Heartstopping

Yesterday, Walter had another Cardiac Incident.

His heart stopped beating for 9 seconds.

That's a pretty long time.

So now they're going to put in a pacemaker.

After my initial reaction - that I didn't like it one bit - I mulled it over for a few hours. Talked to kdad. Heard that the doc said we don't want Walter passing out whilst driving that rig. Heard from kdad that these days, putting in a pacemaker is a 15 minute procedure, and the most time is spent on making sure the thing is set correctly. They adjust it from the outside, using a computer. The pacemaker goes in just under the skin and is about the size of a watch. Tuck a couple leads in a vein or so, up to the heart, and you're done.

After a while I came to like the idea. I want Walter's heart to keep going, and if it stutters, to get a kick.

After a while longer, I actually developed a fondness for the little sucker.

So...I guess it's all right. They put it in him tomorrow at 1 pm.

Meanwhile, he's running laps around the cardiac floor. They had to hold him back today and make him rest first when he wanted to do his therapy walk. After a nice nap they let him go.

He walked unassisted, at a normal walking pace, around the entire floor. Twice.

After dinner he did it again.

Understand, this is Wednesday, and he had a triple bypass Monday. Two days ago. They cut through your sternum. Crack open your ribs. Stop your heart and put you on a heart-lung machine. They go in your leg and strip out a big long vein, long enough to do three bypass veins. All that stuff hurts.

Surgery was Monday. The next day, Tuesday, he was sick from all the surgery and was barfing from the pain meds. His heart stopped beating for nine seconds. When the machine went off and the nurse came in, he thought it was just a little skip in his heartbeat. He thought the anxiety he felt - that classic heart attack fear - was just a panic attack from laying down on his back. Like it put him in the same place, mentally, as when he had his heart attack in the truck.

No. His heart was stopped. That'll scare most anyone.

That same day he also walked twelve steps, unassisted.

Today he did two laps around the entire floor, two times.

When I talk to various people at the hospital - the insurance folks, finance department, rehab coordinators - they all know exactly who he is and how he's doing. Part of that is because they are very, very good out there, and they take an interest in all their patients.

But the rest is because they're seeing what kind of person this man is.