We’re back!
Thanks to everyone who left comments or emailed in response to yesterday’s short post.
My brief adventure in medical land ended (at least for now) when Queen’s let me escape about 1 p.m. yesterday.
The long and short of it is that despite experiencing a combination of symptoms that could be mistaken for signs of a heart attack, a battery of tests over 18 hours pretty much eliminated that possibility. The ticker, it seems, is by all accounts relatively normal and healthy.
The mind, meanwhile, is much relieved.
Flashback to Monday morning. The day started normally. We completed our daily 3-mile walk to the beach and back at dawn. I dropped Meda at UH Manoa, then drove over to Kahala where I’m in the final throes of clearing my parents former home. It’s been a long, four-year process beginning when my dad went into a nursing home at the end of 2008 and I started sorting through his piles of papers and mementos, then continuing in earnest after my mom’s passing a year ago. Now we’re down to a few pieces of furniture to be put into storage for the time being, and several boxes of papers and photos worth keeping that I’ll have to store somewhere.
There’s suddenly a lot more pressure to get it all done because we’ve contracted with Re-Use Hawaii to “deconstruct” much of the old house as a prelude to a major remodeling. That is scheduled to being around the end of the month.
So on Monday I had a list of things to get done, including finishing the cleaning of the refrigerator prior to putting it in storage, sorting old containers of pesticides, fertilizers, and paints into categories for proper disposal, sorting the “give away” piles according to destination, and getting a head start on my weekly Civil Beat column.
But when I sat down to begin writing, I realized that I just didn’t have the energy. I lay down for a few minutes on an old mattress slated for disposal, and it felt like one of our cats was laying across my chest, and I couldn’t muster much energy to get on with the tasks at hand. Then I took the fateful step of Googling various combinations of symptoms. And up popped the possibility that these were early signs of a heart attack.
It probably didn’t help that Meda’s mother died on Friday, and we spent Sunday evening at a party remembering Bob Blanchard, a UH professor who we have known for years and who died in late 2013. Thinking about life and death can be dangerous to one’s perceived health.
So laying there on this bare, lumpy mattress, I started worrying. If it’s a heart attack, Meda could find me here at the end of the day. That wouldn’t be good. Maybe I should call 911, but I just didn’t feel that bad, and I thought it would be embarrassing to have an ambulance come screaming into the yard to pick me up. But various websites urged, “don’t wait. Just in case.” So I decided to split the difference. Ignoring all the official advice, I drove myself to Queen’s ER, hoping to put myself into a safe zone while sorting out my symptoms.
Apparently I didn’t look bad enough to jump ahead in the cacophonous queue in the waiting room.
But, as one of the ER physicians said to me along the way, “We’re pretty good at being able to tell whether you’re having a heart attack, but we’re not as good at determining that you’re not having one.”
So, in an abundance of caution, the tests started–EKG, blood tests, more blood tests later, chest x-ray–then a precautionary overnight while wired up for “observation,” followed by a treadmill stress test in the morning. Meda caught up with me at the end of the Monday afternoon, after her class was finished, and eventually departed to take care of the cats at home. Meanwhile, I was offered a sandwich around 9 p.m., but no food in the a.m. until rest of the tests were completed and assessed.
Finally at about noon on Tuesday, I was given the “all clear” from the doctor on duty, and after a brief wait for the Queen’s computer system to unfreeze, they were able to print out the proper discharge forms and we were on our way.
An aside…Meda said the cats’ behavior changed dramatically during my short absence. Instead of the usual bed full of cats at night, most remained out in the living room waiting for me to get home. Last night was quite different. When I went down the hall to bed, Romeo and Ms. Wally were right with me, on the bed as soon as I was, and settling in before I even got my pillows in order. Ms. Kili was right behind them, walking across my chest to a spot on the other side. Duke was already at the foot of the bed. I felt Ms. Annie arrive sometime in the night and take up a position at my feet.
It was a fine welcome home.
Discover more from i L i n d
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Wow, what an ORDEAL and I’m so glad you’re okay. As you can see by the response you got from the cats alone, you are much loved and appreciated…Add in Meda and the rest of the world who thinks you’re pretty okay and you’ve rounded out your fan club…lol
Seriously though, so glad things went well and especially liked hearing the thought process you went through to finally get it to us. What we think in times of the unknown can be mind bending and sure puts us on notice how vulnerable we are.
Stay healthy!
Thanks for filling us in–a wise precaution, I think you handled it just right.
Please pass my condolences on to Meda for the loss of her Mom. It’s clear she led a satisfying and full life, and nurtured some wonderful kids.
I’m really glad to hear you’re fine, Ian, but with all due respect, your decision “to split the difference” was not smart. Honestly. A patient who is having those symptoms should not drive him- or herself to the doctor or ER.
I am glad to hear, however, that you have hired Re-Use Hawaii to work on your parents’ home. That is a very smart decision.
In retrospect, I agree about the driving, even though in this case it all turned out alright. But I think lots of people relate to the way I thought about it. That is a problem. Agreed.
Ok, they told you that you were NOT having a heart attack. But did they veture a guess about what you DID experience? Curious . . .
That’s left to follow-up with my primary care doctor.
Glad to hear you are ok!
Glad to hear you are OK but the cats’ behavior sounds mighty suspicious. I’d keep an eye peeled on them.
Just a few days before the 2008 General Election, SigOth wound up in Kaiser for almost three weeks after having a heart attack.
Frankly, we didn’t think it possible given that we don’t smoke or drink, and do serious working out. We were also shifting to a vegetarian lifestyle.
I am now although SigOth eats animal flesh several times a week. Alas, I am not a vegan because I love cheese, yogurt, butter, and ice cream.
I gather these medical crises are creepy-crawly results rather than an environmental matter.
Do you have asthma? Or have you had? There was a lot of vog yesterday and several years ago, I had symptoms like yours, and also drove myself to the hospital (and got scolded). They concluded it wasn’t a heart attack but could have just been latent asthma triggered by vog.
Anyway, good to know you are back.
Glad you’re still with us & my condolences on the passing of Meda’s mom. May she RIP.
So a mini staycation. Glad an heart attackack was ruled out. Stress points probably… but don’t be surprised you will get a Gi series. But tell us about that sandwich? Baloney or cardiac spam? All inclusive in your overnighter. Priceless in the knowledge you acquired that love… surrounds you.
I think the sandwich was a chicken salad. I think….
I’m almost as glad as the cats that you are returned and well.
Sounds like a episode that I had. Except that mine was ventricular fibrillation which, as the Kaiser doctor so nicely put it is incompatible with life. I am glad that your situation was not as serious and that you are back in the saddle again. It sounds like the cats are as well.
Glad to hear you have bounced back, Brother Ian. I found I had a big smile on my face by the end of your column. Take good care of yourself. WE need you to stay around for many years to come.
Thank you, Mr. Ian, for sharing the story of your brief exploration of the abyss. I am so happy that you emerged unscathed.
“Unscathed” is a bit beyond the evidence so far. But not likely a heart attack, at least. For now, that’s very good news.