Mike H.- OY. Not!! I even had to hold my own urinals.
One of them thought I was asking too many questions about my medications etc., said I needed to "calm down". I said "hey, I'm a programmer. I like to know stuff." She said "I'm giving you a tranquilizer" and put it into the IV so I didn't have a choice. Later that evening, she came in, asked me a question, I answered with a grunt. "Are you mad at me?" "YES!!!" Then I said "you wanted me to calm down, now I'm really truly pissed off. Great job." Another was a hoot, though - Ozzie accent you wouldn't believe "g'night, mate!!" Told her we were going to tour Oz in Sept. She said "Are you going to the Hunter Valley?" (prime winery country). I said no. "And why NOT?" Well, because I grew up near the Napa Valley. "SO??" <hee hee> Another was really nice, gave me a little back rub with lotion to help me relax and go to sleep. (But only the back, Mike.) See why I was so happy to be released home to the company of my dear wife? :-) -Ben At 07:24 PM 3/11/03 -0500, you wrote: >Ben; > >Your little story failed to answer the one question that matters most in all >this, and the one I feel we can all benefit from: > >How hot were the nurses of Mt. Diablo? Did they tend to your _every_ need? > >M > >>:^o > >-----Original Message----- >From: Ben Braver >To: CF-Community >Sent: 3/11/03 6:17 PM >Subject: Re: Almost Gone and Back Again, A Hospital Tale > >Beth- > >Thanks. >I'm glad I'm still with me too !! > >BTW it wasn't that crappy (although I know what you mean) - >I mean, if you have to go through something like that, >at least do it with a _lot_ of quality care nearby. > >Compare this to a major heart attack and non-immediate care - >you're either dead right away, or have a long recovery with a severely >damaged heart. > >-Ben > > >At 02:00 PM 3/11/03 -0900, you wrote: >>Ben, thank you for sharing your crappy experience. >> >>We are glad you are still with us. >> >>----- Original Message ----- >>From: Ben Braver <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 1:46 pm >>Subject: Almost Gone and Back Again, A Hospital Tale >> >>> by Benbo Braver >>> <with sincere apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien> >>> >>> (LONG post, sorry.) >>> >>> Promised to recount what happened, how it felt, etc. >>> >>> Hope these "few" words from the brink may inspire some others on >>> the list >>> to make changes before looking into the Grand Canyon with a hand >>> on your back. >>> >>> Before: >>> 5'11", as high as 283 pounds barenaked. Mostly around middle (bad) >>> - >>> couldn't easily see feet :-( >>> BP not too high, typ. 130s over 80s. >>> Cholesterol and ratio not good - as of last August, >>> Total Chol. 274, Triglycerides 366, HDL 40 (should be over 45), >>> LDL 161 >>> (s/b under 100) >>> >>> Realistically, needed to lose about 90 pounds, really change the >lipid >>> panel numbers. >>> >>> Was doing "strength/endurance" exercise trying to rehab the hip >>> and back >>> muscles, and get in generally better condition, but was not doing >>> hardlyany aerobic stuff (walking was tough with the injured hip >>> muscle). Also had >>> motivation limits on how much time I was willing to spend at the gym. >>> >>> Father had angina pectoris - means "choking sensation of the chest". >>> Like a heart attack, but no permanent damage because heart isn't >>> deprivedof oxygen for very long. >>> His was induced by exercise and stress. >>> He stuck nitroglycerin tablets under the tongue to relieve symptoms. >>> Then he had a couple of small heart attacks, followed by a fatal >>> one at age >>> 54. >>> >>> A couple of days before my attack, I was talking about stress with >>> my boss. >>> He's a really super mellow person, on the outside at least. >>> Hardly ever seems "ruffled". >>> I asked if he ever had "anxiety attacks", feeling tight in the chest, >>> anxious, wondering how to "get it all done". >>> He said (surprisingly) "more often then I want to admit, lately". >>> I was also thinking about unfinished work and an upcoming vacation. >>> Plus the stress of "hormone week" at home, the friction with the >>> son, etc. >>> Figured a vacation was just what I needed. >>> But the vacation was also a source of some stress - would I be >>> able to ski >>> (how would the hip/back muscles do?), etc. >>> >>> The morning of the attack, I awoke about 5:30am, before the alarm >>> went off. >>> Felt almost panicky. >>> Tight feeling under sternum (breastbone), but no "pain". >>> Thought "this feels like my Dad described angina." >>> Decided to try the first aid his doctor had recommended - straight >>> shot of >>> whiskey. >>> Believe it or not, padded out to kitchen in my robe, tossed down a >>> jiggerof JD. >>> (Very unusual - never drink except maybe one cocktail before >>> dinner or wine >>> with a meal.) >>> That felt somewhat better, lessened the tightness. >>> Thought "gotta keep a close eye on this, report it to doctor later >>> today,maybe go get checked." >>> Wife woke up, said "feeling stressed, need a hug". That helped too. >>> >>> Went to the throne room, relaxed quite a bit responding with puns >>> to some >>> cf-comm posts (WiFi in PocketPC). >>> <sorry> >>> >>> Got dressed, felt good enough to go to work. >>> Told wife if I felt bad, could go to Medical at work. >>> She says she should have insisted right then that I go to the ER >>> and get >>> examined. >>> She's probably right - but on the other hand, if the symptoms >>> lessened,they might have checked and sent me away. >>> >>> Driving to work, just before my freeway exit, started feeling more >>> tight,and worried. >>> Found myself reciting the "Shema" prayer out loud in Hebrew (uh- >>> oh...).(In English, "hear, o Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is >>> One".)Thought about driving to hospital, decided I was closer to >>> work, and could >>> get the EMTs giving me first aid while they got an ambulance if >>> needed. >>> Got into office, sat down, started feeling queasy (not nauseous), >cold >>> sweat on forehead. >>> No pain, but numbness down the left arm to the elbow, and a CRUSHING >>> pressure on the chest - >>> like an elephant was sitting on it. >>> >>> Was reaching for the phone to call the Emergency number, when my >>> boss stuck >>> his head in to say good morning. >>> >>> He said "hey, you don't look well - you look WHITE." >>> I said "I don't feel well, I feel green, and..." >>> >>> Never got to tell him about the pressure - he interrupted to say >>> "can I >>> take you to Medical?" >>> I said "yes, now!". >>> >>> A mistake - walked across the street to the parking lot to his car >>> (slowly).Should have said please bring the car over. >>> >>> At Medical, rang the bell, started signing in. >>> Voice said "be right with you". >>> I said "please make it sooner, not later - having chest pains". >>> By this point, it hurt. >>> >>> Within a minute, he and the gal on duty had me lying down, chewing >>> on an >>> aspirin tablet, trying to attach EKG leads (but I was sweating too >>> much). >>> She said to him quietly "should I initiate transport?" and I >>> looked up. >>> He said "do you understand that?" >>> I said "if she means initiate ambulance transport to the hospital, >yes >>> please". >>> >>> The paramedics got there, slid me onto a gurney, wheeled me out, >>> put me in >>> the ambulance. >>> Guy said "I'm a paramedic, gonna be starting an IV in your arm." >>> I said "paramedic? as in Airborne??" >>> You should have seen the look he gave me. >>> But heck, I was still alive, getting care. >>> Should I just roll over and die?? No way. >>> He gave me a spray of nitro in my mouth - a lot quicker than the old >>> tablets dissolving. >>> They kept asking "on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being none, and 10 >>> beingthe most excruciating pain imaginable, how much pain are you >>> having?"It started at 6, went down to about 4 after the aspirin >>> and couple of nitro >>> squirts. >>> >>> I could tell from counting the speed bumps that as soon as they >>> went out >>> the refinery gate they turned on siren and sped up. One of the best >>> emergency facilities in the area is Mt. Diablo Medical Center, >>> only about 2 >>> miles from the gate (or about 4 miles from Medical, 5 miles from >>> my office >>> - it's a BIG place.) >>> >>> Think I had a total of 2 or 3 squirts of nitro. It dilates (opens) >the >>> arteries to the heart, increases blood flow, relieves chest pain from >>> angina, reduces the heart's workload. May or may not reduce risk >>> of death >>> in a heart attack. But it also drops blood pressure - this may be >>> good or bad. >>> >>> At least with the IV started, I was all ready for whatever drugs the >>> hospital wanted to dump in. >>> >>> In the ER, cardiologist introduced himself, started telling me the >>> thingsthey would do, and might have to do (needed to get me to >>> sign "informed >>> consent" forms). (Later found out he's one of the best cardio's in >>> the area.) >>> >>> Said they were going to administer clot-busting drug, TNK >>> (Tenecteplase) - >>> breaks up clot, prevents the ongoing damage from a heart attack. >>> (Damage is >>> from heart tissue beyond the clot being deprived of blood flow >>> thereforeoxygen.) >>> >>> Then they would do angiogram - go in with catheter through femoral >>> arteryin groin, put in contract die (iodine-based) to allow taking >>> images of the >>> arteries and determine how many clogged, how much. He asked if I >>> knew what >>> that was, said "yes, had one in 1982. Was very uncomfortable and >>> stressful." He said "now we use Conscious Sedation" - local >>> anestheticplus tranquilizers. Not as dangerous as general >>> anesthetic, but you're >>> kinda zonked out... >>> >>> Dr said they would probably do a balloon angioplasty, might insert >>> a stent >>> (I said "oh good, my wife owns stock in Medtronic" and OY did I >>> get an >>> unbelieving look for that one), and possibly emergency bypass >surgery. >>> >>> I signed the forms, and went off to the cath lab. >>> Don't remember much at all. >>> >>> This all started when I got to work at 8am. By 11am or earlier, I was >>> sitting up in bed, wired and hosed, wondering whether I was really >>> going to >>> be ok. In walks my wife. I broke out in a huge smile, said "gee, >>> you look >>> wonderful". :-) >>> >>> At this point, the pain was virtually gone. >>> >>> Asked the wife to email MikeyD, so he could tell the list what >>> happened. >>> BTW they _did_ put in a stent - 12mm long mesh cylinder of steel, >>> like a >>> liner for the damaged portion of artery. (The circumflex artery.) It >>> expands to hold the artery open, then integrates with the artery >>> wall over >>> time. I can't have an MRI for a couple of months, for obvious >reasons. >>> >>> Had some ups and downs - apparently, a combination of 2 drugs they >>> gave me >>> (a beta blocker and ??) lowered my BP too much, it went down to >>> 70-something over 40-something, they got worried. Felt wierd >>> while they >>> got the BP stabilized. >>> >>> Had an IV in the back of each hand, a red "ET light" oxygen and pulse >>> sensor on a finger, EKG electrodes on the chest. And a wound in >>> the inside >>> hip joint from the catherter. Very difficult to rest comfortably >>> or adjust >>> position in bed. Found it difficult to concentrate on reading, tv, >>> anything- partly from the drugs, partly from exhaustion and stress. >>> >>> Had a BP cuff on one arm, all the time. Prevented me from bending >>> the arm >>> fully. >>> For a while, they were taking the BP every 15 minutes (!!) - it >>> transmittedto the nurses' station. >>> I could see the monitor above my bed, with some difficulty, and >>> see an >>> occasional wierd-feeling heartbeat show up as a blip on the EKG >>> graph. (Was >>> told that my left ventricle might fire too strongly or out of >sequence >>> sometimes, as the heart got used to having more oxygen.) >>> >>> Did _not_ enjoy having to use a urinal - many, many times a day, too, >>> because of all the IV fluids. >>> Re: the alternative, that part of the body just switched off >>> completely,thankfully. >>> Didn't re-activate until Saturday when I got into a room with a real >>> bathroom <yay>. >>> >>> They had me on solid food as of lunch Thursday - but low cal, low >>> cholesterol, low sodium menu. OK. I actually got to pick my meals >from >>> several choices. Better than a lot of airline food I've had :-) >>> >>> Hospitals give you medications on a schedule - hence the classic >>> line "wake >>> up to take your sleeping pill" (not relevant in my case, but >>> funny). >>> >>> After a while, it got "old" and boring - ok, folks, I'm alive and >>> startingto recover. Now I'm uncomfortable. Tried really hard not >>> to complain, >>> considering the alternative. Felt almost euphoric, elated mentally >>> whilehassled physically. Strange. >>> >>> Friday, they were supposed to move me to a regular room, but >>> didn't have a >>> bed available. So I got kept in CCU. At least I was able to talk >>> them into >>> giving me a telephone. >>> >>> Was I ever surprised when MikeyD talked his way through the nurses >>> and got >>> me on the phone. He wanted to know my Hebrew name so he could say a >>> traditional prayer for healing for me - much appreciated!! And >>> even more >>> surprised when a little later Friday afternoon, Eri*K*a and Philip >>> fromEngland got me on the phone. Wow. >>> >>> Saturday afternoon, one of my rabbis came over to visit. A while >after >>> that, they moved me to a regular room, with a roommate. This was >>> anothertrip - roommate was 81 years old, had just gotten a >>> pacemaker. He worked at >>> the same refinery I do (under prior owners) from 1945 to 1977 when he >>> retired. Boy, was he happy to have an audience for all his stories >>> - I >>> understood enough to ask questions and draw him out. (And of >>> course I got >>> to tell him stories <g>.) >>> >>> Uncanny - we both have 2 kids, a boy and a girl. We both have >>> photographyas a hobby. I'm going to Australia in 6 months, he just >>> got back 6 months ago. >>> >>> So, now that I'm home, it's hard to just sit or lie down and rest. >>> But I don't have a lot of endurance - so eventually I give in and >>> take it >>> easy. >>> >>> Am going down to the gym at least every other day to do the >>> exercise bike >>> or treadmill, while monitoring pulse rate. Need to work up to 30 >>> minutes or >>> more every day. >>> >>> Am also going up and down the stairs at home a lot - partly for >>> exercise,partly because my computer is up there <g>. Then I have >>> to go downstairs to >>> eat or pee. Amazing what those diuretic pills can do <ha>. >>> >>> Really conscious of every little twinge or funny feeling, but for >>> the most >>> part feel better than I did before (but tired). >>> Think about it - if a blood vessel in the heart were 50% blocked, >>> and now >>> it's open, what a difference that makes. >>> When you add this to the thyroid medication and the air pump for >sleep >>> apnea, the brain is actually functioning !! >>> >>> Wife goes between the "stiff upper lip" and breaking down crying >>> saying"I'm glad you didn't die". >>> >>> Sorry for the length of the post, but it feels good to lay it all >out. >>> >>> OK, folks - a couple of items from the "bully pulpit" - >>> (1) get your cholesterol and blood pressure tested >>> (2) get regular exercise >>> (3) learn to reduce stress >>> (4) be here longer for those who love you. >>> >>> -Ben Braver >>> >>> >>> >> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?forumid=5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/index.cfm?method=subscribe&forumid=5 Your ad could be here. 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