My husband, George, had a bad problem when we had a record heat wave and the power was out for a week or so. He simply couldn't get a deep breath and felt doomed. And had an icy sweat.
That sweat galvanized me because I know that an icy sweat means that there is a coronary issue. I finally talked him into ER the next day and his doctor felt he should have further appointments with a coronary specialist.
He went to Kentucky (from Summersville, WV) to have a heart cath and consult done. Our nephew works in a few hospitals from WV to Ky to Oh, and he's a heart cath specialist along with a few other specialties. His name is Steve.
George's cath took approximately 10 minutes when his doctor made half an entry into our waiting room and said, George? We said yes. He said he needs to have a triple bypass and I'll talk with you later.
We were shocked. We is my sister in law, Ernie, and her husband Kenneth. We're next door neighbors and Steve is their eldest son.
At any rate, George duly had the bypass a week later. The hospital had made arrangements with one of their extensions called Hospitality House. It's a free place to stay for people who live a long distance away and it's for the family of patients in extended stay admissions to the hospital. There is a TV room, a kitchen and of course your room to sleep in. No food allowed up there and no TV in rooms. It was perfect. Like a very lean hotel which is sparkling clean.
I was there at least 5 days and it was a good place to rest in. They provide an envelope for you if you want to leave money. I did.
In George's hospital room, it was a 1 person room. There was a small padded bench and I spent some days resting on it with a blanket. George was hot and couldn't cool off. Probably it was the fact that circulation was better. The leg veins they wanted to use were too clogged so they used two from his chest and an artery from his left arm.
Anyway, that took care of August. When it was time for George to come home, he surprised me by asking Steve if he could go home with him. George knew he could not tolerate the long drive home. (They live close to Kentucky) So Steve and Linda, his wife, took him home with them. Linda asked her son if George could use his room and Austin said yes. He stayed there for 3 weeks and it was a deal made in heaven. Both are RNs, tho Steve is a specialist, so there was no fear to leave George there.
They walked him 2 or 3 times a day, fed him well, got him fresh fruit all of the time and helped with other needs. They were wonderful. When George was nearing time to come home, Linda drove him around on short jaunts like McDonald's and ice cream parlors where he had a huge banana split. :-) And they brought him home after his doctor's appointment 3 weeks later.
George is doing a remarkable job of rehabbing. He has Cardio workouts which tire him just enough to help his heart heal.
I am so happy with King's Daughters Hospital in Kentucky and his 2 attending physicians. I can't begin to tell you.
