1-- My Heart Attack

Heart Attack!!! Note: I know that there were three times in my life when I almost died. Two were involving cars, mountain roads, and cliffs, and the other was a left collapsed lung but fortunately I was near a medical clinic and a medial hospital. 1. Saturday (February 14, 2009), Dolo and I walked about two blocks to Penny (our grocery store) to get a few things including meat for dinner. While inside, I became quite dizzy. Fortunately I did not faint then or later. I felt fine soon after I got home and sat for a while. All of the next day and the next morning I felt fine. Actually I felt better than I had for months when I was battling a congestion cold. 2. At 2:30 PM (Monday). I laid down for a short nap. But about 15 minutes later, I felt an awful pain across the upper chest area. It felt like a too-much-acid pain and it was above the heart. I prayed to God for help. Soon after I felt pain in the upper arms. I decided to go to the livingroom and sit in the easy chair and look at a TV news discussion program. I was not dizzy. I did not feel real pressure in my chest or feel my heart beating abnormally. I finally phoned Dolo at about 4:30 PM. She just happened be in the dressing room at her work changing out of her uniform. She had an appointment at the general doctor scheduled at 5:30 PM.. She asked if I could take the tram there. I told her no. She came to pick me up. She almost decided to take me to the nearby hospital, but I told her that I wanted to get our doctor’s opinion first. My last experience at that hospital was not very good of not much friendliness and the area where X-rays was done seemed depressing. Our doctor finally got to see us after 6:00 PM. She listened to my report about what had happened and had me go to the EKG room. She saw no heart attack evidence on the EKG results, but two of the things didn’t keep stuck on me. She told Dolo the evidence of a heart attack doesn’t appear in an EKG for two the three hours, but I had no color in my face and that I needed to go to the hospital immediately. She had a transfer paper made to a hospital which specialized for heart cases. 3. We found a good parking place near the hospital, but actually went in the wrong door for new patients, but we receive help almost right a way because in our wandering we went near the treatment area. The two nurses (one was a student nurse) did very well and the intern doctor on duty understood enough English to communicate with me. When he told us that I had had a heart attack, I had no fear at all because I remembered in the teaching of predestination that God had already known it would happen before He made Adam and I remembered that 1 Corinthians 10:13 indicates that God would not allow anything to happen to me that I could not handle. I was even able to joyfully talk with the three of them in between procedures. I was thankful to still be alive. They said I deserved a being-a-good-patient award. But to God be the glory because the Holy Spirit had me not fear death at all and gave me much divine peace. I was just living Proverbs 3:5-6 and looking for things to be thankful for. I already thought that the hospital was better than the one I had been in for my last kidney stone challenge. The experienced doctor came about an hour after our arrival to do the catheter exam. Before I was taken to the exam room, my wife took all of my clothes except my underpants home and cried all of the way and later. She was not given the option to stay until after the exam and treatment. I found out later that she had cried all of the way home and more. That could have been avoided if I was able to tell her about the wonderfulness of what had happened in the exam room. 4. The doctor knew a lot of English and we talked even about some of the problems of famous professional soccer players. After the local anesthesia was put into my right area next to my private area, I felt very very little as the doctor cut a hole and moved the tube with a little camera up to the heart area; no pain at all. Later I realized that I could see the pictures of 1

what was happening and that was very interesting. When the tube was stopped by the blockage in the right artery, the doctor told me about the balloon treatment to clear the just mentioned. It was invented in 1979 and the German inventor became rich and famous but died in the USA in 1985. The balloon worked wonderfully and the doctor was able to easily but in the stent to keep the artery open. Further examination showed no other problems in either of the two main arteries. The doctor was so very very happy. And I gave the glory to God. But my new underpants didn’t keep with me. Click on “Forward” in the following website page to see pictures of the procedures-http://www.medmovie.com/mmdatabase/MediaPlayer.aspx?ClientID=65&TopicID=747 . 5. I was told by the admitting doctor that I had to sleep on my back for over 48 hours so that the entrance hole in my right side would heal properly. Not even the sleeping medicine I was given helped me go to sleep. I had to keep the urinal bottle between my legs all night long. I hadn’t done #1 since leaving my home at about 4:30 PM. But it did not come out until the next morning. Gas did frequently; fortunately the blanket on me was thick enough to keep the smell from getting out. I was glad that the thrombosis shot was given in the plastic thing in my left hand instead of my stomach. After the ward doctor undid my bandage on the hole and applied pressure to the hole for 15 minutes and then wrapped that area of my body like a mummy. I had to lift my posterior using my left leg only. Also I was surprised that he did not put in another tube for another exam as the head nurse had told me he would and he let the second day nurse trainee do the taping to keep the wrapping tight. Another exam of the heart did not happen apparently because of the report of the first doctor’s exam and procedure success!! The ward doctor did say that the hole was healing nicely and that he would be back before 9:00 AM to take the wrapping off, and I would be free to walk around and go to the bathroom normally. I did not get the breakfast as promised by the head nurse, but the lunch was good even though I had to eat it in a very bad position with my head and chest raised a little. I had chunks of chicken in sauce with cold carrots, a cherry yogurt, and two cookies. But I had to eat even slower than I do because after every bite I felt that urine might come out and so I had to use my left hand as a precautionary down by the urine container. It was hard to keep the just mentioned at a good angle so it didn’t wet the bed. And the gassing kept on. The observing nursing student had offered to even feed me but was apparently told not to. The day nurse seemed quite good and knew enough English. I asked her how long had she served there. She embarrassingly told me only 2 days. I asked her where else she served and she told me nowhere. She was just out of school. She had no mentor and I only saw the head nurse once briefly. She later became frustrated when she needed the latter. She was ordered to give me a thrombosis shot in my butt, but I told her that I had one already. I mistakenly told her at first it was by a man, but then later told her it was by a lady with a cart. She had a hard time trying to verify. She said that the next morning she would be give those shots. (The next day the ward doctor said that problem was wrong.) The two day nurse had another nursing student observe her actions throughout the day. I will be sending a list of my concerns to the hospital’s administration. 6. There was a mentally disturbed lady patient next to m who made strange noises and strange talk. The patient to my right was very quiet. We were divided by curtains but I thought that no hospital would have patients of both genders in a ward room. When my pastor, his wife, and another church member came to visit the next day, they were shocked that the lady was writhing in pain and exposed some of her body when lifting the blanket that was on her. I was in the middle bed and Bob insisted that the other two come to my bed too. Then I shared my testimony and we had a good discussion about true Christian responding to health challenges. Bob watched my monitors throughout and said that they all were good numbers. His wife was surprised that I was so joyful. I gave God the glory again. They all liked the 2

statements I made about God and about how remembering about His sovereignty helped me be peaceful and why I didn’t worry at all. 7. The woman was transferred to another hospital. She almost refused. Later Dolo came visit me in the latter afternoon. She was still worried about me even after I had shared the good news with her. She ate my dinner because I didn’t want to mess up the bed with BM (#2). (The next day before we left the hospital, a lot came out when I had to go to the bathroom. I was thankful to God for delaying it.) The next morning I thought that I wouldn’t get breakfast until after the ward doctor came to undo the wrap in my middle area. But between 6 and 7 PM a new patient came in and it sounded like he or a friend was being interviewed and then it became an emergency. Many nurses and another doctor apparently came. I was able to the speedy shot preparer and he was amazing. But the patient died. Then it seemed that there was talk about what had happened by some of those who were directly involved with the rescue effort. There was discussion and then the lead doctor apparently said to have about 5 or 10 minutes of silence to reflect (which almost seemed to me for silent prayer; my wife had told me that the hospital was begin by two Christians, but later she found out that it was started by the Red Cross organization) and then there was more discussion. That was done about 3 times more. Then it sounded like some clean-up being done, and then what sounded like 10 individuals were talking. Normally the bright light is to be turned off at 9 PM. It was not. 3 ladies did few minute what sounded like mantras in high speed German. But there also were slow statements made too by others. I had indicated to one of them at about 9:30 that I would like the top of my bed lowered and she said later. If the light would have gone off then and the room become quite, I would have stayed in the hospital. It was over an hour later and I think she tried to steal my wife’s watch. I had checked everywhere near my bed, even on the floor. Later, I asked her to look for my watch; she sort of did and then went to my locker and showed the PJs my wife had bought me. I said no and pointed to my right wrist and said a watch. Then she came to my bed again and then spotted it on the floor. I think her co-worker put it there. I was not offered sleeping medicine. Soon after a new patient came after the curtain was drawn again, but the other talking continued until about 12:15 or 12:30 and was highlighted by one man doing repetition of a phrase very quickly like the 3 ladies had done for at least 5 minutes for 4 times. I also heard a man coughing and responding to CB calls transferred to his handy. It was in Spanish I think and I found out that later it was the new patient. The light was finally turned off but the talking continued. I finally pressed the red button for a nurse. The one I came smirked when she saw me and I told her that I couldn’t sleep because of the talking. She said that I was making it up and there was a new patient and pulled the curtain to show him. But I was wondering why he was still dressed. I thought that he was one of the talkers and they were pretending. I thought the man on my right was awake and I asked her to ask him if he had heard any talking. She claimed he said no. (The next day, my wife told me that he was very hard of hearing.) Then about 1:00 AM or later, another individual argued with one or two of the remaining talkers and told them good night in German. But they still talked for about 10 or 15 minutes more. A little later there was a noise like a loud fan machine, I pressed the red button again and the same nurse came. She said that she could hear nothing and soon after she said that the machine went off. I think the other nurse turned it off. I said that I would report what had happened to the hospital administer. The other nurse came and offered two sleeping pills, but I told her that I didn’t trust her or the other nurse. I could not sleep the rest of the early morning because of what had happened and my very sore lower back. Later I heard weird recordings being played including railroad engine sounds and an apparent mantra like I had heard earlier. I think that they were worried about loosing their jobs and wanted me to press the red button again each time so they can just say I was imagining things or making things up to get them in trouble. Also one of the nurses chuckled and went around 3

my bed as if looking for something: I asked her what she was looking for. I had hidden my wife’s watch and the expensive Nokia handy underneath the blanket by my left leg. The nurse ran away. Then after 6 AM I heard a bad quality recording which started with “What happened last night” in English and I could not understand what was said afterwards. But I refused to press the red button. 8. I decided to refuse the early morning shot etc. and told the 3-day nurse trainee I wanted to see the doctor and manager of the hospital. I did not share any details. The head nurse came and I told him. He did not deny what I said and went angrily away after he said I could tell the doctor at 8 AM. He said that he would undo the wrapping while the doctor watched, but he did not. The doctor came alone and I did not see that head nurse again, even in the station before I left the hospital. Another man in a blue shirt had replaced him. The doctor did not believe my report about the night before and the early morning recordings, but said he would talk to the night nurses. I again said that others were involved and that just having the light on all of that time was wrong. He was shocked that I even think that prayers or mantras would be spoken in the hospital as if he had a big prejudice against religion. But I told him that the facts are that the room light was on until after midnight, that there was loud talking until sometime after 1:00 AM, and there was unnecessary recordings played before 6:00 AM. I was helpless to do anything about such and I had never had such an experience before in my life. Then I asked him about the morning pills I had not yet taken. He did not tell me how to take the big tablet. (The pill deliverer just had put the pill container on my tray and said nothing. I think she was warned about me. The big tablet was supposed to be taken after a meal after being dissolved in a glass of water. I took it before my breakfast finally was given to me (the doctor was surprised about my not getting either morning breakfast during my stay in the hospital) by breaking it up into pieces and even trying to chew it but having to swallow a lot of water because of its bitter taste. Before I took the pills, the doctor gave me only one caution-- not to raise my right knee waist high for the next 10 days so that the hole area would not be stretched enough to open the hole again. He did not tell me to rest a lot or at least take a nap or to stop eating candy and fatty food. Later I asked him for advice about eating and he recommended meat only one day a week and tofu for the other dinners. Also, I will try to eat our hot dinner meals at noontime now. I also asked the doctor about the stationary bike and my new side stepper exercise machine for after 10 days and he said that would be good. But he told my wife other things in order to try to get her to convince me to stay so they could do other tests for 5-7 days. He said that he could transfer me from that ward and I would not even have to have the monitors anymore. He said that if I wanted to go to the hospital for the test that the health insurance would probably not pay for it. But Dolo’s friend twice told me that I should think of my wife because she can’t afford paying for the tests. I didn’t find out the truth until I got home. The other church friend who had come earlier to visit me to whom I told her why I didn’t want to stay in the hospital wrongly rebuked me about being prideful and told me that I should be humble and stay in the hospital. I had been a humble and cooperative and patient patient up to 12:30 AM. I had asked the ward doctor if he wanted to be believed and he said of course. I told him again that I had not made anything up. But it really hurt me that no one would believe me. While waiting for him to write a letter and prepare my file for us to take, I was told to rest. I signed a release form. Dolo was advised to make an appointment for me with a cardiologist. There was no Yellow Pages at the station and so she had to go to the hospital entrance to use such. She made an appointment for next week and told the ward doctor, but he said that was too late. She had to go back to see the Yellow pages and contacted one whose assistant told her to bring me anytime from 8 to 10 on Thursday and they would work me in. She said the doctor spoke excellent English. 4

9. Even though I had only eaten one roll with a little jelly on it, I only wanted to sleep on my bed. I slept from about 2 PM and didn’t wake up until after 7:30 PM. Then I saw that a neighbor was in the apartment too, so after going to the bathroom, I went and got into bed. I found out later that Dolo’s mother was there. During the afternoon, Dolo had them stay because she did not want me to be alone when she had to go to her physical therapy and for prescriptions for her from the doctor. Dolo went to bed early and we had a good talk and prayed together until late. But I was able to have 6-7 hours more of solid hours of sleep. 10. But the next morning, I decided not to eat any sweet cereal because I did not want to affect possible blood tests at the cardiologist office. It was our 5th wedding anniversary and so I considered going to a restaurant for steak after the doctor’s appointment, but I changed my mind when Dolo took her time in getting ready and we didn’t get to the doctor’s until 9 PM. We had to stop by the house doctor first to get a transfer paper and give a copy of the papers from the hospital. While waiting and later I had an enjoyable time continuing my reading of the book titled “The Great Evangelical Disaster”. (In a later e-mail I will send the best paragraphs.) I was finally called for an EKG. Later I was called for a blood test. I was glad that the set-up was for taking blood from the right arm (in the past most have failed getting blood from my left arm). The head assistant who did both of the just mentioned tests spoke very good English. Dolo and I thought she looked familiar. The lady later remembered that she had seen us in a Methodist church we had gone to for a while. The other assistant understood a lot of English but did want not speak much. And then we got to see the doctor. He is in his sixties and first asked me to share the problem. I thought that I had to briefly state why I was there and not at the hospital stay. But he stopped me from sharing and just talked with my wife in very fast German. He mostly shared about the rather new special blood evaluation machine they used. He was surprise by the normal result showing no samples of the enzyme that is created when there is heart tissue damage. Then after they talked a little more before taking me into another room with my wife for the ultrasound exam. Then he was very surprised when he saw the strength and normal rhythm of the heart and no apparent damage in the area. When the blockage occurred, the part above did not get oxygen and so some of the tissue should have died. The doctor saw the one abnormal little clapper (like a little door) in the left heart muscle. It had been discovered when I was 15 or 16 and I could have been born with it. He said it could last 100 years. But then his last statements he said to me back in his office, I could not understand because he spoke too fast and did not want any questions from me. He talked with my wife a little more. But no cautions for me were spoken or advice like resting a lot or not eating certain foods. He just wrote a note for his assistant to make an appointment to come and get the portable EKG machine to use for 24 hours starting next Wednesday morning. Dolo was glad that he had been shocked by the exam results and indicated that I was not in any risk for being at home. During our time at the doctor’s office, we could have got two parking tickets because one time Dolo left to change the time on the parking card after the hour and when we finally got back to the car after our time at the pharmacy it was 12:20 PM, but still no ticket. The latter can be 5 or 10 Euro. When she had gone to change the time on the parking card the second time, the Holy Spirit had me try to communicate with the man sitting next to me. He knew just a few English, but I used my hands to communicate with him until Dolo returned. We found out that he thought like I did about life and responded to challenges the same way. He was there because he had had double vision problems. He became so joyful the more Dolo shared about my philosophy and that I had had a heart attack on Monday. He said his wife was almost opposite, a worrier, and had had 8 major surgeries and has asthma. Before we left the office, we had a good discussion with the two doctor’s assistants. On patient complained and the top assistant told her to go into the blood test room and shut the door. Meanwhile George was laughing and smiling. Before I left, we promise to say a prayer daily for each other and 5

our spouses. He had had a career in metal working and was 75 years old. Normally no one talks in doctor’s waiting rooms. Then we went downstairs and into the pharmacy. We had a good talk with the head pharmacist, who also spoke English. While she was looking for the six pills I needed, Dolo was looking around the shop and saw some fruit and vegetable supplements which give energy. She showed them to the older pharmacist who smiled and told her that she had tried them for 2 years before deciding to sell them. She told Dolo more about them. They cost 55 Euro. Then the bill for my medicine purchases showed one of them would be paid completely (37,88) by the health insurance and the total for us to pay 28,58 Euro for 337,47 Euro of medicine!! 11. Because of the good indicated in the last paragraph, I changed my mind about not going to a restaurant for steak lunch. Dolo was very surprised and suggested going to the Globetrotter Restaurant. We had gone there once before. They had lunch specials and one of them was for 160 gram steaks. Dolo and I ordered the same. Later I gave her the mushrooms. Dolo used her handy to take two photos of me and then the drink deliverer took two photos of us. By the time we left, we told 4 of the staff that it was our 5th wedding anniversary and that I had had a heart attack on Monday afternoon. (That surprised them because German hospitals are famous for their long patient stays, like 9 days for minor cheek surgery that I had years ago.) But we had to send the dinners back for more cooking because the meat was still pink and read inside. They added more mushrooms to the top of my steak and another purple leaf because Dolo had eaten it already. She ordered two more pieces of bread because she ate her piece while waiting for the return of the dinners. She gave me a little piece of that and one of the other pieces of bread. I had no reflux feeling eating the bread or the steak!! Later, the waitress came chuckling with our bill. She said that we had sat at table number 23 and our bill total was exactly 23 Euro!! #23 is my second favorite number. I think I had worn #10 jerseys in my sports except once when I wore #23 because someone else had taken the #10 one. On the way out, Dolo took some cell phone photos of some of the unusual Argentine decorations and me next to a fake palm tree, and then I shared that I had a heart attack on Monday afternoon and that it was our 5th wedding anniversary to three other staff members. They were very surprised. I gave glory to God. Then Dolo drove to a Plus grocery store to get some tofu and a few other things. She also saw and bought 7 tulip bulbs. When we had our church “wedding” in the Koinonia Calvary Chapel on our second anniversary, they had bought 99 tulips for decoration and we ended up in a restaurant we went for dinner which had 3 tulips on each table instead of he usual candle. Then Dolo and I went to a jewelry shop to look for a silver cross. We chose one out of about 8 or nine. The unusual one was not solid in the inner area and Dolo thought that could represent that Jesus Christ arose. There was a precious jewel in the intersection place. It was the biggest of the crosses and Dolo has a silver chain for it. Then the stores owners recommended we go to a French coffee and cake place nearby instead o the one Dolo wanted to go to. They thought it was more romantic. We had a nice time there and shared with the manager like we had with the 4 staff members at the Globetrotters Restaurant about me having had a heart attack on Monday afternoon and celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary. That surprised him too (like it did the others) that I was not still in the hospital and was so joyful and looked so healthy. But they all were told that I gave God all of the glory. 12. Dolo and I wanted to rest a little, but were not able to and ended up going to bed quite late. We had to receive some friends from Holland, a visit from a neighbor, and Dolo received some phone calls. We said wonderful prayers before trying to go to sleep. Both of us had good sleep time. The ward doctor did not phone on Friday to see how I was doing. Onward for living for God and His wonderful Word. I do say “Thank You, God” and “I love You, God” more frequently now. I hope that you will too. 6