We made it into a room in the cath lab by 8:30 yesterday morning. Or, if you want to go by the clock in the room … 1:51. The nurse said we were late. I replied, “No, we’re just really early.” Oh, well, I guess the clock is correct twice a day, anyway. By 9:08 Chris was all prepped and ready for the doctor to come in for a pre-op visit. That happened around 9:55 when a Teaching Fellow with an unpronounceable name came in. He got her to sign all the required permission slips and checked her out one last time. Right at 10 they arrived to whisk her off. Just outside the door, however, we finally located good ol’ Nurse Teri, a precious friend from Jamaica Beach we have know for many years. She hustled over to us and gave Chris a kiss. Well, she didn’t take off her mask, but I’m pretty sure the kiss “took” anyway. And I did get a big hug. It made us both feel much better to know she was around.
The
Fellow had told us that they really didn’t expect any major issues. They would check on the original stent, then
do the stress test on the other blockage in that artery, adding a stent there
if necessary. If all was well, they would
be done in 30-45 minutes. So I was fine in
the waiting room for … 30-45 minutes. I elevatored
down to the main floor to get a cup of coffee per Teri’s instructions. But the coffee shop was closed. The sign on the door read, “The computer doesn’t
work, so we can’t open. IT has been
called.” Ouch. I started out to the car to get what was left
of the cup of coffee I brought from home.
But before I got outside I heard my name being called. It was a girl I went to high school
with. She works at the hospital a few
days a week. When she heard what I was
doing, she would have none of it. She
took me to her office snack room and poured me a cup there. Thanks, Charlotte.
After
that initial 30-45 minutes passed, I started getting a little antsy. I read a while. I did a crossword puzzle. More time passed. Jeopardy on the TV helped me stay calm and
focused for another 30 minutes. By noon,
though, I confess I was doing a little pacing. Finally, at 12:20, Nurse Teri came out and
filled me in a little bit. She said someone
would come get me in just a bit. She
also told me to tell Chris that she had allowed me to go for coffee alone and
had lost me in the process. Got it. And, Teri, I really appreciated the hand on my
shoulder and encouraging words.
They
did come get me shortly after that. I
saw Chris and was assured that she was OK, other than being a little bummed about
what they had to do. The Doc showed up
soon after and took me to the consultation room to explain what happened. I was trying to take some pictures, but he
told me to ask the people on the floor when we arrived, and they would cut a
DVD of the whole thing for us to take home.
Now. What happened? The original stent looked good. The second site of concern in that same
artery actually passed the stress test with flying colors. So what was wrong? Well, the only thing left was a second artery
that feeds about 20% of the heart. In the
first cath last month they did see a blockage there but hoped it would clear
with medication. Besides, At the time,
the 95% block in the Widowmaker took precedence. They used the same insertion point in her arm
for the first set of steps, but the muscles in her arm suddenly started
spasming, so they had to switch to the insertion point in her groin. It made things easier for them, but it meant
Chris had to stay flat on her back, keeping that leg straight for six hours
after surgery – not an easy task when you also have spinal difficulties. Come to find out, that artery was 70% blocked,
so a stent there, too, was definitely the way to go.
So,
she returned to the recovery room a little after noon, and I was escorted
back. Around 2 they realized that she
was having some bleeding issues at the insertion sites on her arm and leg
because of all the blood thinners. All bandages
had to be changed. At 4:30 they drew
blood for lab work to see if the blood thinner’s effectiveness was beginning to
wear off. Apparently, the numbers were
good, and they started decreasing pressure on the bandage at the arm site. She wouldn’t be released to go to a regular
room until all the pressure was removed from her arm. The groin site was seeping blood again, so that
dressing was changed as well.
Everything
finally settled down, and a room opened up for her on the cardiac floor. We got into that room around 6:00, just in
time to order her a quick soup and salad (They stop serving at 6:30). I left shortly thereafter, hoping all was
well. Little were we to know that …
But
that’s a tale for another day.
Philippians
4:13 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Father,
thank you for getting Chris through this surgery. Please grant her some peace. Thank you for the Teri hugs and words of calm
and peace that she spoke. We’re not to
the finished line yet. Please stick
around. Amen.
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