10.16.2007

Be careful what you wish for...

The last few weeks I've been complaining about being homesick. Unfortunately, I made a surprise trip home this week for less than happy news. For those who don't know, my dad had a massive heart attack yesterday. I left work right away and flew home to be with the family. The whole story is a bit crazy. He's doing really well now, but I'll explain the story a bit.. God was really with our family yesterday.

So anyway, Sunday there was a craft show in Benton and my mom was selling some stuff and my aunt and uncle had come down from Massachusetts for the day. My dad had gone to the show and was walking up a hill and started feeling this weird pain/discomfort. Almost like gas, like he had to burp but couldn't. When he got to the car it went away, but he wan't really feeling right. Not sick, but just not right. He had trouble sleeping and had been really tired for the last few days.

Yesterday he went in to work same as usual. One of the guys from the other end of the plant needed his glasses repair kit so my dad walked all the way to the other end of the plant. He started feeling the weird gas pain discomfort but this time it was worse than Sunday and he had to stop and rest. Then he walked all the way back to his office and was feeling really bad. He tried taking some baking soda and tums but it wouldn't go away.

At that SAME MOMENT my mom had called. She had left her purse in my dad's van (which is crazy cause her purse is like another appendage. She never leaves it anywhere!). My dad used that as his excuse to leave (he NEVER leaves work, and probably would have waited if it hadn't been for the purse). Anyway, he and my mom waited for my sister to get home cause she was out shopping then went to the ER. At first they thought maybe it was a stomach thing, having to do with ibuprofen. Then they took some xrays or something and the DR's eyes got HUGE. She said "Mr. Schena, you're having a heart attack."

It turns out his main artery was 100% blocked. They miraculously were able to put in a stint and clear the blockage. As they were putting in the stint his heart had just started to shut down. He shouldn't be alive. The Dr. said usually when they see this kind of blockage the patient has either collapsed and died or dies on the table. He's actually doing really well. Joking around with the nurses. He's a total goofball as usual. While he was on the table he was still with it, they had him on local anesthetics, so he goes to the doctor, while only inches from death "geez, maybe i shouldn't have had that third hot dog last night." He also started spouting off lines from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in the elevator post-surgery, demanding his cigarettes from Nurse Ratchet. And burping when they go to check his breathing. So basically, my dad's back to his old self. He's got great color in his cheeks and is in good spirits. He's been moved from the CICU and is now on a regular floor and we're hoping to have him home Friday.

So anyway. All is going well at the moment. We should be hearing about test results and whatnot tomorrow. I'll be home for the rest of the week (which I feel totally guilty about, with missing so much work for conferences and vacations this month as it is). But I have to say, it's SO good to be home. Be with my sisters, my mom and dad, Auntie Laurie, Auntie Sandy and Mimi. All I have to say is super thank you to God. He's really been watching out for the Schena clan this week.

3 comments:

Jenna Woginrich said...

im so sorry to hear about your dad, and glad to know all is okay. enjoy time off with your family

Josh said...

Yeah, thats an amazing story. I'm really glad everything went the way it did. Thank God, because that could have been much worse.

PS. thanks for that figure drawing of the heart. It's rockin' and i stole it.

kd said...

my goodness, i'm glad he's okay.