(Feel free to enjoy the WIKI links in the story)
Yesterday morning I drove myself to the ER. I had tried, unsuccessfully, to sleep through the night feeling a tightness and a pain in my chest and shortness of breath. After nearly five hours, I rolled out of bed and got showered up. Then I Laid back down to recover from expending all my strength to just shower and dress myself. After a bowl of Cocoa Puffs (this fact is important) I drove to Orem and checked myself in with an expected lung problem.
First they drew some blood from my apparently over-zealous vein which leaked all over my bed sheets and shirt. Then they did an EKG to check my heart signals. Then I was off for X-rays of my chest. The chest X-ray came back showing swelling around . . . my HEART?
So, next they wheeled in a machine to run an ECHO on my heart. Of course they need me to lay on my side (which kills) and the tech is teaching a newbie how to run the machine (which makes the procedure take twice as long and become almost unbearable).
The ER doctor came back to go over the results. He said,
Hmm. I'm 31 years old. Never sick. Healthy. Active. Extremely good-looking. None of this made sense. I scrambled for my phone looking for support. I just manage some text messages to Megan, Randy, and Mike and a blubbery barely audible call to my PA brother Jef who works on an open-heart surgery team before they are moving me downstairs and prepping me for my procedure. So now, I'm alone.
In case you are NOT reading the WIKI links (which I have already told you to feel free to read), an angiogram starts with an incision in your groin so they can access the femoral artery and send a catheter up into your heart to have a look around. Many emergency heart surgeries are performed as a result of angiograms gone wrong, i.e. puncturing the vein and damaging something with the catheter on its way or while it's in your heart.
After they shave my special zone (groin entry, remember?) and dope me up, I find myself in a recovery room. Randy is waiting outside. My chest still hurts and now my leg is sore. They tell me it went well. There was no blockage or build-up of fluid. My blood results show good cholesterol , but high blood sugar (thanks Cocoa Puffs). Mike and Megan show up. I am given some anti-inflammatory and [pain meds.
And now I am home recovering. Still not sure of the cause. They say bacterial and viral infections usually spark something like this. And so here I am, I fought off a heart attack under my own power and I survived Pericarditis. The pain and swelling are slowly going away and I am home recovering.
The only question now is, do I let the hair grow back in awkwardly and uneven, or shave the rest down there and start from scratch?
Yesterday morning I drove myself to the ER. I had tried, unsuccessfully, to sleep through the night feeling a tightness and a pain in my chest and shortness of breath. After nearly five hours, I rolled out of bed and got showered up. Then I Laid back down to recover from expending all my strength to just shower and dress myself. After a bowl of Cocoa Puffs (this fact is important) I drove to Orem and checked myself in with an expected lung problem.
First they drew some blood from my apparently over-zealous vein which leaked all over my bed sheets and shirt. Then they did an EKG to check my heart signals. Then I was off for X-rays of my chest. The chest X-ray came back showing swelling around . . . my HEART?
So, next they wheeled in a machine to run an ECHO on my heart. Of course they need me to lay on my side (which kills) and the tech is teaching a newbie how to run the machine (which makes the procedure take twice as long and become almost unbearable).
The ER doctor came back to go over the results. He said,
1. I had serious swelling around the heart.
2. Of the 100 people that come in with this condition, 99 go home, and I was the 1 that needed to stay.
3. The wall movements of my heart were irregular and did not look good.
4. I could be IN or ON THE VERGE of a heart attack.
5. They wanted to do an angiogram to check for blockage and fluid in and around my heart.
2. Of the 100 people that come in with this condition, 99 go home, and I was the 1 that needed to stay.
3. The wall movements of my heart were irregular and did not look good.
4. I could be IN or ON THE VERGE of a heart attack.
5. They wanted to do an angiogram to check for blockage and fluid in and around my heart.
Hmm. I'm 31 years old. Never sick. Healthy. Active. Extremely good-looking. None of this made sense. I scrambled for my phone looking for support. I just manage some text messages to Megan, Randy, and Mike and a blubbery barely audible call to my PA brother Jef who works on an open-heart surgery team before they are moving me downstairs and prepping me for my procedure. So now, I'm alone.
In case you are NOT reading the WIKI links (which I have already told you to feel free to read
18 comments:
I'm so sorry you had to go through that Davey! Thank heavens they were able to help you. Keep resting and get better soon. :)
Definitely shave the rest off. Stubble + longer hair = human Velcro.
This sounded scary. We're keeping you in our prayers. And we look forward to your awesome scar photos.
Oh no! Well we're glad you're okay... oh, and I say, shave it all!
Mom told me about your experience this morning. I agree with Jacob, just even it out.
What's strange is that I've heard of heart attacks happening to people who are never sick, healthy, and active. But good-looking? That is extremely rare and only goes to show how serious this was. Get better!
P.S. I'll keep you in MY prayers. Jacob obviously forgot he doesn't pray and just wanted to make you feel good.
Oh Davey, I am so sorry. I hope that you continue to mend. PS keep it ALL shaved off ALL of the time!
Love you, Jil
Davey, After this horrifying experience I hope you never see a clown again. As far as the short hairs go, it's nice to be wearing fur in the winter months.Love, Mom
Give a shout if you need anything sir. I'd be ever so pissed if anything serious were to happen.
As to the Clippers - I think they've got a shot at the playoffs this year. Can you believe how they totally didn't deliver on their early apparent promise last season?
What the hell? Keep us updated?
Oh yeah. Nair, baby. Nair. Only don't leave it on too long.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! No more swollen hearts. You’re a skinny guy nothing on you swells, so tell your stinking heart the same.
OMG, Davey! This was so freaking funny! I’m glad that everything went well—please take good care of you…
WTF!!!!!
Sorry i wasn't around to help.
Don't shave the rest. Your nuts will feel like lava is pouring over them for weeks.
You know, just reading the comments makes it sound like you have an accident at the salon. Lava, really?
Go for the uniform look...and feel. It will bring new meaning to the phrase "start from scratch" for you.
Did I really just read that whole post only to leave wondering about your pubes?
Get well Davy Man.
TAKE IT EASY DAVEY! So CRAZY this can happen to a good looking guy like you ha ha !! As for the hair...no comment ..go ask your wife ha!
Brian was wondering if your family were all perves ? lol
That is scary!! But, so great that you knew something was wrong and drove yourself to the ER! CRazy, but so glad all is ok! :)
holy crizzap. i can't believe that. scary, scary stuff. anything dealing with your heart is just un-nerving. glad you're ok.
HOLY CRAP davey! sheesh, i just do a quick little blog check in to see what shinanigans you're up to only to find this heart swelling business! the hair ordeal, i'd expect from you, but pre-mature heart attacks? this will not do!i'm glad everything is ok. how about we shoot for another 60 years or so before we start playing heart attack games again, shall we? get better my man!
and amen to showing your daughter never ending story - that's on my to do list just as soon as i don't think the wolf in the cave will give my toddler nightmares.
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