Heart Attack, Halloween, and everything in between

Hi all! It's Monday and I'm actually posting today. Not sure if you noticed, but I didn't post Thursday or Friday, and that's because, Thursday morning as I was getting ready for work, I found out that my dad had had a heart attack the night before and been taking to the hospital around 2am. When I talked to my mom around 6:30 she said that he had had a heart attack during the night and that they had put a stent in one of his arteries, which had been 100% blocked. (Apparently it's the artery that is called "the widowmaker".....my dad is lucky). While talking to her (and panicking), she assured me that my dad was doing ok and I even talked to him on the phone for a few. So I got dressed and headed to Maryland. When I got there my mom said I should come straight to the hospital, and while I was talking to her, I am hearing CRAZY beeping in the background, so I asked if everything was ok. She said that about 5 minutes after we had gotten off the phone, my dad started to code. No heart beat, etc. They did chest compressions and then gave him sort of shock pads as a temporary outside-of-the-heart pace maker to keep his heart beating.

I got there a few minutes before they took him back for the procedure to install the temporary pacemaker and got to see him. The first thing my dad says to me (as he is getting shocked) is "I really wish you didn't come and see me like this." (My dad, always worrying about me)....I quickly told him to not worry about that, and to concentrate on getting better. Luckily the procedure went well and my dad stabilized. The next morning his heart rate started to go crazy (120's to 150's fluctuating) and they had to give him meds to get that under control. As of yesterday morning, his heart rate was finally where it's supposed to be.

Luckily the nurses that my dad had (and doctors) were great. They were so kind, and helpful. The kind of care you hope for for your family members when they need it. I'm so thankful to them for doing everything that they did for my dad.

Sunday my dad had to be transferred hospitals due to insurance (the hospital the ambulance took him to was close to my parents house, but not affiliated with their insurance. Awesome.)....luckily everything with the move went well, and my dad now has his own room which is nice. And now he only has the pacemaker hanging from his little rolling hangy thing (you know, the thing that holds all of the meds and liquids and stuff that have lines into your arms). No more drips, no more oxygen, etc, so things are good from that standpoint.

Today we find out if he needs a permanent pacemaker or not. Either way, the temporary pacemaker is coming out today...just whether or not there will be another procedure for a permanent one. I'm glad that my dad has been stable for the past two days, but it definitely worries me as we do the "next steps" since something could change. I'm just hoping that he will be ok. I made it to work today and am ready to leave at a moment's notice once we find out what he is going to have done.  Any thoughts and prayers you could send my dad's way today would be greatly appreciated :)

I went out for a bit on Friday night to get a little distraction from everything that was going on (with my dad's permission/insistence) and MG and I went to a local bar with a group of friends where there was a Halloween costume contest going on.  I'll make another post about that...maybe tomorrow. In the meantime, I'm trying to get caught up on work and keeping positive thoughts going for my dad.

I'll keep you guys posted as to what happens. In the meantime, thanks for all of your support through this--it means a lot to me (and my dad).