Mom's Heart Attack

Last Thursday evening (around 10 p.m.) my mom began experiencing chest pain. After trying a few things, I realized it was serious enough to warrant a trip to the local emergency room. I got mom dressed and John helped me get her down the stairs and into the car and we were at the "Emerg" (as they say in Canada) by 10:30 p.m. We were the only ones there and were taken right in. The nurse hooked mom up and ran an EKG which showed she had some level of trauma to her heart. They gave her some medication which took the pain away and she was admitted that evening. The next day, blood tests showed that she suffered a mild heart attack.

On Friday she was pain free and doing well until that night. She started with more chest pain, so more tests were done and it was concluded that she needed a heart catherization. Durham Hospital is a small local hospital and not set up for that kind of procedure. She would have to be taken to St. Mary's in Kitchener where they have a special "Cath Lab" for doing these kinds of surgeries.

My (Julie's) brother, John, arrived from PA on Saturday morning and has been able to spend most of his time with her at the hospital. This has been such a blessing as I've been juggling classes, family, and Mom's hospitalization.

Monday and Tuesday were spent contacting physicians back in PA regarding her mental state and whether she's stable enough to undergo this kind of surgery as well as contacting insurance companies to see if she would be covered since she out of the country. Thankfully, everything worked out and she was transported by ambulance on Wednesday morning to St. Mary's and operated on in the afternoon.

Dr. Theal found 5 blocked arteries and a slight murmur with one of her valve's. Four of the arteries were block anywhere from 40% to 65%, but one was blocked 99%. A stent was used to open the blocked artery (see the american heart.org link for more information on stents). She had a restless evening as she had to lie flat on her back after the surgery, but at 11:15 p.m. she was able to be up and around a little bit and that seemed to help. We're not sure when she'll be discharged from Kitchener (probably today or tomorrow), but the plan is to bring her back to my home for about a week, then my brother will take her back to PA where she can follow up with cardiologists in her home area.

We thank God that a hospital was close by. We're also thankful for the care she's been able to receive. Please pray for my brother and me as we make decisions for our mom and her health and also for a quick recovery.