Update on my friend from last week

[Guest guest]

This is a copy of the email my friend just sent me. When he called me

Friday to say he was home, I was blown away. Once again this was a

miracle as you read his email he explains what happens from the time

he started feeling weird forward. And the doctor found not one bit of

damage done to the heart.

This particular Monday morning, (02/18/08), was not much different

than most of the past Monday's, except for the fact that this flu

`thing' that began on the previous Monday, with its persistent

bronchial cough, was feeling like it was finally winding down. This

was the second time, since this past November, that I had a cold/flu,

but this time the cold wasn't as lingering as it was this past

November. I was kind of annoyed that I had not been able to go to the

gym for the past week because of this cold/cough thing.

At about 12:20 PM, this Monday afternoon I was in the kitchen of my

son's house as I just put some laundry into the washing machine. My

son, , happened to be working from home today because of a

mis-communication about a lunch meeting he missed and was having his

lunch at home in the other room.

As I turned away from the washing machine to walk back into the

kitchen, I felt as if some major switch was turned in my mind where

the (`wires') that connected my eyes to my brain, were crossed. As

best as I can explain the experience it was like my eyes were reversed

in their perception of what I was seeing and there was what I

perceived to be a double-vision experience and a small bright light

off to the left side of my center field of vision.

If I covered one eye and looked out the other my sight appeared to be

normalized; the same was true if I covered up the other eye and looked

into the room the image normalized, but looking out of both eyes my

depth perception was confusing and there was sort of a double vision.

At this same time I felt a strong, overwhelming wave of just feeling

pleasantly tired, sort of light-headed and definitely somewhat

lightheaded and dizzy.

Feeling this strange tired feeling move over my mind and body, so

abruptly, I was thinking it was sort of strange to me but I was

thinking that possibly since I did not have hardly a decent night's

sleep most all of the previous week because of the cold/cough, that

perhaps this was my body's strange way of catching up on the sleep I

missed for 5 of the previous 7 nights. I thought it best to

immediately stop right where I was in the kitchen and sit down on the

floor, and then leaned against the wall nearest the laundry room till

whatever it was had passed.

I then felt more comfortable to move so as to completely slide to my

side as to lie down on the floor.

This initial part of the experience happened in a matter of a few seconds.

My son found me unconscious, on the kitchen floor about 10 minutes later.

From what I remember at the moment he found me, he was aggressively

fussing at me, trying to wake me up by shouting at me and shaking me

and I recall him saying very loudly that if I did not wake up that he

was going to call the Para-medics. I remember telling him that I just

wanted to sleep; it wasn't necessary to call anyone and faded off again.

He told me later that I was having some type of convulsions, my arms

and legs were quivering, the paramedics noted that my left eye was

looking straight and my right eye was looking off to my right (weird)

and I was drooling and was incoherent to his (and their) numerous and

intense attempts to wake me…

He made the 911 call. Later he told me it was the longest short period

of time he could ever remember till the ambulance and fire trucks arrived.

The next recollection I had was of someone over me pressing me with

their knuckles into my chest bone. It was the Para-medic trying to

bring me around. I recall that his knuckles were uncomfortably

pressing into me and that I just wanted to sleep. I passed out again.

I do not have any recollection of anything that I experienced after

passing out again, other than the fact that I was told that while I

was in the ambulance reroute to the closest 's Creek Emory

Hospital, as I was connected to an EKG machine in the ambulance, and

that I experienced yet another heart attack while in the ambulance on

my way to the hospital. I was still passed out.

I regained consciousness, after I was in the emergency room at 's

Creek Hospital, (guessing about 50 minutes after it all began), and

noticed as I was coming to again that I was braced and sitting up on a

stretcher and I was already connected to an EKG machine; I was being

asked by the attending nurse if anything hurt in my chest or arms. I

recall that the question puzzled me because I was feeling like I just

woke up from a great power-nap. As I recall, there were about a dozen

people around me.

I think I said to the nurse that nothing did hurt, there was no

discomfort and I was trying to figure out what was happening. I

experienced no pain at any time, but heard a nurse telling the room

that " I was having another heart-attack " …

So, up to this time, which I think now occurred about a little over an

hour, I was told that I apparently had a series of 3 heart-attacks

experiences.

At this time, the ER personnel were prepping me to be air-lifted by

helicopter to Emory University Coronary Care, as the helicopter had

(again, surprisingly to me) already arrived and the care-flight

Para-meds were busy in the room moving me. I recall asking someone why

we just couldn't take a car down there and I heard someone in the ER

state that I was in some " 90 minute window " and that I needed to be at

Emory Hospital Coronary Care immediately, if not sooner.

I was quickly moved to the helicopter and the Care-flight took off. I

was off loaded at Emory in a matter of 15-20 travel minutes.

I was immediately taken to some room where the doctors open an access

into the femoral artery in the groin/leg in order to run a

dye-injecting stint up to the veins surrounding my heart. My clothes

were quickly removed and someone was shaving up the area for the

procedure and at the same time I was given paperwork to sign,

(upside-down and sideways, of course), to allow them to do that and

any subsequent procedure. They also started to shave a part of my

chest, too.

All during this experience, I was in absolute peace about everything.

I had no experiences of anxiety or fear in any form. In fact, it was

fascinating me that not only was and had this happened, but that I was

in such peace about it all and I could partially see severay of the

equipments monitors.

The overall stint procedure took, (my best guess), 15- 20 minutes.

The medical frenzy and testing activity slowed down as they were

studying the interactive results on the several overhead monitors;

when I heard the doctor technicians ask something to the effect of

" now… why is he here…(?)… " .

As moments later I was to shortly hear them say that they could find

no obstruction anywhere in any of the veins surrounding the heart…

huh…(?).

Their test results were baffling to them and I still was unsure what

all the fuss was about because I was feeling like I just woke up from

a great rest… a power nap.

They kept looking and moments later someone commented in question

about if it was possible that there was this one very small end of a

small vein at the very back and bottom of the heart that had a partial

vein obstruction… But, no one there thought that if this was all there

was that it was not significant enough to warrant any medical

attention and surely this was not enough of any type of an obstruction

to have caused what happened in the last hour or so, (with the three

incidents of these heart attacks), or to have caused it.

I was put back together and moved upstairs to the Coronary Care Unit

section of the hospital for observation, more tests and follow-up.

Over the testing process during the next several days, it was clearly

established that not only did I have a series of heart-attacks, but I

also experienced a stroke as well.

The additionally puzzling part of the experience to the doctors and

their numerous test results is that it was clear that a stroke usually

follows a heart attack because after a person has a heart attack the

damaged part of the heart could produce a clot fragment that would

break off and travel to (possibly) the smaller veins in the brain and

therefore cause a stroke to occur.

This did not happen, as it appeared that these events both happened at

about the same time.

There were several tests that were conducted where the brain tissue

was examined. (…and, yes, there was a fully functional brain in there).

There is no doubt that the stroke did occur and it happened in the

sight area of the rear right brain lobe. The heightened neuron

activity clearly indicated that this occured with several subsequent

tests.

However, there was no measurable damage to that area of my brain…

There is no question that the series of three recorded heart attacks

occurred, as not only when my son found me having convulsions; also

there the two separate EKG's running at the time they happened, once

in the ambulance and again at the ER at 's Creek. Afterwards I was

told that after a person has a heart attack the heart produces some

sort of protein enzyme that can be measured in the blood. To me it was

like sort of measuring the smoke after an explosion. The protein

enzymes were very measurable.

However, there was no measurable damage to any part of my heart.

[My blood pressure readings, (from my home unit), have always been

just at the upper side of normal. I have been watching my blood

pressure for over a year with favorable results. Even now, after I've

now been taking these prescriptions, my blood pressure averages

readings have only dropped a few points, (about 10% at best).] I

started keeping a log of these readings.

There was one test that was conducted where I had allow an electronic

camera down my throat into my esophagus so that it could be positioned

at a place just behind my heart as to conduct what I understood to be

a very high definition image resolution examination of my heart from

behind the muscle. The results of the exam were the same; there was no

detectable damage to any part of my heart. Every test they completed

concurred.

In fact, my hearts' overall physical condition was that I was in

rather very good condition. There were no obstructions in any of the

numerous veins, no abnormal distortion or function of any kind and

absolutely no signs of any muscle damage. There was nothing. It was a

textbook perfect functioning heart.

Even the numerous blood tests that were done after the `event' showed

that both my LDL (bad cholesterol) was about 78 and the HDL (good

cholesterol) was low but still good at 69. In essence, my overall

blood profile was exceptionally good and needed just a little

attention. According to a blood test I did about 9 years ago, my HDL

was 50, my LDL was 76 and my cholesrtol was 139... It hasn't hardly

changed in 9 years.

The question was presented to the group of doctors, (by both my son

and I), asking IF there was any possible connection between all the

daily exercising I had been doing at the gym over the past 7-8 months

and possibly wearing myself into a sort of physical exhaustion. The

response was an immediate " no " . In fact, the exercise and nutritional

supplements I had been taking could have greatly benefited my body

whereas whatever did happen this body was able to deal with it… or,

was the hand of God surrounding my heart and mind as He was showing me

and those who love me a message He wanted to share with us and for me

to share with others. Is this what it takes to get us a message…?

I don't think that I had much to do with contributing to my body's

ability to deal with these incredible events… but this I do know; is

that when God has a plan and your time has arrived to leave this

place, there's no amount of prevention that you can do to change His

mind. However, I do know that God works in mysterious ways and we are

responsible and accountable for the treatment we give our bodies, mind

and souls; and in knowing this it is the stewardship of properly

taking care of what God has given us that we are to act responsible

for. This not only includes exercising prudence in what we eat (and

drink) and don't eat (and don't drink) and systematic exercise, but He

has reaffirmed in my mind that we are to be messengers to all those

who we come in contact with about the blessed hope that only God can

give us as we are His ambassadors to a dying world that so desperately

needs to know the Good News of eternal life through knowing Jesus Christ.

God exists, His message exists, what will it take for Gods' people,

(you and I), to act responsibly to do their part for these eternal

treasures… perhaps a heart attack… maybe a stroke… maybe both, maybe

worse and more severe, and then to be completely restored as I was as

if nothing happened in a matter of minutes...

Only God knows and I have seen a demonstration beyond any shadow of

doubt that He has control and He will do as He would will and as Jonah

in the Old Testament, He will do His will with us regardless.

So, for me and my mind, I'm on board for what I believe to be the most

amazing part of the journey on the rest of my life, to be able to see

and personally experiences not only the wonderment of our God, but to

have been privileged to experience firsthand that we truly do serve

such an awesome God.

It is now Friday, February 28yh and all is well...

Since I was discharged from the hospital on 02/23, late in the

afternoon, I have not had any other noticable physical events occure.

In my thinking, as the group of doctors evaluating and treating me at

Emory concurred, what happened was defined as being an anomily.

....I don't know what to say about what happened. Personally, I don't

like that it happened, but that's after the fact. I know I have to

make some adjustments, but the fact remains affirmed by the doctors

that other than needing to drop about 35 #'s more, there's nothing in

my life style that would be considered contributory to causing this

experience... So, after a time of reflection and allowing my body to

stabilize from the experience, I have been encouraged to return to

modest exercising, continue eatting healthy (I can say lots more about

this topic), and being ever more thankful for what God has done.

Also, if anyome has a suggestion about a resource for me to contact

where I can get a perscription of 75 mg of Plavix filled, I would be

most appreciative. At Sam's Club (locally) they wanted $380.00 for 90

days and after looking on a few on-line sites I was warned about

looking on-line as some of the resources there are offering a cut

version of the medication.

The other medications that have been prescribed are: metoprolo 25 mg

(twice a day), and simvastatin 20 mg (once a day)... along with (1)

Bayor Aspirin 325 mg per day.

Again, I wish to thank everyone for their prayers and encouragement.

Respectdfully,

Dan

Blessings

Darla