Life saving operations

Let me preface this post with this: I have a nursing license. I haven't worked in nursing for quite a while, but it is my background.

I already posted that in April of 2022 I had a heart attack that was medication induced. I was put on a beta blocker medication to help my heart compensate for the damage. The medication made me a bit dizzy so we played around with the dosage and timing of it. I continued to be dizzy, but it wasn't as bad. That is, it was not as bad until it was worse. I chalked up the dizziness to the medication and figured it was my "new normal." I passed out while sitting twice. Both times it was extremely hot out and I chalked that up to the heat.

On a Sunday in mid-June, my husband nearly called an ambulance as while I was sitting next to him I turned gray. I was not doing anything. Just sitting. My pulse, checked on my smart watch, was 37. I got in touch with the cardiologist on Monday and saw him on Tuesday afternoon. The nurse or tech in his office said that the smart watches are not very accurate so it was probably wrong. I had an EKG in the office. The EKG showed my pulse as 33.

When the doctor came into the room, he looked at me and said, "Your EKG shows an AV Block. I am admitting you to hospital. You probably need a pacemaker. Sit here while I call over there and make the arrangements. I imagine they will have a bed for you in about 20 minutes, so don't bother going home."

His office is in a building which adjoins the hospital.

I got a phone call from the hospital shortly thereafter and walked out of the exam room I was sitting in to tell the staff. They had me sit back down and went to find a wheelchair. The doctor himself wheeled me into the hospital and to my room on the telemetry unit.

I was quickly hooked up to a monitoring device and put on bed rest. While the nurse was getting me situated and entering information into the computer, the person monitoring telemetry called her. She said, "The patient in bed 30's pulse is 33. Is she even awake?"

My nurse let the telemetry person know that I was not only awake but having a conversation. They wound up having to adjust the alarms in telemetry since my pulse dropped into the 20s when I was asleep and only got up into the low 50s at its highest while I was there.

I had another EKG, loads of blood-work, and an echo-cardiogram while I was there. The good news was my echo showed improvement of the movement of my heart muscle. The bad news was that my heart rate remained frighteningly low.

The hospitalist (A physician, usually an internist, who specializes in the care of hospitalized patients.) came and talked to me. He said that it looked like I needed a pacemaker, and the surgeon would come see me.

I was scheduled for surgery on Thursday. As a Catholic, I had a priest come and give me the sacrament of anointing of the sick first thing that morning. The hospitalist came in and said " We need to talk about your code status." 

I told him, “I am only 57 years old and my youngest son is still in college. I am a full code."

Through all of this, my mind was in what I call "nurse mode."

I had surgery to insert a pacemaker. When I returned to my room, both my husband and the nurse said, "Wow. You have color."

I went home on Friday with after care instructions. One of those was to not lift my arms over my head for 4 weeks. That was the most challenging direction.

About a week after surgery, my husband and I were watching a television show and one of the characters had signed a "DNR" or do not resuscitate order. I burst into tears. My husband looked at me and asked what was wrong.. At that moment I had realized just how sick I had been. 

Now I feel better. I am grateful for my "bionic heart" as I jokingly refer to it. 

I am thankful for good doctors and for life-saving devices. I am thankful that I never passed out while driving when my heart rate was so low. I feel like God was looking out for me.