We came home and played a new game that the Mrs. had received for Christmas - Bananagrams. After the game, the Mrs. told me she was feeling "pressure" in her chest. I knew that was a symptom of a heart attack, but I went to the computer and checked it on MayoClinic.com. It recommended going to the Emergency Room. I came back upstairs and the Mrs. was getting dressed to go out. She had come to the same conclusion and off we went.
When she explained her symptoms to the desk clerk, they immediately took her to the critical care area and began running tests. Shortly they mentioned the two words that we didn't want to hear, nor really expected to hear - "heart attack." She really wasn't even in pain - just this pressure in her chest. For the next 4 hours, the doctors worked on her. She received nitroglycerin to open her blood vessels, they gave her other medications to lower her blood pressure and reduce her heart rate. Finally she was resting in a hospital bed; it was late, so I headed home. Sleep came, but it was far from restful.
I had to get up early the next morning to get Mr. Youngster off to school. I told him what was happening and told him I would keep him notified of any news. He left for school and I picked up the phone to call two of my closest prayer partners. They were both out of town and in a meeting - the same meeting. They prayed with me and I headed back to the hospital. January 6th was a day of tests as they worked to figure out why the Mrs. had a heart attack - an EKG and an angiogram were the tests de jour. I continually texted my prayer partners as we learned each new piece of info. The EKG showed where the damage was, but the angiogram showed absolutely no problems. According to the doctor, her arteries were "beautifully wide and clear." They had fully expected to find blockage in the artery where the EKG had shown the damage, but there was nothing.
More text messages went out, phone calls were made to family, and we were starting to breathe a little easier. Our prayer request went out to more people - pastors, church members, and fellow Baptists across Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Mrs. finally was allowed to eat supper and she was starting to get some real rest.
The next day brought an MRI on her heart. We were assured that the MRI would tell us why she had the heart attack. The doctor explained that blocked arteries are not the only cause of a heart attack, the attack could be brought on by a blood clot or a constricted artery. The MRI would show where that had happened. The MRI results came back with a better picture of the damage, but nothing to indicate why it happened. I texted the good news back to my prayer partners.
Now the Mrs. and I are making major lifestyle changes. Our primary care physician has placed us on a diet that is to be a permanent change of eating habits. The Mrs. is now exercising and my bike is begging me to start riding when the weather warms up.
I have never experienced anything as scary as what I experienced on Jan. 5. To look down at my beloved Mrs. and know there is nothing I can do for her but hold her hand and pray is a scary feeling. I can't begin to explain the emotions I felt. I went from great fear one minute to great joy when we received the good news from the angiogram. I will never take the Mrs. for granted again. She is the greatest gift that God has ever given me.
James 5:16 tells us "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." We still don't know what caused the heart attack. I know that I had two righteous men praying for the Mrs. Maybe God heard their prayers and healed her before the doctors found the problem. Maybe the doctors just never found the problem. Either way, I know the prayers of those two men helped me and the Mrs. tremendously through the whole ordeal. I know prayer works and I know I need to spend more time with the One who showers blessings down on me and the Mrs. I don't plan to take God for granted anymore either. God is good - all the time.
