Hi all. I want to thank you all for your prayers and words of well wishes. It is these kind of loving gestures that help sustain us in times of crisis.
I did have a second heart attack, just fifteen days after the first. God works in mysterious ways, however, and that second heart attack was actually a blessing for me.
I was facing triple by pass surgery and was completely terrified...not of the surgery but of my body's adverse reactions to medications, particularly sedatives, barbituates and narcotics. The second heart attack made the use of "stents" necessary to save my life a week ago tonight. the "stents" are balloon like, permanent structures placed in the arteries leading to the heart. They kind of act like wall paper. In my case, they were used to open the artery but when they went in, they discovered my artery was actually torn. the "stents" actually sealed the breach...and made surgery unnecessary.
I will have to have a couple more inserted, but you are awake for this procedure, and so it is far less scary for me. Afterwards, they gave me a child's dose of Dilaudid (sp?) that was supposed to help with pain for three hours. i slept for 36 hours.
So although two heart attacks weren't fun, in an odd way, it probably saved my life by allowing me to avoid the sedation that I probably would never wake up from.
Anyway, now that I have given you far more information than you probably wanted, let me say again how much I appreciate your prayers. I know the good Lord wasn't ready for me yet, but I think you all convinced him.
There is no better medicine tha to come home to so many wonderful messages of love, hope and support. Again, let me thank you all again!
Please remember Jean in your prayers as well. we are rapidly approaching Jean's 25th anniversary, this March 25. I have not been able to do the things I wanted to do for her in terms of publicizing her case, but I would ask you all to read her case, visit her sites and light a candle for her recovery.
thank you all again!