Preparation For Action

In the ambulance the EMT gave me a chewable aspirin and inserted an IV in my hand. It was amazing how well he manipulated the needle even while the ambulance was moving.  He was a pretty good guy and even though there was serious pain, there was confidence things were moving forward.

On arrival at the Kennestone Hospital, Marietta, GA, they transferred me from the ambulance stretcher to a hospital gurney as they began my admittance. Alone and confused there was a series of questions regarding my identity, medical history and current condition. Feelings were pretty low, but there was assurance that these were good hands to be in. The emergency room doctor had things under control. And on a scale of 1 to 10, the pain in my chest had quickly dropped to around 8.5 from the medication.

It wasn't long before being taken to a room in the Cardiac Care Unit and transferred to what was to be my bed for the next three days. There, the pain was decreasing and fairly soon had lowered to the range of 5 to 6. The end of the tunnel was in sight and it was not exactly an oncoming train. What it was, however, was a shock and sudden mental realization from which it would be a long time to fully recover.

During the morning, evening and afternoon of my first day (Saturday), it was crystal clear that my goal was to rest and regain my strength for what laid ahead. The nurse was so adamant about resting that she discouraged the excitement of  TV and disabled my bed controls so there would be no temptation to move around too much. "Try to clear your head if you can and rest" she would say to me. Resting happened with the pain soon leveling at around 1.5 by the afternoon. It was reduced primarily from the Morphine injections, the blood thinners and the nitroglycerine in my IV and the lowpressors they'd given me since my arrival.

That night passed fairly well and was progressing well into Sunday morning although an upset stomach crept in by mid-afternoon. That kind of dogged me 'till late evening when there was sedation for my second nights rest. That night saw IV blood thinners and nitroglycerine and more lowpressors along with a regular IV bag to increase my fluids in preparation for the next day's procedure. There was no eating and drinking allowed after midnight.

Bright and early Monday morning,  two young women arrived to take me for the Cardiac Catheterization procedure to determine my current arterial condition and the extent of damage to my heart from the attack.