Señor helpmate

I am not the only person who has suffered through my medical crisis. Al has carried a lot of stress and anxiety with sleepless nights, while being a selfless caregiver for me.Let me back up to November when Al's position was eliminated with the company with which he was employed. The chemical company decided to eliminate outside chemical sales positions. He got a bit of severance and a great recommendation,but Al is 62, and although he is supremely experienced and competent, age is an issue. He does get unemployment ( whoopee) and although he was going to wait until 66, he applied for social security. Work is very important to Alfredo and this has preoccupied him. Also, after Christmas break,our 18 year old daughter Gina overdosed on pills and liquor ( on Al's birthday no less) and she was in Lakeview behavioral hospital for a few days. She is out of danger now and is in Florida with Al's side of the family for a while to give us some respite here.The day I went into the hospital I was not supposed to stay.When complications arose with my procedures, I almost died. Al was alone in the waiting room and he said it was the longest, scariest night of his life.At one point when my blood pressure couldn't be stabilized, a doctor came out and talked to Al and told him to prepare for the worst, and that if I did make it, I could have brain damage. Wow! If our positions had been reversed, I know I would have been freaking out, too. Through ICU and the cardiac care unit, Al stayed by my side and helped as best he could. Some might say , " yea, of course; that's what spouses do." I know differently. Anyway, the shell shock experience drew us even closer together, and I believe he not only showed grace under pressure, he was incredibly kind and patient with me, especially the first few days after I returned home.Nobody really helped him. He has been my hero. He says that I must be getting better now, because I'm back to my sarcastic self again. I truly don't know how I would have fared without him. Unemployment, daughter in crisis,seriously ill wife- any one of these is major. Al is stronger and tougher than I imagined. I am proud that he is such a loyal husband and caring father ( he shielded Adam from my situation until I was out of danger, for example). Our love of 40 years is stronger than ever, and I am blessed that we will have more time together.

No hyperbole

Sometimes people say they almost died (more figuratively than literally). Well, I did almost die. Here's a story....Back in November my primary physician sent me for some tests because my blood pressure could not seem to get regulated through medicine, etc."Irregularities" took me to a cardiologist, who went through a sequence of more tests including a nuclear stress test and a pet scan.He decided I should get a heart Cath to make sure everything would be ok.I was asymptomatic for the most part, but they found a 90% blockage on my main artery , and put a stent in.Wow, that in itself was unexpected. However, it's not the Cath or the subsequent stent that is unusual.I know many people have had those procedures. Everybody kept telling me , "It will be ok", yada, yada. Well.... After the stent was put in, complications occurred that less than 1% of people have with this procedure. My IV was"positional" and not enough blood thinner was able to get to the heart; I developed a blood clot which had to have suctioned out and I was sent to OR from recovery so another Cath was put in my groin ( again not unusual) to get the clot; this was emergency enough but then my blood pressure plummeted, and they could not get it stabilized.( something like 40/20). They did another scan and found "serum sanguine" surrounding my heart and not letting the heart pump, probably due to either now too much thinner or a micro perforation.They opened my chest ( euphemistically called a window)and had to insert tube as well to get the excess fluid out.( 15 staples)Meanwhile, I had aspirated into my lungs so I was intubated as well. Good grief! An outpatient procedure- or with an overnight stay if I needed a balloon/ stent- turned into 2 nights in cardiac ICU and 5 days more on the cardiac unit. My nurses were wonderful but I must say I had to let go of my dignity with all the care I had to receive. I have been home now 4 days and will be recuperating for a while.My staples need to be taken out soon and I currently have no energy. I seem to be getting a little better each day. I should be resuming activities and driving, with in reason, by the 10th( coincidentally, my son's birthday). I thank everybody for their continued prayers for healing. When I feel more cogent and stable, I will revisit all the medical reports surrounding these events. I believe the clot and serum sanguine issues were preventable. We will see.