How This All Started

Before the ER Visit

As many of you know, Jim has been struggling with back pain for years, especially in the last 6 months. His pain has been getting increasingly worse, and he could not lay down in bed. Months of sleeping in chairs. Months of various doctors visits. Months of pain, with no concrete answers. 

ER Visit

The night before the ER visit, Jim said the pain had changed. Instead of being along the spinal cord, it was slightly off to the right of his spine. It got a little better overnight, so he went to work Thursday morning. Part way through the day, the pain got pretty intense. He emailed Rita to let her know he was coming home. She met him at home and there were two options. Either go to the ER or wait for an appointment with the family doc later in the day. Thankfully he chose to go to the ER. 

Once Jim was at the ER in Angola, his room became a flurry of activity with the doctors, nurses, and other staff. The repeated question of "Are you short of breath?" and the constant watching of the monitor made it known that this was not a spinal issue. By the way, he was not short of breath.

The ER doctor said he had myocardial ischemia, and was having a heart attack. After a 2nd nitro pill under the tongue, among many other medications, he finally started to improve. The ER doctor wanted to send him via life flight to Fort Wayne, but he didn't meet the qualifications. It then became a waiting game. Parkview didn't have a bed available, so it was going to be a waiting game. Do we stay in Angola hospital until a bed becomes available? Do we try for Luthern? Do we consult a cardiologist who is independent and thinks outside the box and would be more willing to get things going quickly? Just as we were starting to figure out our next move, Parkview had a bed open up, which only happened due to all the people we had praying. 

Transport to Fort Wayne

Jim was transported by ambulance to Parkview. The cardiologist believes that the back pain is a separate issue from the heart attack. The back pain has been along the spine. Whereas the pain from the heart attack was in his back to the right of his spine, as well as his arms and chest. He was being put on the list to have a heart cath on Friday. 

Cath Findings

Friday morning's heart cath showed the extent of the issues. They went in through Jim's wrist to get to his heart. He has blockages in all 3 arteries of his heart, with blockages of 70, 90, and 100%. He also has blockages in his legs. Several cardiologists consulted on the best course of action. Bypass today? Or wait? His heart isn't good, so it's urgent. But giving his heart time to rest and heal over the weekend would give him better odds of a successful surgery and easier recovery. They decided it was better to wait until Monday for the surgery. He has an Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) that is helping to keep the arteries open and beating normally. He will need to spend the weekend laying mostly flat, awaiting surgery on Monday. He was moved to Cardiac Procedural ICU.

The doctor today believes that the back pain is likely connected with the heart. In other words, no one is sure whether or not the back pain he has been experiencing is caused by the heart or not. 

 

Prayer requests:

Continued prayer for healing, wisdom of the medical team, peace and comfort for the family.