Three weeks ago, I found my husband unconscious on the hallway floor just outside the laundry room. He was flat on his back and for an instant I thought I'd lost him. I couldn't get him to respond as I patted his cheek. You'd think I'd be smart enough to check for a heartbeat, but I was too frightened to think.
I called 911. Evidently I must have sounded like a lunatic because two ambulances arrived. One for Calvin and I have a sneaky suspicion the other was for the crazed woman who'd gone bonkers over the phone. By then, I'd gotten Calvin to open his eyes and he was throwing up.
Diagnosis? Mild heart attack. He was in the hospital for four days while a battery of tests were run. When he was discharged, he was wearing a monitor with instructions to keep it on for two weeks before mailing it back to the lab.
Meanwhile, Calvin and his male pride insists he do things as he always did. Ride the stationary bike for an hour. Run the sweeper so I can keep writing. Empty and load the dishwasher. Putz around in the garage.
All the while my ears are listening for any strange noises. Like things going bump. When they do, I run!
Once I found him on his back in the garage with the upright freezer on top of him. He had no clue what had happened. Thank goodness the door had opened in the fall preventing the freezer's complete weight from smashing hubs. He was covered with frozen vegetables and a turkey breast on a male portion of his anatomy not up for sudden, cold bird attacks. "Get that damn breast off my..." Well, you get the picture.
He was in the den looking a word up in the dictionary when he fell asleep and Webster's hard backed edition hit the floor. I bolted into his den on a dead run. He looked at me as if I'd lost my freaking mind.
The seat on his stationary bike is hard on his skinny behind--not mine, because I bring my own padding, if you know what I mean. So, he decided to put cushioning beneath the leather seat cover. He tipped the bike over, causing an awful racket, and I sprinted into the little bedroom where the bike resides. I damn near ripped the door off its hinges.
The heart monitor showed the bottom of his heart goes into spells where it beats 4 to 10 extra beats in a row. Not enough that Calvin would feel it, but if it goes higher, like to 15, he has loss of oxygen to his brain and passes out. He's been passing out from time to time all year and no one could figure out why. Now, we know.
He's on heart medicine.
I'm on nerve pills.
I love your blog, Vonnie.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Come back and visit often. We have a lot of super great authors here.
DeleteHi, Vonnie
ReplyDeleteYes, your 'exercise' regimen, chasing after Calvin...is unique. Our men hate it when they go vulnerable, so you may have to wear quiet shoes when you go bolting from room to room making sure the noise he makes is nothing to worry about. But I get the feeling...once something scary happens, we get so nervous it will happen again. Use that nervous energy to write, girl...and for spinning on the cycle! Hugs to you both!
I will, Rolynn, once I get the vision of his lying on the floor unconscious out of my mind. I think it took ten years off me. We're so close. Thanks so much.
DeleteI've experienced something similar with my husband (a low blood sugar episode in the middle of the night and a call to 911). Now I wake up every time he turns over in bed. I hope the heart medication takes care of Calvin's problem and you don't have to get more "exercise!" Good luck with the male pride situation too. That's harder to remedy!
ReplyDeleteYes, Sandra, that male ego is a force to reckon with. Although it helps us write stronger heroes.
DeleteVonnie, how frightening for both you and Calvin. You're such a sweet couple--he looks as if he'd have a great sense of humor and I know you do. :) I send best wishes for both your health and happiness.
ReplyDeleteOh, Caroline, he has a wonderful sense of humor. We have a lot of love and laughter in this house.
DeleteHopefully the medication will help Calvin, and you can ease out of panic mode. I don't blame you a bit for freaking out. The whole situation is scary. Best to both you and Calvin, Vonnie.
ReplyDeleteUsually I handle emergencies well and fall apart after it's all over. I was a mess through the whole ordeal and still feel in panic mode. Thanks, Jannine.
DeleteOh my, Vonnie. I handle these sorts of situations with equal serenity. Ha. I do hope the pills work and life calms down for you both.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Beth. I do love calm. LOL
DeleteVonnie, when I read this to OG he said, "It's like I have a twin!" LOL
ReplyDeleteOh, Alison, no...Bwahahaha!
DeleteWhat a scary experience. Glad it all worked out with answers
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rain. It'll take me awhile to get the vision of his lying there out of my mind. Still, we were very lucky.
DeleteHe certainly knows how to liven up a room! Carry on, kiddo....it'll work out...
ReplyDeleteKathleen Bylsma
Yes, Kathleen, he certainly does. His gentleness and sense of humor are what he's know for.
DeleteHow scary! I'm so glad he--and you--are doing okay now.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joan. So am I. We are always together so anytime one of us is in the hospital, it's especially hard on us.
DeleteFrightening! I can understand why you'd freak every time you heard an unusual sound. So glad he's doing better. Now it's your turn to chill. Hard to do, I know. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteChill? Me? Oh, Diane, I'm more like a jumping dog on steroids.
DeleteThis is why they say - Getting older is not for sissies.
ReplyDeleteTruer words were never spoken, Sandra. Amen and amen.
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