strange that even in a drugged up state I’m thinking about girlhood, I must be farther “along” than I thought.
Fitful night trying to sleep with them taking blood every hour to monitor me and checking blood pressure, “here wake up and take this sleeping pill” A bit more coherent in the morning and I want OUT NOW!!! Threaten to hold my hospital gown closed with one hand and use the other to hitchhike home if they didn’t let me out. Talked with Dr. and explained in terms that left no room for doubt about wanting out. Finally convinced him I’d be careful at home and rest up there. He agreed to let me go. IF I started taking PLAVIX and LIPITOR for prevention. Called wife and said to bring me some clothes that I was leaving. About an hour later she showed up with some clothes.
Here is the silver lining in all this. Open the plastic bag to find sneakers, jeans, shirt, stockings, panties and bra. Bless her soul. I had figured she would have gone to K mart and picked up some white gym socks and a pair of jockey shorts for that.
Instantly felt better than any kind of drugs they could have given me.