Posts Tagged "live our best life"

One Month to Live

Posted by Pat Stewart on Jan 26, 2019 in My Blog, Think About This, Uncategorized | 0 comments

The last few days have been stressful, disheartening and we Americans are divided and many of us don’t want to be. We don’t agree about the state of our union, we want it to be better for all. There was some glimmer of hope yesterday. Let’s all really try hard. In 2010, 5 Emergency Room personnel rapidly applying leads on my chest, neck, abdomen and then pushed the button for the EKG. The paper printed out and they were all high-fiving and I was lying there happy because they were all smiling. I thought, “Can’t be too bad with that celebrating.” Oh, Ms. Stewart, we’re just happy because by the time people get to us its usually over and we’re just happy we got it on the EKG! IT??? Well, I had an SVT, supra ventricular tachycardia. SVTs, I learned, can take you away. Heart beating so fast I couldn’t feel a pulse because there was no space between the beats, hence I got myself to the ER fast. I mean, I knew I was alive but no pulse anywhere, so I threw a few things in my bag like all my meds, PJs, tooth brush and a book I was reading. Out the door I went! Yes, I drove myself to the hospital. No, I will not do that again. I was in the 4th week of wearing a cardiac monitor, so as I was driving, and the device rang like a phone. Hmmm…”uh, hello?” “Ms. Stewart, this is so & so at Life… are you having symptoms?” “Oh, yes, I am.  Can you see what’s going on? I’m on the way to the hospital now.” “Oh, good, you called 911.” “Um…no.” “Oh, so you had someone with you.” “Um…no. I’m driving myself.” S-i-l-e-n-c-e !!!! You know, that deafening silence!  Then, she spoke and was calm and professional. She stayed with me until I got to the hospital. She called ahead and told them I was coming so everyone including the guard was waiting & boy did things move fast!! She told me to just hand the nurse the device and they would see everything. So after the celebratory EKG, the doc came in and gave me a choice of taking the meds that would stop my heart blah-blah-blah…” “Wait!! Wait a minute?  Stop my heart?  No, I don’t want that.” “Well, Ms. Stewart, the medicine will make you feel worse than you have ever felt…but just for 3 seconds and then your heart will be in rhythm and it will just go away.” (Everybody circling the bed just looking at me.) “Um…isn’t there something else you can do!?” “Yes, I could shock you.” “Oh, so like when I’m not expecting it, you would scream at me?” “No, see those paddles over there? I would shock you with them.” “Oh, heavens!! Give me the medicine!!” So in 3 seconds I went from feeling like I was dying to having my perfect heart beat back to normal and then they brought me snacks!! I had to stay in observation for a few hours, so I sipped on my ginger ale and read my book. A nurse came in and stopped at the door, with hand on hip said “ you should NOT be reading a book like that at a time like this!!!” She was not happy with me reading my book “One Month to Live” by Kerry & Chris Shook. I said, “Oh, no, it’s all good.” Right then another short little nurse came in and asked the other nurse what she was so upset about. Again, that nurse...