clevermanka | That's not how it's supposed to go

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That's not how it's supposed to go

On Saturday, my dad passed out while he was driving. Wrecked the car, but nobody (including him) was hurt. The hospital kept him overnight for observation, and because they wanted to do a heart stress test on him in the morning. He failed the stress test, which means there was an 80% chance that his heart had a blockage. So they kept him another night so they could do a scope to look at his heart. Turns out he has two narrowed arteries, and they kept him another night (that brings us up to last night) so they could put in stents.

Being cooped up in a hospital for four nights puts him at a higher risk for heart attack than much of anything else, IMO. Daddy is not someone who can sit around and do nothing. He must be about to go crazy.

Nobody in my family has ever died from a heart attack. We all die from strokes (or, in three exceptions, being hit by a train, one incident of black lung in the case of my paternal great-grandfather, and my maternal great-grandfather who just got tired of living so laid down and died). So this is all very unexpected. Heart disease? What? You're messing up the family traditions, Daddy. Stop it.

I've always said that my father has the best luck of anyone in the world. My opinion hasn't changed. The cardiologist believes that when his heart stopped because of the blockages, that's what caused him to pass out. When he passed out, he lost control of the car, which hit something hard enough to deploy the airbags. The airbag hit him in the chest hard enough to re-start his heart, which is why he is alive.

Oh, in case you made the effort to stitch your heart back together (narrowed arteries or no) after yesterday's Sherlock vid, here's a different one to re-shred it.

You're welcome.

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I'll keep your dad in my thoughts. Here's hoping he has a swift recovery and exit from the hospital.

Thank you.

Yeah, poor guy. As long as a hospital had wifi and I had a laptop computer, I'd be okay. My dad...doesn't really share the same interests. =D

Yikes. Lucky or no, I am VERY glad that your dad is still with us in the land of the living. That must have been a hell of a thing.

Thanks, me too!

He's been pretty chill about the whole thing. Not surprising, but good to see his general attitude toward life isn't shaken--even by something like this.

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alryssa.livejournal.com - 2012-07-18 16:23 (UTC) - Expand

I am so glad he is all right, I completely agree with you about this being another manifestation of his good luck, and may he recover and be freed from the hospital soon!

I usually think that we all make our own luck. But in the case of my dad, man. Things--really good things--just randomly happen to him all the time.

I did not inherit that gene from him, alas.

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shrijani.livejournal.com - 2012-07-18 15:22 (UTC) - Expand

Glad to hear that your father is doing better now and survived this close call. Here's hoping that he makes a full recovery.

Thanks! Yeah, it was a crazy close call.

Oh, man. That's a series of events to shake anybody up, for sure. I hope everything smooths out soon!

I hope this close of a call will make him be a little more conscientious about his eating choices, too.

*iz selfish daughter*

Whoa! Scary, relief, scary, whew stuff there.
My best wishes to your dad for all going well and him getting out quickly. I remember Mac and Mel's dad telling me that once they put the stents in him, he was amazed at how much better he felt because he didn't realize he was getting gradually tired. I hope your dad has a nice recovery like that.

Yay for airbags!

he didn't realize he was getting gradually tired

Hm. I hope this doesn't mean that he actually starts to work more. Daddy's one flaw = total workaholic. =/

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redheadfae.livejournal.com - 2012-07-18 15:00 (UTC) - Expand

Oh, wow! Glad he's ok, and glad he's so EXTREMELY lucky!

It sounds like your family as a whole keeps fit, which keeps their hearts in good shape, even with some angio disease.

Strokes & heart attacks are more or less caused by the same problem, though; narrowed arteries which develop clots. So I can see why one would lead to the other.

In my family, it seems that the women suffer strokes, the men the heart attacks.

I've threatened to teach Dean how to knit; he has a tendency to scratch/pick on his hands when he's doing nothing and is nervy.
Maybe I need to get my dad's woodcarving set out for him....

It sounds like your family as a whole keeps fit

Not hardly. Everyone but my mother is very, very overweight, and she spent most of her adult life overweight. The only reason she's not as obese as everyone else is she had some medical problems that made her lose of her sense of taste. She dropped 100 pounds and never gained it (or her sense of taste) back.

Frankly, with that sort of family health history, it's some sort of miracle that nobody's had heart issues (until now) or diabetes.

Strokes & heart attacks are more or less caused by the same problem, though; narrowed arteries which develop clots.

Hm. Very Good Point. Very good point indeed.

The air bag restarted his heart? That is crazy, unbelievable luck! For the rest of us it would probably bruise us or break some ribs.

I am glad he is recovering. Those stents work wonders!

That is crazy, unbelievable luck!

TELL ME ABOUT IT. My dad and his luck. Seriously.

I nearly had a heart attack reading this. What a scare, what luck it wasn't worse. Sheesh.

NO HEART ATTACKS FOR YOU, MISSY.

Glad to hear he's okay. I hope neither of you are driven nuts by him being in the hospital.

They're in Indiana, about nine hours away. So the most I'm dealing with is phone calls. It is a little weird talking to them so often. I don't think I've ever had two phone calls from my dad in the same day. Ever.

As far as I can tell, my mother is doing a spectacular job of not freaking out. Really. Kudos to mom.

If stuff like this has to happen (heart, car) at least they worked together for something positive. Sorry he has to bear the time in the hospital, hope he gets out SOON :).

He hopes he gets out soon, too!

WOW. That is AMAZING luck for your dad. I am so very glad to hear that he's going to be ok. They found a blockage in my dad's heart a few years ago, and he also didn't realize how worn out he was until they did the angioplasty and he started getting the amount of oxygen he was actually supposed to get in his blood. I will say he felt loads better, but it wasn't like he suddenly had crazy amounts of energy, so hopefully your dad will feel better, but not push himself to work harder. Plus now that my dad's a heart patient, they keep a pretty close eye on how he's doing - he's a lot more closely monitored by his doctor than he would be otherwise.

Fortunately for me, I think my heart is now more duct tape and super glue than muscle. BECAUSE I HAD TO PUT IT BACK TOGETHER SOMEHOW AFTER THAT VIDEO.

It's really good to have some first (well, close second) hand information about this experience. Thank you for sharing that.

And...yeah. Super glue and duct tape is about right.

Any updates on your lucky relative?

What would he like to get, say, in the mail as a "Glad your heart restarted" present?

No update phone calls yet.

My dad is impossible to buy presents for. But we can pop a card in the mail.

Wow... I'd agree, your Dad is a lucky man. I hope he gets out of the hospital soon. I'm thinking of you & yours, hon!
Hugs you,
y

Thanks, hon!

XOXO

Good Lord! What a scare. I hope everything is all right. As I was reading, I felt my breathing kind of stop and was muttering "ohhhhhh shit" in dread, but then we got to the part where he was all right. Jesus.

Sorry for the scare.

Fortunately, I never got too freaked out about it because when my mom called on Saturday about this, her first words were "Hi! I'm a little stressed out! Do you have a minute?" Not "Oh my god, your father was in a car accident and I need to fill you in."

MY FAMILY.

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annamatic.livejournal.com - 2012-07-19 06:00 (UTC) - Expand

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clevermanka.livejournal.com - 2012-07-19 07:04 (UTC) - Expand

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sherwood21.livejournal.com - 2012-07-19 13:22 (UTC) - Expand

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sherwood21.livejournal.com - 2012-07-19 13:46 (UTC) - Expand

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clevermanka.livejournal.com - 2012-07-19 17:06 (UTC) - Expand

omfg. I am so sorry to hear about your dad. but WOW and more WOW on the sequence of events culminating in the airbag to the chest.

I'll keep you and your dad in my thoughts.

Good thoughts are always appreciated. Thank you!

WOW heart re-started by an air bag!!! O_O

So glad to hear he's doing well. Wow, again.

Edited 2012-07-18 19:46 (UTC)

Feel free to use it as a plot point.

Yes, I'm amazed on the airbag-restarting story, amazed and glad that nobody was hurt, and best wishes to your dad for a full recovery.

My paternal grandfather died of a heart attack, the maternal one of a stroke (a couple of decades later, but I am not sure how much older; I should ask my mom). Yes, they are the same phenomenon in different parts of the body --- see Dr. House, who had one in the thigh.

Thank you for the well-wishes!

If he knew I had a blog, he'd be so pleased to know people cared about us. =)

When he passed out, he lost control of the car, which hit something hard enough to deploy the airbags. The airbag hit him in the chest hard enough to re-start his heart, which is why he is alive.

O_O Your dad is BAD. ASS. That is so incredible. I can't get over it.

Also, it sounds like Friday is going to get here just in time.

Perfect icon is perfect.

Your dad is BAD. ASS.

Well, I got it from somewhere.

No fucking shit about Friday. IT CANNOT COME TOO SOON.

Yowza! Sounds like a couple of close calls. Glad he came out of it okay.

My dad has reoccuring problems with blockages around his heart. It's a tough thing.

Oof. Sorry to hear your dad has similar problems. I hope these are not recurring in the case of mine. *crossing fingers*

Just got back to my internetz and saw this. I hope your father continues to be super lucky. And gets out of the hospital soon.

Meanwhile, having just spent days with my own father in the hospital, my sympathies are all with you. <3 <3 (Really need a heart icon that is completely whole and with no breaks in it, but we do what we can.)

Thank you. Yes, especially thank you.

He hopes to be out tomorrow!

Again, as stated, the air bags were a very lucky break! In all, the cosmic powers that be, seemed to have rolled the dice in his favor. Maybe this was the intervention to get him medical help he needed? Always looking for the silver lining... Still, keeping him in prayers. He is lucky to have you as his daughter!

Aw! Thank you and thank you!

My thoughts are with you, him, and the rest of the family in this time of trouble.

I hope not to be in a hospital (for injury or disaster) any time soon, but a well loaded audiobook player is what I will want with me.
Could your dad be pleasantly distracted with such?

Well, he doesn't own one, and they're not really in a spot to buy one. So...no? Good idea, though!

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