Angel on my shoulder

dpmule · October 12, 2024 21:26

Traveling home from work in the far north on Thursday, I had landed in Smokey Jackson hole airport and met my Bride, gathered my bags and started to drive off, traveled less than a mile, I experienced shortness of breath, and made her drive. Traveled another 1 1/2 mile and had an elephant foot on my chest and a little gremlin twisting barb wire around my heart and lungs, note to self, second box checked, another mile, broke out in profuse sweat and pain began to emanate from left arm, 3rd box checked, told Bride to go directly to JH hospital and walked in and surprised the girl at the ER counter by saying “ could you get me some assistance, I’m having a heart attack “, Wow that kicked things in gear.

They ushered me to a triage stall, ran a quick EKG, then quickly moved me to a larger room across the hall with all the bells, whistles, and crash gear, had me hooked up to something that looked the ticker on the NYSE, pumping me full of a myriad of drugs, anti clotting and morphine and dilaudid. During this time, I asked for a wooden tongue depressor, they looked at me like I was crazy, and I asked again rather forcefully, get me a wooden tongue depressor, they understood later when all drugs had kicked when I told them I was gritting my teeth so hard from the pain that I thought I was going to crack my teeth and also to keep me from crying out like a child, it damn sure hurt.

Head ER Dr came in said “prep him for medevac” to Idaho Falls, originally the plan was by helicopter to land at JH hospital but smoke too bad, so they brought in a fixed wing Pilatus PC12, had ambulance ride back to the airport I had left awhile before.

During flight, flight nurse administered 2 shots 10ml of Fentanyl, they hustled me to the hospital, in another ambulance ride, then prepped me and straight to Cath lab, to determine what they/I was up against.

They prepped for a groin entry as a back up and entered Catheter in right arm just above the wrist. Luckily, I only had 2 arteries blocked and they rotor rootered them and then placed 2 stents and my heart went back to playing nice. I had been having a heart attack continuously for nearly 4 hours at that time, so in my subsequent stay here at the hospital, I’ve have echocardiogram and they read it to have minimal damage to the heart and are saying it was because the anti clotting meds were administered in Jackson so quickly at the onset of the event. And my pumping efficiency is in mid normal range.

Been in hospital 2 nights and they convinced me to stay one more to continue to hit me with Lasix to get water of my lungs and heart, got 5700 ml 1.51 gallons yesterday in 2 shots and 2700 ml / .71 gal so far today in 2 shots. Nickname me “I P Freely”.

My Bride and I both feel there was some divine guidance as either route we would have taken home from Jackson would have had areas of no cell service and little towns we would have traveled through, the EMT’s likely wouldn’t have been able to provide the immediate care the Jackson hospital did.

Puts a kibosh to my elk hunting plans for next week, just road hunt deer out on the desert I guess.

Good news is no restrictions on returning to work.

Mule

Angel on my shoulder

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