My dad and I moved in together not long after my mom passed away. Like living with any roommate, there’s ups and downs, arguments and laughs. My husband and kids have been (mostly) patient through the family blend. When we moved out to the country my dad was so upset that he pouted for several months before realizing that he loved watching the turkeys, the antics of the ducks, saw birds he’d never seen before, and sit on the porch and wave to the neighbors who visited via horse and tractor. Anything new takes time but being 80 years old the stubbornness of new is even harder it seems.
A couple weeks back I was at an appointment when I received a call that my dad had tripped over a box, fallen backwards, and hit the back of his head on the way down. “I’m fine,” he squawked when I told him I’d meet him at the hospital. “But I’m fine,” he repeated. But I had a feeling and that feeling was right – he had a brain bleed. ICU cheered when he was wheeled out and last week received a card signed by all those who cared for him.
Yesterday was a beautiful day in Michigan – finally. My husband, dad, and I started out early to peruse the local flower nurseries and choose our seasonal selections. We laughed and planned dinner, and then dad started feeling funny.
Just like that and I hurt everywhere,” he said.
I replied jokingly that I wasn’t taking him to the hospital as I’d had my share of hospitals for the last couple weeks to last a lifetime.
We came home and as he rested I made dinner that he refused to eat.
I almost went to bed at 7:30 pm, my eyes heavy, but something told me to stay up. Something also told me to keep my cell phone with me after dad put himself to bed. And something made me look down to see my dad calling me on my phone from the room. Something told me to immediately dial 911.
He was having a hard time breathing and had grabbed his breathing machine. 911 hung up on me the first go around, but the second time was the charm. I told them I thought he was having a heart issue and they told me to make him take an aspirin. With the recent brain bleed, though, he couldn’t, so I yelled for my dad to take his nitro. Within minutes close to a dozen first aid responders were in the house.
“I thought this was cardiac,” a paramedic said to me. “He just needs oxygen.”
“It’s cardiac. Do an EKG now,” I told them.
“But he isn’t having chest pains,” he argued.
“I’ve been with my dad longer than you have and he’s never had chest pains with cardiac episodes. Do an EKG now.”
I had asked beforehand what hospital they were taking him to and they told me any one we wanted unless it was an emergency then it would be this one or that one. The other paramedic locked eyes with me and grabbed the EKG machine. Within a minute they were loading him in the ambulance and me in the front seat and we were the way to one of the this one hospitals.
At first they told us they thought it was a blood clot. Then they said they thought it was just his COPD. Now they believe it’s cardiac.
After the paramedic did the paperwork he joined me in the private family waiting room they put me in.
“How did you know?” he asked me.
“You always trust your intuition even if the signs aren’t visible,” I told him.
He nodded, patted me on the shoulder, and walked out.
We are still waiting for test results for dad and he’s obviously not happy about being there, but he’s in good hands. He indeed had a heart attack, though. The tests verified what my intuition already told me.
Just remember that even though it might not look like something, doesn’t mean it isn’t something. Always trust your intuition.
Believe,
Kristy
www.kristyrobinett.com
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