There have been so many unforgettable firsts in my life – first kiss, first car, first heart attack…
Yes. I was so young, thirty-three years old. Yes, I was in good shape but there it was.
It came in the middle of the night,- 11:42pm to be exact.I woke with a piercing pain in my left shoulder. Thinking I had slept in a bad position, I shifted onto my back to get the blood flowing again. It was then I noticed that my ten-year-old daughter had managed to shimmy into my bed without waking me. I lay there quietly, waiting for the pain to subside. It didn’t. It got worse. I tried deep breathing. The pain increased. I looked at the clock; it was 11:44pm. I thought, “this isn’t good, something is wrong, what am I-“and then stopped short, remembering that for the first time in several years, I had health insurance. I could go to the doctor if it was serious.
Relief was short-lived. I slid out of bed as quietly as possible, planning to take something, get a drink of water, and maybe lie on the sofa for awhile so I wouldn’t wake my daughter. When I tried to stand, the left side of my body gave way. The pain went from a “wow, that is really, really uncomfortable†to “all of your insides have turned to molten lava and you are being attacked by Freddy Krueger and Edward Scissorhands and there’s a huge blood pressure cuff around your chest and Nurse Ratcheted is in charge.†And I couldn’t much move my left arm.
Did I call 911? No, I didn’t. I made it a few steps to my dresser and using my right hand, pulled out a better-looking set of pajamas, a good bra and nice underwear. What? Didn’t your mother tell you to always wear nice underthings in case of a car accident? I couldn’t manage the bra, much to my consternation.
Then I called 911, right? No. I dragged myself to the bathroom, where I managed to brush my hair, put on a headband, suck on some toothpaste and spritz a little perfume on. Ever heard of a show called ER?
And THEN I called 911, right? No. I dialed a number better than any ambulance service. I called Momma and Daddy and for good reason. One, my parents lived a half mile from my house and two, if I called an ambulance it would freak my daughter out and she would have to go to the hospital with me and that wouldn’t work and finally, $500 for an ambulance ride.
My mother is not a person you want to wake up unless it is really, really important. Daddy and I used to flip a coin as to who had to wake her up from her weekend naps. She is never, ever happy about being awoken. It took a very long minute for my mother to wake up enough to realize this wasn’t a dream and I was asking for a ride to the hospital, not asking for a ride home from a party.
At this point, the pressure on my chest was such that I couldn’t catch my breath and the pain had grown more intense at its locus in my shoulder and was radiating further throughout my body. I now actively wished for my left arm to fall off. A picture of my great-grandmother, lying in a hospital bed, twisted and wasted after her stroke, flashed through my mind.
I went back to my room, kissed my still-sleeping daughter, grabbed my book bag – because I might need something to read, obviously – put on my slippers and started to make my way to the den to wait for my parents. My mom was walking in the back door by the time I made it there. I was dragging my bag on the floor, my bra flapping uselessly under my (cute, matching) pajama top, shoulder straps around my elbows. Apparently, I did not look well. Her face turned white. “I can’t get my bra on†is all I remember saying.
The lingerie problem taken care of, I was shuttled into the car, Daddy at the wheel. The dashboard clock read 11:50. We started the short drive to the hospital, Daddy driving at a moderate but still illegal speed. “What’s wrong?†“Daddy…it hurts,†I said, gasping for air. He stomped on the accelerator and we made the last of the five-mile ride in less than three minutes. He squealed to a stop in front of the ER, and in a few seconds, out he came with a wheelchair, a nurse hot on his heels. Daddy does not mess about. The clock read 11:54. As Daddy was helping me out of the car, she asked me what was wrong, half-bored, half-annoyed. I didn’t know at the time there were magic phrases one could use in the ER, phrases that would get you immediate and impressively efficient attention. I looked her in the eye and croaked out one of them, “chest painâ€. She snapped to attention and everything, it seemed, changed in that instant.
The subsequent hours held many other firsts – catheters and morphine come to mind. Honestly, most of it is a blur, a blessed blur of highly medicated nothingness punctuated by moments of desperate panic and petty annoyances. Things got better and then got worse and got better again. More cardiac events followed. I will write more about that later. For now, the important thing to know is that I survived and that my zombie apocalypse-earthquake bug-out bag includes lip gloss and perfume. Unlike the firsts I mentioned earlier, I didn’t choose this one. It chose me. I’m still trying to make my peace with that. On the upside, how many people do you know can begin a story with “after my first heart attack�
March 30, 2011 at 6:40 pm
Great storytelling! Loved it–looking forward to more posts!
March 31, 2011 at 1:22 am
“On the upside, how many people do you know can begin a story with “after my first heart attackâ€?
It is my fervent hope that you will never ever be able to begin a story with “after my second heart attack.”
March 31, 2011 at 1:35 am
Too late! Story to be continued.
March 31, 2011 at 4:18 am
I have no words and can’t imagine…
Looking forward to more of your writing. What a great storyteller. (Although, next time please don’t go to such an extreme for a good storyline. I am sure that you could even make laundry sound interesting.)
Looking forward to more and seriously hoping that the story behind your reply to Jen’s comment had to do with the same hospital visit, or that better yet, they somehow determined you had suffered two.
Again, can’t imagine and eagerly anticipating part 2.
March 31, 2011 at 1:27 pm
I very much appreciate the kind words and the compliments for my writing.
March 31, 2011 at 2:09 am
I love your way with words …here I am smiling, nearly chuckling as someone writes of their heart attack. Keep writing! and I’m glad you lived to tell about it.
April 9, 2011 at 2:40 pm
Wow, that was an amazing and riveting post! It’s funny the things we think about in a life or death situation. I remember some years ago delaying a trip to the hospital because I didn’t want to miss my favorite tv show. Thank goodness for your parents and that you are still here!
April 9, 2011 at 2:49 pm
Yes! It was a good thing my cute pajamas were clean. I might have never made it to the ER. Thank you for reading and commenting.
July 12, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Great blog, about a tough subject. I really enjoy your writing voice. It’s not easy to make a scary subject funny. Your story is so familiar to me. I used to be a cardiac nurse, and people do the strangest things when they’re having a heart attack. They don’t want to ‘bother’ the ambulance people, so they take a cab or ask family to drive (bad idea, but I’m sure you know that now). And yes, three things will get you straight into the ER with no waiting – ABC. A is for airway obstruction of any kind (choking, wheezing, trouble breathing) B is for bleeding (lots and lots) and C is for anything cardiac or heart related.
Looking forward to hearing more of your story. Best of luck to you and hope you’re on the road to recovery.
Best,
Nancy
February 9, 2012 at 11:47 pm
Keep writing, your writing is amazing!
December 14, 2012 at 9:32 am
Yeah, pretty much how I’d have handled it. “Don’t wanna bother anyone, let the kid sleep, I’m gonna change my undies, but I’m pretty sure I’m gonna need to go to the ER.”
I chuckled because your Mom and Dad’s personalities sound a lot like mine. Mom isn’t someone you want to wake up under any circumstances short of dire, and I’d call Dad “Daddy” if was scared I was having a heart attack – though my folks are divorced.
Very nice read. I’m glad you did take your ass to the ER. Lots of women (me included) are prone to overlook our own problems because we’re usually the caretakers.
Jeni Decker
April 16, 2013 at 8:28 pm
Your writing is so engaging; thank you for sharing such a powerful story. I’m so glad you are here to write about it!
February 4, 2016 at 9:30 pm
Good story! Not good that it happened – and who doesn’t freshen up before a run to the ER? I hope it never happens again! Thank you for sharing this experience.