I would like to thank my PIF family most sincerely for the outpouring of love that I received after mentioning my husband's heart attack.
Thank you so much Cowboy!
Awwww.
Thanks, RIMP!
Thank you so much Jules. That means a lot!!
Thank you btngchck! That is so kind of you! I am okay for supplies right now, but your offer is much appreciated!!
Awww Missy, thank you so much! I am grateful to have met you too!
Thank you very much basementcat!
Thanks so much smilin! Your kindness is appreciated!
Thanks so much GKK! I appreciate that!
Thanks Big Chief!!
Thank you Lilacs! I appreciate that!
Thank you so much Clumsy!
It has been a long hard week. It started last Sunday about 11am. Hubby started having pains in his chest, and was sweating a lot. He took an aspirin, and we got him to the hospital. The ER doctors confirmed that he was having a heart attack. They almost immediately rushed him into OR where there did an Angioplasty (placing a stent in the clogged blood vessel) through an incision in the groin.
They told me the procedure would take about one hour when they took him in, then after about 30 minutes a tech came out and said that they were almost done, and he was going to be just fine, then NO NEWS for another hour and a half. I was freaking out in the waiting area, pacing and crying, wondering what the hell was going on for so long. A nurse finally saw the state that I was in, and went into the surgical area to find out what was happening. She came back and explained that they were applying pressure to stop the bleeding, but she made it sound very minor, so I was a little calmer; but it was still another hour before the surgeon finally came out to talk to me. He apologized for knicking a blood vessel, and explained that there was a hematoma there that would take time to resolve itself, but that he would be okay.
By Tuesday, the pain in the area of the hematoma was so extreme that they took him down for an ultrasound of the area to see if there was still bleeding going on inside. They discovered what they called a pseudo-aneurism (sp?), which is a bulge in a blood vessel that must be repaired either surgically, or with a new technique that involves injecting a fibrous material (which is not yet approved by the FDA) directly into the aneurism to fill it up and prevent the blood from being able to go there. Each method has it's own inherant dangers, of course. The doctors waffled back and forth, then finally decided to go with the injection, but to have the OR ready to go in case they needed to rush him in there (one of the dangers of the injection is that a blood clot might just detach itself and shoot down into a foot, which would then require surgery).
Wednesday they did another ultrasound of the area, and decided that the injection had been successful, and that he could go home.
So, he came home with six prescriptions and a special diet plan (low fat, low cholesterol and low sodium). This has been pretty challenging, because it is just the two of us, so I am the 24 hour nurse. He can't get comfortable, so he is crabby. I am a complete and utter failure as a cook. I mean REALLY TERRIBLE, but I am learning.
Then yesterday we had another scare. When we changed his bandage we found infection. I called the doctor, who of course was not in the office on Saturday. His partner was the doctor-on-call, who advised that we take him back into the ER because the infection would need to be scanned and possibly drained.
By this time, my poor hubby was convinced that he was going to die, because it was the third complication after what is a very common surgery. That was stressful! I did my best to convince him (and myself) that he was going to be okay while we waited endlessly for the bloodwork and ultrasound results. Then they took him back to ultrasound again for more photos, and finally after hours and hours they came in and said that the infection was still minor and confined to the upper skin layers, and had not penetrated into the inner tissue. The whole time that we were waiting they had him on an IV with antibiotics in it, so they let that finish up and sent us home with two more prescriptions.
So, it has been a long hard road already, and it will be quite a while before the hematoma fully resolves itself. It was 10cm when we left the hospital, which is pretty big. My poor hubby is a mass of bruises. His entire side from about 8" above the waistline to well below the knee is black and blue, and his leg is still swollen to nearly twice it's normal size. His one foot will not even fit into his shoe.
I am trying to snatch small naps when he is napping, but we are both exhausted, because he can't sleep for very long when he is so uncomfortable.
But hopefully, we are now on track for his recovery.
I have been trying to check for messages occasionally, but this is the first time I have really had time to sit down and respond to all of the posts, and I just want all of you to know how much we appreciate your kind words and prayers! The sheer number of posts and PM's was amazing, and very touching. I must admit to tearing up when I saw how many people care enough to stop and send well wishes and prayers our way.
Thank you so much to everyone in my PIF family! You guys are the greatest!!
sorry to hear about u'r husband adja, my thoughts and well wishes will b w/ u - whatever that's worth
Thank you so much Cowboy!
Best wishes and prayers for you and yours
RIMP
Awwww.
Thanks, RIMP!Thank you so much Jules. That means a lot!!
Thank you btngchck! That is so kind of you! I am okay for supplies right now, but your offer is much appreciated!!
Awww Missy, thank you so much! I am grateful to have met you too!
Thank you very much basementcat!
Thanks so much smilin! Your kindness is appreciated!
Thanks so much GKK! I appreciate that!
Thanks Big Chief!!
Thank you Lilacs! I appreciate that!
Thank you so much Clumsy!
It has been a long hard week. It started last Sunday about 11am. Hubby started having pains in his chest, and was sweating a lot. He took an aspirin, and we got him to the hospital. The ER doctors confirmed that he was having a heart attack. They almost immediately rushed him into OR where there did an Angioplasty (placing a stent in the clogged blood vessel) through an incision in the groin.
They told me the procedure would take about one hour when they took him in, then after about 30 minutes a tech came out and said that they were almost done, and he was going to be just fine, then NO NEWS for another hour and a half. I was freaking out in the waiting area, pacing and crying, wondering what the hell was going on for so long. A nurse finally saw the state that I was in, and went into the surgical area to find out what was happening. She came back and explained that they were applying pressure to stop the bleeding, but she made it sound very minor, so I was a little calmer; but it was still another hour before the surgeon finally came out to talk to me. He apologized for knicking a blood vessel, and explained that there was a hematoma there that would take time to resolve itself, but that he would be okay.
By Tuesday, the pain in the area of the hematoma was so extreme that they took him down for an ultrasound of the area to see if there was still bleeding going on inside. They discovered what they called a pseudo-aneurism (sp?), which is a bulge in a blood vessel that must be repaired either surgically, or with a new technique that involves injecting a fibrous material (which is not yet approved by the FDA) directly into the aneurism to fill it up and prevent the blood from being able to go there. Each method has it's own inherant dangers, of course. The doctors waffled back and forth, then finally decided to go with the injection, but to have the OR ready to go in case they needed to rush him in there (one of the dangers of the injection is that a blood clot might just detach itself and shoot down into a foot, which would then require surgery).
Wednesday they did another ultrasound of the area, and decided that the injection had been successful, and that he could go home.
So, he came home with six prescriptions and a special diet plan (low fat, low cholesterol and low sodium). This has been pretty challenging, because it is just the two of us, so I am the 24 hour nurse. He can't get comfortable, so he is crabby. I am a complete and utter failure as a cook. I mean REALLY TERRIBLE, but I am learning.
Then yesterday we had another scare. When we changed his bandage we found infection. I called the doctor, who of course was not in the office on Saturday. His partner was the doctor-on-call, who advised that we take him back into the ER because the infection would need to be scanned and possibly drained.
By this time, my poor hubby was convinced that he was going to die, because it was the third complication after what is a very common surgery. That was stressful! I did my best to convince him (and myself) that he was going to be okay while we waited endlessly for the bloodwork and ultrasound results. Then they took him back to ultrasound again for more photos, and finally after hours and hours they came in and said that the infection was still minor and confined to the upper skin layers, and had not penetrated into the inner tissue. The whole time that we were waiting they had him on an IV with antibiotics in it, so they let that finish up and sent us home with two more prescriptions.
So, it has been a long hard road already, and it will be quite a while before the hematoma fully resolves itself. It was 10cm when we left the hospital, which is pretty big. My poor hubby is a mass of bruises. His entire side from about 8" above the waistline to well below the knee is black and blue, and his leg is still swollen to nearly twice it's normal size. His one foot will not even fit into his shoe.
I am trying to snatch small naps when he is napping, but we are both exhausted, because he can't sleep for very long when he is so uncomfortable.
But hopefully, we are now on track for his recovery.
I have been trying to check for messages occasionally, but this is the first time I have really had time to sit down and respond to all of the posts, and I just want all of you to know how much we appreciate your kind words and prayers! The sheer number of posts and PM's was amazing, and very touching. I must admit to tearing up when I saw how many people care enough to stop and send well wishes and prayers our way.
Thank you so much to everyone in my PIF family! You guys are the greatest!!
