Hi there. I am back from Calgary after spending 4 days there with my dad and mom. I am happy to report that my dad is doing well and will be discharged today from the hospital. I want to write down the details while they are still fresh in my mind. I don't expect everyone to read this, but for you that have questions, here I go.
My mom and dad drove to Calgary to help Murray with the paper work for his new house in Okotoks and then were going to fly from the Calgary to come to Abbotsford to visit my family.
My parents were through security already when he started having chest pain. My mom was apprehensive to alert 911 until she saw my dad sweating. Then she knew that there was something more going on. When she called for help a Westjet rep came alongside her and explained everything to her and stayed with my mom until they left in the ambulance for the hospital. My mom said that the Westjet employee was reassuring and calming, just like on the TV commercial. They took him to the Peter Lougheed hospital first. Because his chest pain intensified and was unrelieved by Oxygen and Nitro he was transferred him to Foothills hospital. Foothills hospital is one of the leading Cardiac hospitals in Canada.
My dad had two blockages (plaque, bloodclot as we found out the medical terms are the same). He had an angiogram (they took a picture of his heart by injecting him with dye and then x-raying him) which revealed two of his cornary arteries (the vessels that give blood to the heart) were blocked. One vessel was 100 per cent blocked and the other one 80 percent. The two vessels were on the left side of his heart, so they could only clear one at a time. Immediately they did an angioplasty on the vessel that was 100 percent blocked. They put in a stint to keep the vessel from collapsing and from forming further plaque buildup. My dad was awake during the procedure and said that the chest pain was relieved instantly. My dad stayed in CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) overnight and later was moved to a telemetry unit where they monitored him for 2 days. Here he waited patiently for the second angioplasty. Yesterday, he had a second angioplasty. I have heard it wasn't completely cleared out but the medication (Plavix) will take care of the rest.
The damage to his heart was minimal. The ECG showed no changes from the time the chest pain started to after he was monitored on the ward. (They look for changes in the ECG to see if a person is having a heart attack.) My dad's only sign was chest pain and on the first assessments made by the ER doctors they thought he might be having hernia pain, but the medical team listened to what dad was saying. A heart attack is damage to the heart muscle and when the heart muscle is damaged it releases a residue into the blood called Triponin. My dad had 3 tripinon levels drawn over 24 hours. The levels were slightly elevated which indicated damage to the heart muscle, what we call a heart attack, or as the medical staff refers, a myocardial infarction (MI).
My dad will be on medications now to help his heart muscle contract more easily, since there has been damage and the heart muscle is not as effective. He will also take Plavix for a prescribed amount of time to decrease the amount of buildup in his vessels. He will also start on a cholesterol medication. His cholesterol has never been elevated but they still really don't know what the norm is for everyone. He will also carry nitroglycerin with him. If he has chest pain in the future he needs to take it. If it relieves the chestpain he has stable angina and if it doesn't relieve the pain it is unstable angina and he needs to go to Emergency.
My dad had a stress test 3 years ago that he passed with flying colours. He has never had high blood pressure. He has had some twinges of chest pain when he was exercising but usually was relieved by the cold air deep breathing.
My dad's only factor for having a heart attack is stress. He will get onto a cardiac program and learn some tips in managing his stress, returning to exercise and changing his diet.
I was sooooo proud of my dad. The nurses and doctors loved him as he is gentle and kind. His understanding of the procedures and medications were profound. When he was getting his IV out he bled a lot. The nurse said, "I can't beleive how much you are bleeding." My dad said, "Just remember I am getting Heparin." I was so proud of him that he understood the side effects of the medications.
My mom's faith remained stellar through all of this and felt God's hand tracing the whole situation. This next little while will be a learning curve for her as she learns about medications as well as signs and symptoms to watch for if dad has heart problems again. Plus my dad won't be able to drive for a month so she will be in charge of the driving.
They will be with Murray and Carlin for a few days in Okotoks and will get back to Regina either by flying or driving.
I have to admit that I actually enjoyed my time in Calgary. We had a mini family reunion (5 out of the 6 were there). My dad's grin just got bigger and bigger as each one of us walked in to the CICU. I haven't spent that much alone time with my parents in years. I felt privileged to go and support my family and learn as much as I could while I was there.
Todd and the girls survived, although very disappointed that they couldn't see their grandparents. We have a lot to be thankful for. It is a huge wakeup call to live everyday to the fullest as you never know when things are going to change.
Thanks for your prayers. I left Kourtney for 4 nights and she did great. Love to you all.
Janelle
My mom and dad drove to Calgary to help Murray with the paper work for his new house in Okotoks and then were going to fly from the Calgary to come to Abbotsford to visit my family.
My parents were through security already when he started having chest pain. My mom was apprehensive to alert 911 until she saw my dad sweating. Then she knew that there was something more going on. When she called for help a Westjet rep came alongside her and explained everything to her and stayed with my mom until they left in the ambulance for the hospital. My mom said that the Westjet employee was reassuring and calming, just like on the TV commercial. They took him to the Peter Lougheed hospital first. Because his chest pain intensified and was unrelieved by Oxygen and Nitro he was transferred him to Foothills hospital. Foothills hospital is one of the leading Cardiac hospitals in Canada.
My dad had two blockages (plaque, bloodclot as we found out the medical terms are the same). He had an angiogram (they took a picture of his heart by injecting him with dye and then x-raying him) which revealed two of his cornary arteries (the vessels that give blood to the heart) were blocked. One vessel was 100 per cent blocked and the other one 80 percent. The two vessels were on the left side of his heart, so they could only clear one at a time. Immediately they did an angioplasty on the vessel that was 100 percent blocked. They put in a stint to keep the vessel from collapsing and from forming further plaque buildup. My dad was awake during the procedure and said that the chest pain was relieved instantly. My dad stayed in CICU (Cardiac Intensive Care Unit) overnight and later was moved to a telemetry unit where they monitored him for 2 days. Here he waited patiently for the second angioplasty. Yesterday, he had a second angioplasty. I have heard it wasn't completely cleared out but the medication (Plavix) will take care of the rest.
The damage to his heart was minimal. The ECG showed no changes from the time the chest pain started to after he was monitored on the ward. (They look for changes in the ECG to see if a person is having a heart attack.) My dad's only sign was chest pain and on the first assessments made by the ER doctors they thought he might be having hernia pain, but the medical team listened to what dad was saying. A heart attack is damage to the heart muscle and when the heart muscle is damaged it releases a residue into the blood called Triponin. My dad had 3 tripinon levels drawn over 24 hours. The levels were slightly elevated which indicated damage to the heart muscle, what we call a heart attack, or as the medical staff refers, a myocardial infarction (MI).
My dad will be on medications now to help his heart muscle contract more easily, since there has been damage and the heart muscle is not as effective. He will also take Plavix for a prescribed amount of time to decrease the amount of buildup in his vessels. He will also start on a cholesterol medication. His cholesterol has never been elevated but they still really don't know what the norm is for everyone. He will also carry nitroglycerin with him. If he has chest pain in the future he needs to take it. If it relieves the chestpain he has stable angina and if it doesn't relieve the pain it is unstable angina and he needs to go to Emergency.
My dad had a stress test 3 years ago that he passed with flying colours. He has never had high blood pressure. He has had some twinges of chest pain when he was exercising but usually was relieved by the cold air deep breathing.
My dad's only factor for having a heart attack is stress. He will get onto a cardiac program and learn some tips in managing his stress, returning to exercise and changing his diet.
I was sooooo proud of my dad. The nurses and doctors loved him as he is gentle and kind. His understanding of the procedures and medications were profound. When he was getting his IV out he bled a lot. The nurse said, "I can't beleive how much you are bleeding." My dad said, "Just remember I am getting Heparin." I was so proud of him that he understood the side effects of the medications.
My mom's faith remained stellar through all of this and felt God's hand tracing the whole situation. This next little while will be a learning curve for her as she learns about medications as well as signs and symptoms to watch for if dad has heart problems again. Plus my dad won't be able to drive for a month so she will be in charge of the driving.
They will be with Murray and Carlin for a few days in Okotoks and will get back to Regina either by flying or driving.
I have to admit that I actually enjoyed my time in Calgary. We had a mini family reunion (5 out of the 6 were there). My dad's grin just got bigger and bigger as each one of us walked in to the CICU. I haven't spent that much alone time with my parents in years. I felt privileged to go and support my family and learn as much as I could while I was there.
Todd and the girls survived, although very disappointed that they couldn't see their grandparents. We have a lot to be thankful for. It is a huge wakeup call to live everyday to the fullest as you never know when things are going to change.
Thanks for your prayers. I left Kourtney for 4 nights and she did great. Love to you all.
Janelle
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