clevermanka: default (crap)
clevermanka ([personal profile] clevermanka) wrote2012-07-18 09:17 am
Entry tags:

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.

[identity profile] pennswoods.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll keep your dad in my thoughts. Here's hoping he has a swift recovery and exit from the hospital.

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)
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

[identity profile] alryssa.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:24 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] shrijani.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:28 pm (UTC)(link)
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!

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:32 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] purpledumbass.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Glad to hear that your father is doing better now and survived this close call. Here's hoping that he makes a full recovery.

[identity profile] saffronhare.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, man. That's a series of events to shake anybody up, for sure. I hope everything smooths out soon!

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Thanks! Yeah, it was a crazy close call.

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I hope this close of a call will make him be a little more conscientious about his eating choices, too.

*iz selfish daughter*

[identity profile] redheadfae.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)

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!

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
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. =/

[identity profile] redheadfae.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 03:00 pm (UTC)(link)

I dunno, from my experience, life-altering events like that tend to, you know... alter people's priorities.

:fingers crossed for you:

[identity profile] carmy-w.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
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....

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
It sounds like your family as a whole keeps fit

Image

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.

[identity profile] pamelonian.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
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!

[identity profile] shrijani.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Things--really good things--just randomly happen to him all the time.

I like that. I like it when good things randomly happen to good people all the time.

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 03:38 pm (UTC)(link)
That is crazy, unbelievable luck!

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

[identity profile] nottygypsy.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 03:57 pm (UTC)(link)
I nearly had a heart attack reading this. What a scare, what luck it wasn't worse. Sheesh.

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 03:59 pm (UTC)(link)
NO HEART ATTACKS FOR YOU, MISSY.

[identity profile] alryssa.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 04:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Seriously, all my best for a really quick recovery and a non-repeat. As lucky as he was, I wouldn't place bets on it holding out for a second time :|
ext_12541: (Default)

[identity profile] ms-danson.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Glad to hear he's okay. I hope neither of you are driven nuts by him being in the hospital.

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 04:56 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

[identity profile] grnvixen.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
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 :).

[identity profile] clevermanka.livejournal.com 2012-07-18 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
He hopes he gets out soon, too!

Page 1 of 3