Dad's Heart Attack-I Watched Life Taken And Life Given Back

I have been putting this hub off for about a week because really wasn't sure if I could write it or not. However things are going well with Dad now so I decided to finally write it.

So how did all this heart attack stuff start. Well let me tell you. The day before the attack my dad had some serious skin cancer cut out of his face. For this he only needed to be under a local anestetic. That all went well. The Dr is 100% sure all the cancer is gone. The only bad part is that he now has a vey large and deep hole in his face that needs to be fixed.

For this surgery it was decided to minimize any scaring he would be put under and some plastic surgery procedures would be used. This was a bit scary right from the beginning since my pops is 73 and had a massive heart attack 20 years ago. However they did assure us they were putting everything in place to keep him safe.

The surgery was scheduled for 2.20 pm. Everyone that needed to see him had been in to do so and now it was time to go for surgery. At 1.10pm a bed was brought down from surgery.

A heart attack can happen in an instant. Dad went to the washroom and came out about a minute later. He sat on the bed that would take him to surgery. I could see he was out of breath but thought he would catch it quickly.

The nurse noticed and put her hand on his back and asked him if he was okay. He answered by saying yes and then he fell over. That was it. Just like that and then the head spinning began. I'm sure things happened faster than I can type them. The nurse felt his pulse and within seconds pressed a button on the wall that was clearly marked code blue.

My head was going in circles but i was managing to keep myself above the clouds long enough to witness at least 25 people that seemed to come out of the wood work working on him in seconds. Dad was in cardiac arrest and some Dr. was doing chest compressions and then I was hauled out.

I wasn't actually hauled out. In fact I was given the option to stay and watch but really couldn't bring myself to stay any longer.

After what seemed an eternity a Dr. came in and told me that my father had been in cardiac arrest for less than 5 minutes and that he was alive. He was being transfered to intensive care.

When they finally had dad shipped up to the intensive care unit the Dr. came in to give me as much details as he could at the moment.

First thing he said is my dad is a tough old bugger, then told me his stable at the moment and of course the old "the next 24 hours are the most critical."

Now I could see he was about to get serious. He said at this point there is no way of telling how much damage there is to the heart. He said that it could stop again and at that point I may have to make a decision about bringing him back.

He also told me to be prepared that there was a chance that my dad may never leave the hospital.

I knew he was only doing his job. It was very tough to listen to but it was something he had to tell me. All I could do was pray that I never have to make any of those decisions.

I called my wife first, then my sisters and then my employer. The call to my wife and sisters were one of the worst things I have ever had to do. The only real answer I had at the moment was he was still alive. At the same time I still had to be strong enough to insist they take their time so they don't get into an accident.

Finally I got to see him. All morning I had sat with him. we joked about things, talked about others and now here was this man lyeing on a bed unconcious with wires coming out of everywhere. I couldn't believe what a difference less than an hour could make.

I couldn't believe my eyes. While sitting with him before any family arrived the old guy woke up. of course he was confused, didn't know where he was and had no clue what happened. At the moment all I told him was he fainted.

The Dr. came in shortly afterwards and told dad that his heart had stopped and he had to be revived. He told him that his rib area would probably be very sore from getting CPR done on him. He then told him they would be monitoring him very closely for the next little while.

The Dr walked out and my dad started to cry. He just realized what he had been through and he knew he had been spared.

They gave him something to help him sleep so he wouldn't get too worked up over the entire thing.

I knew from that moment on that he was going to be alright. There was no one who could convince me of anything else.

All I know forsure is I have a way different outlook on life now. When you watch someone you love die in front of you and then be brought back you very quickly realize how quickly people can be taken from you.

My father and I do not live very close to one another but I know I have made a commitment to spend more time with all the people we care about. Life is a very busy practice but we need to understand that the only ones who can change this is ourselves.

All I can say at the moment is if this had to happen I am glad I could be there every step of the way through my father's heart attack. I definatly have a new outlook on life and I am not going to let anyone tell me any different.