Ponder this:

Sunday, June 10, 2012

All right. So . . . what's new, you ask?

I have become lazy with my blog, for which I do apologize, although I feel quite sure that no one is suffering in my absence. 

Perhaps a general update is in order.

Weather: Was rainy day after day after day for a week and a half. When it wasn't raining, it was gray and chilly. March was sweeter than May, and I know I am not the first out which that to point.
Work: Morning Job is answering the phone and little else. Of the little that I do, even less leaves the office sans correction: a fault of my tendency to read the fine print and miss the headlines. I have asked Jane if there is more I can do to help. She smiles, says, "Oh June, don't make me laugh." Damaging to my ego, but from another point of view, I'm being paid to do almost nothing for three hours every weekday. 
Jane and I are getting along famously these days, though. If I had known, two years ago, that she would be so nice to me now, I might have been able to accumulate a great stash of alprazolam.
Pets: Max is still wobbling around in his Huggies Lil Snuggler diapers applied as belly bands. He eats, sleeps, eliminates. Husband says the dog is happy; what do I know? 
Angus and MiMau continue in their happy, selfish, clownlike behaviors, bless their little furry hearts.

Now then, moving on to the cataclysmic: Husband had a heart attack.
He got sudden pain the length of his right arm a week ago last Wednesday, was with a friend whose daughter just graduated from medical school. Called the daughter who said, "If it was my dad, I'd tell him to go to the ER." Husband hung up the phone, said to the friend, "Mike, would you go to the ER?" Mike said, "Hell no! I wouldn't want to go to the hospital."
Husband's arm continued to ache. Just his arm. His right arm, not his left. Not his jaw, not his chest.
Last Sunday he was working with the tractor, brush hogging, felt dizzy and faint, got off the tractor and lay down on the ground for a minute until he felt better. He stopped working, put away the tractor, and rested. (I didn't know about the "feeling faint" part until Monday morning.)
So Monday morning, he got up and immediately took a hot bath because his arm hurt so much. Got out of the bath and headed for bed again. I got out of the shower and said: "This is the plan. I'm going upstairs to get you some clothes and we're going to the ER."
None of the medical personnel seemed too concerned about the pain in his arm until the blood test showed that enzyme that indicated he'd had a "cardiac event," and then everybody shifted into high gear. He went by ambulance from our little regional hospital to the Big Hospital and he had three stents put in: one artery, two veins. He "tolerated the procedure well" and his heart is not severely damaged.
He came home last Wednesday and he is fine. Can't drive for one to two weeks, has new medications to take, but all in all, it was about as not horrible as such an experience could be. He's been advised, until the doctor advises otherwise, not to walk too much, not to do anything too strenuous . . . mostly because of that newly punctured little doorway in his femoral artery.
The irony of the entire situation is that Husband comfortably wears tiny clothing, moves and walks all day long. I, on the other hand, wear large clothing and appear as the Merriam-Webster illustration for "sedentary." 
If he's having myocardial infarctions, perhaps I am in serious danger. Resultingly, I have found a new resolve to move, to walk, to . . . sweat from exertion. I suppose this is good news. Or maybe I'll be breaking loose dangerous substances that might cause me to become the Merriam-Webster illustration for overcooked broccoli. 

20 comments:

John M said...

I'm glad your husband is OK. I'd probably try to avoid the ER too but it's not worth the risk.

esbboston said...

Nothing quite like a dose of eXcitement or two ....

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Why will men never go to the doctor ? After all , he's not going to make them feel any worse than they do at the moment , and might even help .
I hope husband's recovery is speedy and he's soon back on his tractor . ( And that he doesn't drive you too mad during the process ! )

Linda Myers said...

I always assume everything is a dire emergency and my husband always assumes it isn't.

Rose ~ from Oz said...

June, so pleased to hear this has had a happy and good ending for hubs.
Wonderful to see you're writing and posting.
You have been missed.

Jacqueline Donnelly said...

Best wishes for your husband's speedy recovery, and for your efforts to improve your cardiac health.

Olga said...

I am glad that things worked out for your husband. It is always something though, isn't it? Take care.

Rubye Jack said...

This must have been really scary for both of you. I'm not one to go to the doctor either and so I think when someone shows up at the hospital with a heart attack symptom the staff should be moving quickly right away. Anyway, I'm glad he is okay and that you're walking. I've just started walking again myself but it is hard due to the heat/humidity.

#1Nana said...

Same thing happened to my husband except he had to black out and run into a power pole with his pickup before he went to the ER. We just celebrated his four year anniversary and he got a clean bill of health from his doctor. He has made all the lifestyle changes the doctor recommended. I wish your husband a speedy recovery. For my husband a heart attack was a message from the universe to change his ways...fortunately he listened. Un fortunately he is convinced that he is saving so much since he quit smoking that he can buy any tool or gun that catches his eye.

The Cranky Crone, she lives alone! said...

Glad all turned out as well as possible june, and as usual your understated way made me smile....all the best

VioletSky said...

Glad to hear it wasn't as horrible as it could have been. Hope your husband takes advantage of some forced rest (as difficult as that may be for him!)

DJan said...

So very glad to hear your husband will be all right, and that no serious damage had been done to his heart. Three stents and all that is not what he had in mind for his week, I'll bet. So glad everything is looking better. You told the tale well! :-)

Carolynn Anctil said...

Yeah, so la di da and this and that. Oh yeah, and my husband had a heart attack! What?!?

Did you know that denial is one of the symptoms of a heart attack? Seriously. I learned that in a first aid course I took and I think it's the only thing I remember.

Glad to hear he's on the mend.

Friko said...

Blimey, June, I am so sorry you are bored by life and need to get into the fine detail of why.

So, I can see, why a nice little heart attack gave you something to brighten your day.

Did they find your husband's heart to be on the right side of his chest? And will he stop moving for a bit? Looks like you could spend some time worrying yourself thin over him.

Tell him to see the doctor a bit sooner the next time he feels faint and in pain. Good luck to both of you.

Saku said...

Glad to hear your husband is doing fine after his heart attack. When even the medical personnel don't take it seriously, is it a wonder most of us (women included) are less likely to pay attention to oddball symptoms.
Good luck with your efforts in become more healthy. I think there is a lesson in your post for me too!

Vicki Lane said...

Oh, no! So glad you finally got him to the ER. Good thoughts to both of you.

Marcia said...

Hi-just found your blog tonight while looking for something new. I really enjoyed it. It's set up like mine so I feel right at home. Hubby and I love watching the birds, too, and yes, the mockingbird is so entertaining. We like to challenge him with a tune and see if he can copy it.
About the word verification - I look at it as a challenge, like a cryptogram or crossword.
I'll be back!

Joan said...

I'm a fairly new reader of the demographic that quickly forgets how one ended up here. You have been bookmarked because I like your style and I would hate to misplace you. I was so happy to see a new post from you, and now I am happy to see that your husband is on the mend. Just had to delurk and tell you so.

georgia little pea said...

No wonder you're not blogging. Glad your hubby is okay. The darn thing about illnesses is they always seem to happen unexpectedly to unexpected people. If his attack spurs you on to being less sedentary (haha... I like this word for myself)... that's one good thing to come out of it. The broccoli bit is giving me images I'd rather not have this early in the morning.

Weather...we've had stormy, windy gloomy weather for almost a week. Nonstop rain. Anyone would think this is the UK.

Dogs... sigh...

HUGS x

Barb said...

My gosh, June - I started having flashbacks! Let me just say, adjusting to the fact that you've had a heart attack is sometimes harder than the actual healing.I'm very glad there was minimal damage. I waited 7 hours to go to the ER - figured it was just "muscle strain" - oh the stories we manage to tell ourselves. Get moving!