Update – What’s going on.

A follow up to my last update post on what’s up. I told you guys I might be a little MIA because my dad had a heart attack last week. So here’s the whats up:

The heart cath came back clean. His stints are in good shape and no new blockages. The heart attack was mild and caused by an arrhythmia.  His pulse is too low because his blood pressure is too high. They started new meds and are hopeful. There was talk of a pace maker down the road. He’s home now and doing good. He was having a lot of panic attacks at the hospital. I can’t say enough good things about the nurses comforting him through all that. They were so sweet and caring.

I can’t blame the panicking, I was right there with him on that level, at one point both of us were hugging and crying. It was breaking my heart seeing him so scared. It’s really hard seeing your father like that. Especially when they start talking about emotional stuff. I don’t do well with emotional talk as it is but he started telling me how he was sorry about certain things and he loved me and to tell my brother he loved him. Making me and my aunt promise we would take care of my soon to be step mom. All that scary talk that people do when they think they are about to die. It was just a panic attack that time at least.

That brings me to another thing, heart patients are emotionally fragile I have noticed. A heart attack changes something in one’s brain. My dad changed a lot after his first heart attack about 15 years ago. He became much more emotional afterward. His temper was quicker and he would have anxiety attacks. Then a few months after my mom died, he had to have a quadruple bypass surgery and that was really rough on him. He’s had panic issues with hospitals since then, even when he had his knee replacement he had panic attacks. I feel like the panic and anxiety is a form of PTSD. A heart attack is incredibly traumatic so why wouldn’t you have PTSD?  

Another reason my dad was so upset is that September is not a great month for my families mortality. My uncle Donald passed away last September, and my Uncle Ronnie in September years ago. My dad was also on the same hospital floor as my uncle was.

Mini rant though, the doctor at our local VA that sent him home 3 weeks ago when his pulse was 43 is an idiot! They keep messing with his meds his cardiologist put him on. The cardiologist knows best for him, not some doofus who could care less. Our local VA has a shit rep for healthcare but my dad goes there because he is a Vet and the meds are covered. He also works there as an Engineer and is heading up the remodel as Project Manager so he’s there all day and it’s convenient for him to run over to his doctor there when he feels off and you would think working at a hospital would be the best place to be in case something happens but apparently not. My husband refuses to go to the VA because of that. He felt like they just gave meds and didn’t care. It’s a shame no one wants to go there cause my dad has done some nice remodels on the place. As much as I don’t trust the healthcare there, I know there are good doctors there too. My former GP is out there now and she’s fantastic. They also have great support for PTSD and mental health from what I hear. At least the group therapy is good. The VA’s are neglected in smaller cities like ours. I know the one in Houston is amazing,

Bottom line is, he’s got to control his stress levels and not get over exerted. Stress is his biggest problem. He gets so worked up over everything except his job. That makes him happy at least. 

So, I am back in the saddle and everything is okay now. Thank you, everyone, for all the prayers and love. It meant to world to us. Thank you!