When It Rains It Pours

We've all heard the saying "When It Rains It Pours", well it's been raining buckets around here the past few days. It's so funny how often I can honestly say I have nothing I really have to do. That is one of the joys of retirement. Sure I can always find a corner that needs cleaned thoroughly, a drawer that could be better organized with tons of stuff thrown out, however those are things that can be done at a later time. Not urgent.

I thought I had my next two weeks well planned. I was to leave today for Charlotte to spend the week with my daughter. Come home Saturday and get the house cleaned for those coming in from Florida. Spend that week with hubby's family and finally the family reunion on Saturday. Sounds like a pretty good plan. Then why am I here blogging on Monday afternoon.

Saturday night I began having pressure in my left ear. It hurt enough that it kept me from getting to sleep. Sunday morning I was still having this pressure, but not as intense. By early afternoon I began thinking I better call the doctor. I called my cardiologist's office, which I knew I would get his answering service, and asked if he was on-call this weekend. If so, I would have gone on to the emergency room. They put me on the line with a nurse. After describing my symptoms she told me my doctor would recommend going on to the ER. I told her I would if my condition changed and if not I would call his office first thing Monday morning.

I talked with my daughter Sunday and told her I better see my cardiologist before I come down. If he said it was ok I would leave early in the afternoon. I was lucky to get in to see the cardiologist around 11:30. I explained the pressure in my ears and also my left arm has been feeling like I hit my "crazy bone" and is tingling. He said he would need to do a stress test on Thursday or Friday to be completely sure my symptoms are not my heart. He said it could be stress. I asked if it could be put off until Monday and explained my plans for going to Charlotte. He said that would be ok, but asked me to call him if I experienced any change. I called my daughter on my way home and told her I would be on the road by 1:00. She said she did not want me traveling and then dealing with the kids if I needed a stress test. She felt the drive and the kids would be more stress that I should endure right now. Now I wish I had just told her everything was fine and that I was on my way. But, if I started having problems again, I would hate to be in Charlotte.

{Let me explain here that prior to having a heart catheterization two years ago my symptoms were pressure in my ears and jaws. I even went to the ER and they could not find anything wrong. When I went to my family doctor he told me women experience ear, jaw and head aches when they are actually having a heart attack. This is the reason I was concerned on Sunday.}

Since I wasn't going to Charlotte, I decided to call my cardiologist back and see if he could still do the test on Thursday or Friday. As his phone began to ring my girlfriend buzzed in from her cell phone. She never calls me on her cell so I switched over thinking something may be wrong. She told me her husband was in the hospital. She said he was having discomfort and not feeling right Saturday evening while they were out for dinner. The paramedics were called when he fell over in pain. He will be having a heart valve replacement done this week. They have known that he needs this surgery done, but have put it off because he has kidney problems and the dye they will use for the valve replacement will do more damage to his kidneys. My girlfriend thinks he will have to be on dialysis after this surgery. He will be moved to Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) tomorrow morning then meet with a cardiovascular surgeon. I am so proud to say CAMC is among the top 10 heart surgery hospitals in the country. Tomorrow after my girlfriend talks with the surgeon I will reschedule my stress test around her husband's surgery. And, of course, if my stress test shows blockage, I'll be having a heart cath done while the family is here for the reunion. Let's not forget my cat scan and other procedure.

Like I said, "When it Rains It Pours".