This post is for all of you who have asked for updates on my dad. Thanks for checking on us and praying.
A little over twenty years ago, my mom and I were at choir practice and my dad went back to work to get some things done. We lived in California and his job was extremely stressful~ he sold anesthesia machines to hospitals and then trained them, usually during surgeries, how to use them. Besides seeing some really crazy things during surgery, his boss was a doozy. Hello, Stress. Anyway…back to that evening~ he started feeling really bad with chest pains and drove himself to the emergency room. That, in itself, was a miracle…since he knew what happened “behind-the-scenes” in the hospital, he knew he didn’t want to be in one. Thankfully, he went because while he was there, his heart stopped…for twelve long seconds. They shocked him several times and revived him and by the time we were out of choir practice, the scariest part was over. He was in the hospital a week and man, it was scary.
They told him he had coronary artery spasms and the only way to treat that is with meds and decreasing stress.
Fast forward to now and before his bypass surgery, he thought he was having the coronary artery spasms…just a little more intense. Turns out, he was, but he had a lot more going on too. And now, after the surgery, the coronary artery spasms continue. I guess that, along with his extremely low blood pressure, has caused a lot of confusion on what is really going on now. He has chest pains, or coronary artery spasms, I guess, every day and didn’t expect that to still carry on after surgery. But they’re two different things…
The spasms scare me, because while they don’t seem as life-threatening as blockage in the heart, they can be. His heart stopped for 12 seconds with them. Blockage is so scary, but it can be repaired.
So here we are, grateful that he has been spared again and ready for him to have relief.
Stress is an evil little bugger.
Combine the bypass recovery with the spasms, low blood pressure (absolutely no energy & unable to take the right heart meds since they plummet it more) and pain with nerve damage after two back surgeries and you have a very uncomfortable, worn-out Papa. This is where we are with things and we need a miracle.
I’m wanting my parents to go to the beach and just look at the waves for days on end…anything that would bring them peaceful relaxation. A hospital needs to be close-by, but other than that, just sand and waves.
Anyone have any other ideas on how to help someone eliminate stress?