Yesterday was Not a Good Day

Yesterday morning started out normal for any work day, but as I am collecting together my things to go to work I look at my phone. There is a voice mail and a text message, very unusual for so early in the morning. (I didn't hear the phone because it was still on vibrate from work on Monday.) It was my sister, my dad was on his way to the hospital in an ambulance with chest pains.

My daughter had already left for the bus stop, thank goodness. I try calling work, get the machine; so I call my department head. She says she'll get everything together for me and I get my Principal and Vice-Principal's cellphone numbers. I get a hold of my VP, and she says they'll cover my classes for the day. All while I get together some things to take with me to the hospital. Tell my husband what is going on and he tells me, "Go, go, go. Get out of here."

On the way to the hospital I am trying desperately not to get too upset, if I start crying too hard I'll crash the car. I get to the hospital. He's in the heart center, a brand new facility. He did indeed have a heart attack. I have to say they took good care of him, by the time I got there he was already out of the emergency room and in a room in the CCU (Cardiac Care Unit). He had one artery that was completely blocked, luckily they only needed to put in a stint. Though apparently, if he had waiting much longer they would have had to open his chest up again. They said if he follows the rules and "behaves" he could be going home today. So the outlook is good, but somehow I am still worried.

Now my dad had open heart surgery just two years ago, the blockage that time was in a place that they couldn't put a stint in without killing him. After his open heart surgery, he gave up smoking for a little while. He and my mom, another heart attack survivor, began smoking again when my aunt died and they had to cope with her estate. The doctor said, of course, that my dad must stop smoking. I also think he needs to change his diet, he still eats lots of fatty foods.

This scared me pretty badly, my dad and I don't always get along these days. We have very different points-of-view on most things, but all I could think about was my Daddy. The big question in all of this is whether my mom will quit smoking too, or at least take her smoking outside.