Things have been challenging recently for us. A couple of weeks ago, after exerting myself, I experienced some alarming symptoms including dizziness, shortness of breath, and confusion.
I know I’m supposed to be resting and I am. I am at home I’m my favorite chair doing what I love most, sifting through my thoughts.
Thankfully we made the choice to get to the hospital. After some initial testing, the nurse practitioner exclaimed “You’re having a heart attack.”
Surely thereafter, I found myself in the ambulance headed for the larger town about an hour away. While in the ambulance I experienced a life-threatening condition called V-Tach. They gave chest compressions and eventually shocked me which got my heart back on a normal rhythm.
By the time I arrived at the main hospital, the doctor described me as “ashen” in color, and they rushed me to the catheter lab where they installed a couple of stents. This procedure was complicated by a total blockage, but sometime in the early morning I finally made it to my hospital bed to recover with a temporary pacemaker in one of my arteries.
Eventually my vitals slowly returned to normal, and then I spent the next 24 hours flat on my back as they watched whether the temporary pacemaker fired or not. The next day, the device was removed and my door prize was a heart monitor to take home with me for the next 30 days.
Yesterday was my follow-up appointment to plan for the next stage of intervention which would likely be some lesser stents and then some cardio rehab. While there, my heart rate was elevated and there was some fluttering, so now we are waiting for the next procedure and taking some extra precautions with blood thinners.
I’ve been through a lot in my life. 4 years ago I fought through a stroke which disabled me, and I have painfully worked through many of my psychological issues, which have also helped me navigate this crisis better.
The tough things of our life amplify what we have ignored or not nurtured effectively. My wife, Laura, is a golden example of a human being. She loves me and my children and grandchildren with all her heart. She spends countless hours dedicated to her class of elementary students, and comes home to help me on my journey.
Through the challenges of deconstructing and navigating the health events, we are learning even more about what is important and what strategies help navigate things like this. Guess what? Many times it still comes down to communication- how we communicate with other people and how we communicate with ourselves.
Next time I want to talk about something that has just recently been solidified in our understanding. It is the question, “What if that were not true?”
Be where you are
Be who you are
Be at peace
Karl Forehand
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