Desserts spelled backwards. You know what that is? STRESSED!! That's what I am. Sure, the last time I checked in on this blog, I wrote about how I felt I had a little bit of my groove back. Then came Sunday. Dad got rushed to the hospital after having a cardiac episode out at breakfast with my mom and former neighbor. He almost face planted straight into his scrambled eggs. Twice! And, scared my mom and neighbor to death. After a second episode, it was straight to the emergency room for the three diners! They didn't call the ambulance because Dad would have been taken to the hospital my mom hates (she never known anyone to come out alive), so the neighbor transformed into Mario Andretti and raced to Arlington!
They got to the hospital and Dad had a third episode. His blood pressure shot up to 209! That's sky high, folks, but this father of mine is too cool for his high blood pressure. He didn't feel or notice a thing! All of the monitors are going off, doctors are racing in, injecting medicine after medicine in his IV trying to get something to work, and Dad is just chillin' out watching tv, oblivious to everything going on around him. The good part is he doesn't feel any pain. The bad part is he doesn't feel ANY pain! He had no idea what was happening and continued doing things as normal within seconds of coming out of his episode while those around him were busy trying to wipe the horrific looks off of their faces.
I was spared from all of this drama, enjoying a peaceful lunch with my new neighbor. As I enjoyed my thai food and froyo, I had a hunch that something was amiss. Shortly after returning to my condo, I get a phone call saying Mom is coming to pick me up to take me to the hospital to visit my Dad.
What?! We are going to visit Dad in the HOSPITAL!!
In the CARDIAC unit!!!
@#%! just got real.
After crying for a second and then getting angry because my dad does not take the best care of himself and he is getting older, I pulled myself together, and was excited to see my dad even though it meant visiting him in a sterile room, laying in a bed, dressed in an unattractive hospital gown. By the time I entered the room, he'd been stablized and the doctors were pretty confident that he was going to make it.
But, MAN, that was S-C-A-R-Y! It also made me realize that this is sort of my future. My parents are only getting older and while I hope these hospital visits will be few and far between, they do have the tendency to be more frequent. I not so politely reminded my parents that at age 67 (yes, my parents are that old. If you know them, I know they don't look it. That's the problem. They think they are as young as they look -- their body says otherwise!) they have officially been senior citizens for over 10 years and they need to stop eating fried chicken, Hershey bars, and sweet potato pie! They don't like to be reminded that they are getting older, but those two get big 'ole grins on their faces when they receive their senior citizen discounts! I sat in the hospital room and thought how they are getting older -- and that is scary.
I thought losing Mike was the worst thing that could ever happen to me! And, quite frankly, I think it is. And, I thought it had prepared me to deal with anything. And, in some ways, yes it has.
But, when you are about to lose your daddy in a blink of an eye - you are not prepared - especially when you think that the loss would mean losing both of the most important men in your life within a year! Thankfully, I lost one, but God has spared the other. Daddy will continue to be a part of my life on earth.
We're not out of the woods yet. Dad still has to have a stress test tomorrow and he will need to have some minor heart surgery. We have to monitor him closely because he is oblivious to the fact that his heart is beating out of control when it does. The doctor said had he not been taken to the hospital he could have died. God spared him. I am thankful.
But, I'm still stressed....
(and want to eat lots of dessert)
Thank you for your continued prayers for us.
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