#stents didn’t work and the day after he went into cardiac arrest and they had to do cpr on him for 20 minutes

[katabay]

wahoo! my uncle had heart surgery (thankfully dodged the open heart surgery bullet) and so far things are looking alright, so I’ll be taking the weekend to just. do stuff. and then get caught up on emails and whatever else starting monday!

[earlybird820]

Widow Maker

On the third and final drive to the hospital that fateful Tuesday night, my boyfriend, Rob, reached for my hand and squeezed. I began to cry. For my sister, Jenna, for my niece, Olivia, for my unborn baby niece who Jon would never hold, for Jon’s parents, John and Ann Marie, and for me. Jon was more than a brother-in-law to me, he had become my protective big brother over the years. Our mutual love for Jenna and Olivia had especially bonded us.

Jon had had a massive heart attack at home early Monday morning and had been rushed to the hospital. After coding several times on the operating table, the surgeon was finally able to stabilize him with a stent. According to his doctor, his left ventricle was 100 percent blocked with plaque and the blood was not able to pump as it should which caused the ventricle to burst leading to cardiac arrest. I didn’t know it at the time, but this type of heart attack is often referred to as a “widowmaker.”

When my family and I were first led back to the ICU on Monday, we were shocked at what lay before us. Jon was hooked up to tubes that seemed to be coming from everywhere, machines beeping and whirring continuously, punctuating the silence. In an induced coma, Jon was just a shell of the man he was before. My brother-in-law, the man with the boisterous laugh and heart of gold, now had machines breathing for him and pumping his broken heart.

For two days, friends and family took turns sitting with Jon, holding his limp, cold hand. Some of us simply sat in silence at his bedside, while others talked to him, hoping he could hear them. On Tuesday morning, I, along with my mom and dad, went back to visit him. I sat on his left side holding his hand, my mom and dad across from me. My mom began to speak to him. I can’t remember exactly what all she said, but I distinctly remember her saying, “Today is Tuesday, December 13th. Olivia is exactly 2 years and 5 months old today.” My dad adding, “You gotta pull through buddy; Jenna and the girls need you.”

I said nothing. I sat silently, my mind racing through all the things I wanted to say. How much I appreciated him taking me into his home three years prior, so I could start a new life. How much I loved him for being a wonderful husband to my sister and an even better father to my niece. How much I treasured him for always looking out for me and wanting the best for me. But I couldn’t turn those thoughts into spoken words. I believed that I would be able to tell him all those things when he woke up.

Later that afternoon we received good news from one of Jon’s doctors: “He is not completely out of the woods yet, but his vitals are improving slightly which is a step in the right direction.” We hung all of our hopes on those words.

Deciding it would be beneficial for Jenna to leave the hospital for a couple of hours, we picked Olivia up from daycare early and drove back to her house. Just as we were about to sit down to eat dinner, Jenna’s phone rang. Jon had gone into cardiac arrest again and the doctors were trying to re-stabilize him.

The drive back to the hospital felt like the longest drive of my life. When we finally reached the ICU waiting room, it was full of Jon’s family and friends—many of whom had red, puffy eyes. Fearing Jon had passed and that I didn’t get to say goodbye, I began to sob. One of Jon’s friends reassured me, telling me the doctors had been able to stabilize him but wanted to speak to the entire family in an hour. That hour was agonizing. My sister lay on a couch in the waiting room curled into a fetal position, her entire body racking with sobs. My mom gently lifted her head into her lap and stroked her hair, my dad crouched beside her and squeezed her hand, and I placed her legs in my lap and hugged them, as if by cocooning her inside our love, we might shield her from the inevitable pain.

Finally, we were led back to the ICU to see Jon. The damage from the most recent cardiac arrest was clearly visible. His whole body was bloated from the buildup of fluids in his failing organs. A mixture of blood and some other clear liquid continuously leaked slowly from his nose. My mom grabbed a Kleenex and tenderly wiped the fluid away.

The doctor entered the room. He was not the same one we had spoken to earlier. His words were also not as gentle.

“It took 45 minutes to get him stabilized again. His organs are failing from cardiogenic shock and we believe he is brain dead due to lack of oxygen to the brain. He is no longer salvageable.”  

Yes, the doctor used the word “salvageable” as though Jon were some household appliance and not a husband, father, son, grandson, brother, nephew, cousin, friend.

The sound of wailing permeated the room.

Ann Marie turned to John, “Why is this happening to us? Why? Why? Why? Both our sons. Why?” They had lost their only other child just six years prior in a fatal car accident. He was only 24 years old.

All John could say was, “I don’t know, I don’t know.”

They held each other and wept.

My sister, six-months pregnant, lay herself across Jon’s chest, her round belly protruding underneath her. She kissed his face—his lips, his forehead, his cheeks, his eyelids. She whispered, “It’s okay baby, you can go. It’s okay. I love you.”

One by one, all his family and friends came in to say goodbye as we waited to remove him from life support. I watched, with tears streaming down my face, as my mom continued to wipe the fluid from Jon’s nose every few minutes.

A little after midnight the doctor came back in to say it was time. All Jon’s friends left the room as the family gathered around him to say our final goodbyes. At 12:29am on December 14, 2016, Jon took his final breath. He was only 33 years old.

When I awoke the next morning, I thought for a split second that Jon’s death was all a bad dream. But that reprieve did not last long. The wave of reality and grief came crashing down and swept it away. I lay there crying while Rob silently held me tight. I wished he could have held me forever, but I knew that my sister needed me, so I broke the embrace and wiped my tears.

While Jenna, her in-laws, and my parents were away making funeral arrangements, Jon’s Aunt Mary Kay, Rob, and I stayed with Olivia and hosted the revolving visitors who brought food and items for the funeral. Later that evening I helped my sister pick out music for the picture slideshow that would be displayed at the funeral home. I never realized how many songs had been written about death and losing loved ones until then.

The next several days were a whirlwind as we made the last arrangements, attended the funeral home visitation, and the funeral ceremony. With the constant coming and going of visitors paying their respects, the full extent of Jon’s absence had not yet hit us. It wasn’t until everyone else went on with their lives and routines, that the quiet set in. Jon had a big personality and an infectious laugh, and it broke my heart to realize that I would never again hear that laugh.

One day after Jenna had picked Olivia up from daycare, she began to cut up strawberries for Olivia—something that Jon would always do. With a hitch in her voice and tears welling in her eyes, she said, “I can’t do this, Jon always did this.” My mom took over while Jenna retreated to her room, sobbing.

My mom was a blessing during those difficult days. She was retired and able to stay with my sister for months at a time. I know this could not have been easy on her and my dad, who had to stay home, an hour and a half away, for work. They barely got to see each other, though my dad would make the drive down whenever he could.

As for me, I settled into a routine of going to my sister’s after a full day of work, helping out around the house in whatever way I could until 10 or 11pm, and then making the 40-minute drive home every night. My boyfriend, Rob, had just signed up for the Army National Guard a few months before Jon’s death and he had shipped out to bootcamp in Missouri a month after Jon’s funeral. For three long months the only correspondence I had with him was through writing letters, which would take up to two weeks to receive a response. I missed Jon terribly, and I also missed my boyfriend. Under different circumstances, I would have been able to lean on my sister and talk about how much I missed Rob, but it would have been selfish for me to do so now. Rob’s absence was only temporary, Jon’s was permanent.

At the funeral, many people had said to me, “It’s up to you now to take care of your sister and the girls,” “Jenna is going to need you more than ever,” “You need to be strong for them.” I felt that if I broke down in front of my sister, I would be failing her somehow. Yet the more I was around her and Olivia, the more deeply I felt Jon’s absence. I would save my grief for my drive home each night, crying the entire way.

That year, Valentine’s Day fell exactly two months after Jon’s death. I was expecting it to be a shitty day since I wouldn’t be able to spend it with Rob and because it was a reminder of how much time had passed since Jon died. About two hours into my work day, I received a flower delivery; Rob had planned the month before to have them delivered. When I arrived at my sister’s later that night and told her about the flowers, she said, “That’s nice,” before welling up and adding, “I had to spend my Valentine’s Day at the cemetery to visit my husband.” I cried myself to sleep that night.

On February 28th, 2017 Jenna went into labor. My mom and I were in the delivery room. As I witnessed my niece, Layla, being born I was overcome with bittersweet emotions. Joy at the sight of this perfect, tiny angel, and grief that Jon wasn’t there to meet his little girl. I could not save those emotions for later, I let them pour out of me, bawling as my sister held her daughter for the first time.

Layla’s arrival was the turning point in my family’s journey to healing. Though Olivia certainly brought joy to us all as well, there was something about this new life after a tragic loss that gave us hope.

Layla just turned two years old last week and my sister’s house was full of family and friends that have surrounded her with love and support over the past two years.

Olivia, who reminds us so much of Jon, will start kindergarten this fall. She still remembers her daddy and talks about him on occasion. Jenna takes her to Ele’s Place once a week where she participates in activities with other children who have lost a parent.

Jenna has recently started dating again and though she will always grieve her husband, she is allowing herself to be happy and find love again.

Jon’s parents live close by and they pick the girls up from daycare twice a week and spend the evening with them. John takes Olivia with him to the car wash once a week, which is something Jon used to do with her.

My parents still visit often, but my mom no longer has to be away from my dad for extended periods of time. They take the girls one weekend a month to give my sister a little time to herself.

Rob and I bought a house about a 10-minute drive from my sister’s, so I could be closer to her and my nieces. I went back to school about a year after Jon passed because I knew that both he and my sister had always wanted me to finish my degree; my big brother wanting the best for me. I will graduate at the end of June with honors. I like to think that he would have been proud of me.

Jenna and Jon on their wedding day.

My first photo with Jon as his sister-in-law.

Jon and his mom, Ann Marie, at his wedding.

Jenna and Jon on their honeymoon in Aruba.

Jon, Jenna, and newborn daughter Olivia.

Jon holding his newborn daughter, Olivia.

Jon and a sleepy Olivia.

Jon giving Olivia a horseback ride.

The day Layla was born. Photos of Jon are taped to the bedpost.

Jenna and her two beautiful girls, Olivia and Layla.

[michellelinkous]

‘Thankful to be alive’

Flu. Pneumonia. Anxiety. Coronavirus.

Theresa Glass rattled through all the possibilities as she worried about the heavy feeling in her chest.

But a heart attack?

That didn’t seem possible even as she arrived at the emergency department at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.

“It wasn’t a sharp pain,” she said. “It was a like a heaviness that grew with time.”

It didn’t take long for Theresa to realize the emergency department was exactly where she needed to be.

She had indeed suffered a heart attack.

“She is very fortunate,” said Ryan Madder, MD, an interventional cardiologist. “She sought treatment for her heart attack and, as a result, she is going to have a good prognosis going forward.”

One of her coronary arteries, known as the widowmaker, was 100% blocked. Two other arteries had blockages of 90% and 95%.

“When any of the coronary arteries suddenly close, some people will develop rhythm issues with their heart almost immediately. (They will go into cardiac arrest) and they will die before they ever get to the hospital,” Dr. Madder said.

“She is very fortunate that didn’t happen to her.”

Dr. Madder placed three stents to open Theresa’s arteries.

“It’s still really hard to believe,” said Theresa, 46, a patient services representative for Spectrum Health. She credits the emergency department and cardiology teams with saving her life.

“I am very grateful to them and to God,” she said. “I am really thankful to be alive.”

Protecting patients, staff

Health officials worry some patients are delaying medical care when they notice early signs of a stroke or heart attack because of concerns about COVID-19 at the hospital.

“The coronavirus has instilled a lot of fear in people,” said emergency department nurse manager Kendra Peot. “Because of that, some people who need to seek treatment and have interventions done are not doing that soon enough.”

But the emergency department is ready and able to care for patients.

“The doctors and nurses are here doing their same work every day,” she said. “We have just added on safety nets to protect everybody in terms of COVID-19.”

As for Theresa, Peot said, “We are glad she came in and I would encourage anybody else to do the same.”

Waking up to chest pain

In hindsight, Theresa wonders if she felt signs of her blocked arteries the week before her heart attack. In the past six months, she often felt short of breath.

“I thought I was coming down with something or I was tired or needed to work out more,” she said.

And in the past couple of weeks, she experienced episodes of tightness in her chest. She thought it might be caused by anxiety. When she calmed herself, the pain dissipated.

Over the weekend, she began to feel tired and achy and noticed some shortness of breath when she talked. Worried she could have COVID-19, she underwent screening and received a test for the coronavirus that Sunday.

In the early hours of Monday morning, she awoke from a sound sleep with a distinctly uncomfortable feeling in her chest. The heavy feeling moved toward her left shoulder.

“When I talked more than a few words, my chest would feel like it was squeezed so tight,” she said.

Still, the pain eased when she forced herself to relax.

It is a common misconception that a heart attack always causes severe pain in the chest, Dr. Madder said. While that is the case for some people, others describe a feeling of pressure or heaviness in their chest—just as Theresa did.

“Oftentimes, a heart attack can cause very mild chest discomfort,” he said.

“It’s important for people to recognize if they feel any sensation in their chest that is new, they need to contact their physician. And if it’s an uncomfortable sensation, they need to call 911 or seek emergency treatment.”

Early that morning, Theresa checked her COVID-19 test result: Negative.

She then called her doctor’s office and described her symptoms, thinking she might have pneumonia.

At about 9:30 a.m.—four hours after she awakened with chest pain—Theresa arrived at the emergency department.

By that point, she said, “My whole chest and left shoulder felt really uncomfortable. It was never awful, awful pain, but it was definitely uncomfortable.”

‘Calm and safe’

Theresa expected to encounter a busy emergency department.

“I thought it would be crazy there,” she said. “But it was calm and safe and good. And just still.”

She didn’t delay her trip to the emergency department because of fears of COVID-19.

“I wasn’t putting it off,” she said. “I just didn’t know what was happening.”

Still, in the back of her mind, she did worry about her risks for exposure to the virus. She felt more at ease when she saw the steps the staff took to protect her and each other.

“You can tell the emergency department team care about each other and like working together,” she said. “I remember thinking at that moment I didn’t have to be worried. It’s still good care. They know what they are doing.”

Not realizing her chest pain signaled a heart issue, Theresa didn’t want to waste valuable staff time to address what might be a minor health concern. The staff reassured her she did the right thing in seeking medical care.

“If you are experiencing anything you feel is life-threatening, I would say come in. Don’t delay,” said Mark Crystal, RN, who cared for Theresa in the emergency department. “I would rather have you come in and have it be nothing than stay home and regret it later.”

While in the hospital recovering, visitor restrictions in place because of the pandemic meant Theresa’s family couldn’t visit her.

But Theresa assured her husband, Chad, and her kids, Carter, Ellie and Jake, that she didn’t feel isolated. They kept in touch with phone calls and video chats.

“I wasn’t really lonely because I knew I had tons of support,” she said.

One evening, her family stood below her sixth-floor window at Spectrum Health Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center and waved to her as they talked on the phone.

Two days after her heart attack, Theresa went home from the hospital. She is taking medication, learning about lifestyle changes and planning to do cardiac rehab.

“I will adjust my life,” she said. “I want to live, so I am going to make some changes.”

And already, she feels stronger.

“I feel a million times better,” she said. “I’m so thankful for how it all happened.”

‘Thankful to be alive’ published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.tumblr.com/

[gordonwilliamsweb]

‘Thankful to be alive’

Flu. Pneumonia. Anxiety. Coronavirus.

Theresa Glass rattled through all the possibilities as she worried about the heavy feeling in her chest.

But a heart attack?

That didn’t seem possible even as she arrived at the emergency department at Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital.

“It wasn’t a sharp pain,” she said. “It was a like a heaviness that grew with time.”

It didn’t take long for Theresa to realize the emergency department was exactly where she needed to be.

She had indeed suffered a heart attack.

“She is very fortunate,” said Ryan Madder, MD, an interventional cardiologist. “She sought treatment for her heart attack and, as a result, she is going to have a good prognosis going forward.”

One of her coronary arteries, known as the widowmaker, was 100% blocked. Two other arteries had blockages of 90% and 95%.

“When any of the coronary arteries suddenly close, some people will develop rhythm issues with their heart almost immediately. (They will go into cardiac arrest) and they will die before they ever get to the hospital,” Dr. Madder said.

“She is very fortunate that didn’t happen to her.”

Dr. Madder placed three stents to open Theresa’s arteries.

“It’s still really hard to believe,” said Theresa, 46, a patient services representative for Spectrum Health. She credits the emergency department and cardiology teams with saving her life.

“I am very grateful to them and to God,” she said. “I am really thankful to be alive.”

Protecting patients, staff

Health officials worry some patients are delaying medical care when they notice early signs of a stroke or heart attack because of concerns about COVID-19 at the hospital.

“The coronavirus has instilled a lot of fear in people,” said emergency department nurse manager Kendra Peot. “Because of that, some people who need to seek treatment and have interventions done are not doing that soon enough.”

But the emergency department is ready and able to care for patients.

“The doctors and nurses are here doing their same work every day,” she said. “We have just added on safety nets to protect everybody in terms of COVID-19.”

As for Theresa, Peot said, “We are glad she came in and I would encourage anybody else to do the same.”

Waking up to chest pain

In hindsight, Theresa wonders if she felt signs of her blocked arteries the week before her heart attack. In the past six months, she often felt short of breath.

“I thought I was coming down with something or I was tired or needed to work out more,” she said.

And in the past couple of weeks, she experienced episodes of tightness in her chest. She thought it might be caused by anxiety. When she calmed herself, the pain dissipated.

Over the weekend, she began to feel tired and achy and noticed some shortness of breath when she talked. Worried she could have COVID-19, she underwent screening and received a test for the coronavirus that Sunday.

In the early hours of Monday morning, she awoke from a sound sleep with a distinctly uncomfortable feeling in her chest. The heavy feeling moved toward her left shoulder.

“When I talked more than a few words, my chest would feel like it was squeezed so tight,” she said.

Still, the pain eased when she forced herself to relax.

It is a common misconception that a heart attack always causes severe pain in the chest, Dr. Madder said. While that is the case for some people, others describe a feeling of pressure or heaviness in their chest—just as Theresa did.

“Oftentimes, a heart attack can cause very mild chest discomfort,” he said.

“It’s important for people to recognize if they feel any sensation in their chest that is new, they need to contact their physician. And if it’s an uncomfortable sensation, they need to call 911 or seek emergency treatment.”

Early that morning, Theresa checked her COVID-19 test result: Negative.

She then called her doctor’s office and described her symptoms, thinking she might have pneumonia.

At about 9:30 a.m.—four hours after she awakened with chest pain—Theresa arrived at the emergency department.

By that point, she said, “My whole chest and left shoulder felt really uncomfortable. It was never awful, awful pain, but it was definitely uncomfortable.”

‘Calm and safe’

Theresa expected to encounter a busy emergency department.

“I thought it would be crazy there,” she said. “But it was calm and safe and good. And just still.”

She didn’t delay her trip to the emergency department because of fears of COVID-19.

“I wasn’t putting it off,” she said. “I just didn’t know what was happening.”

Still, in the back of her mind, she did worry about her risks for exposure to the virus. She felt more at ease when she saw the steps the staff took to protect her and each other.

“You can tell the emergency department team care about each other and like working together,” she said. “I remember thinking at that moment I didn’t have to be worried. It’s still good care. They know what they are doing.”

Not realizing her chest pain signaled a heart issue, Theresa didn’t want to waste valuable staff time to address what might be a minor health concern. The staff reassured her she did the right thing in seeking medical care.

“If you are experiencing anything you feel is life-threatening, I would say come in. Don’t delay,” said Mark Crystal, RN, who cared for Theresa in the emergency department. “I would rather have you come in and have it be nothing than stay home and regret it later.”

While in the hospital recovering, visitor restrictions in place because of the pandemic meant Theresa’s family couldn’t visit her.

But Theresa assured her husband, Chad, and her kids, Carter, Ellie and Jake, that she didn’t feel isolated. They kept in touch with phone calls and video chats.

“I wasn’t really lonely because I knew I had tons of support,” she said.

One evening, her family stood below her sixth-floor window at Spectrum Health Fred and Lena Meijer Heart Center and waved to her as they talked on the phone.

Two days after her heart attack, Theresa went home from the hospital. She is taking medication, learning about lifestyle changes and planning to do cardiac rehab.

“I will adjust my life,” she said. “I want to live, so I am going to make some changes.”

And already, she feels stronger.

“I feel a million times better,” she said. “I’m so thankful for how it all happened.”

‘Thankful to be alive’ published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

[seniorbrief]

Doctors Reveal the Most Miraculous Recovery They’ve Ever Seen in a Patient

“His heart was basically stopped for an hour”

edwardolive/Shutterstock

“I had a patient that went into cardiac arrest and was found in refractory V-fib. It means his heart wasn’t pumping and was just quivering like a big ball of jello. Normally this is fixed by shocking it and typically converts after one of two shocks—or they flatline. This dude spent 45 minutes getting CPR and was shocked 15 times on the way to the hospital. So his heart was basically stopped for an hour. He was brought to the cath lab, put on ECMO (which is a heart lung bypass machine), and 2 stents (tubes) were placed. He walked out 3 days later. To this day it’s one of the longest instances of someone being in V-fib and surviving.”

Sleep is a beautiful thing

Billion Photos/Shutterstock

“Patient with chronic depression with suicidal ideations, no meds worked, he tried ’em all for over a decade. [I] sent him for a sleep study; obstructive sleep apnea was identified. Put him on a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine); his whole life changed. He was really thankful to feel good again; he teared up when he thanked me.” Brush up on the 13 secrets only sleep doctors know.

Super-twins

Kristina-Bessolova/Shutterstock

“Used to work in the special care nursery. We get a call from birthing unit, there’s a code critical, cord prolapse (umbilical cord is hanging out of mum so baby’s not getting oxygen). Get the call baby is coming to us. One baby comes through the door, then a second baby. No one told us they were twins.

“First twin is all right, he came out not long after the cord so not much oxygen starvation. Second twin unresponsive. We had doctors and nurses from all over the women’s health wards performing [resuscitation] on this tiny baby for close to 5 hours. Doctor in charge almost called it because they just weren’t getting a response from the kid. Finally, finally they bring the baby back, stable enough to be transferred to the NICU at one of our other hospitals. Dad came in the next day to pick up the first twin and told us mum and the second twin were doing well.”

The Notebook in real life?

Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock

“There was an old couple…who had been married for 40+ years. They were the kind of old couple who still loved each other deeply and went on dates together. They had a tradition where anytime they went out for supper, the husband would order pie for dessert. And although the wife always claimed she didn’t want any and refused to order any, she would swoop in and steal the first bite of his pie every single time, to his constant annoyance.

“But then the husband began to develop a type of dementia…where he started to slowly forget who his wife was. Eventually it progressed to the point where he didn’t recognize his wife at all and became visibly distressed by living with a stranger.

“So he moved out of the house and into an assisted living style apartment. She lived alone, visiting him whenever she could, but he never had any idea who she was. Even seeing pictures of them together from their past visibly confused and distressed him.

“One of the docs recommended that the wife should start taking him on a few dates as if they truly were strangers, so that the husband could at least gain a new kind of familiarity with her presence.

“So she took him to a restaurant they had been going to their whole lives and had dinner. Afterwards he ordered pie, and without thinking she reached across the table and stole the first bite of it. The husband looked annoyed, but then suddenly seemed shocked and confused, and then started crying.

“Everything had come back….Something about that action triggered something in him and he was able to get back to who he was. They moved back in together and were able to pick up their lives again.” These are the 60 secrets emergency room staff won’t tell you.

Original Source -> Doctors Reveal the Most Miraculous Recovery They’ve Ever Seen in a Patient

source https://www.seniorbrief.com/doctors-reveal-the-most-miraculous-recovery-theyve-ever-seen-in-a-patient/

[enzaime-blog]

Eileen, Ian, and Claire - NICU and Cardiac Surgery

New Story has been published on https://enzaime.com/eileen-ian-claire-nicu-cardiac-surgery/

Eileen, Ian, and Claire - NICU and Cardiac Surgery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23VKAsDKVss “I felt like everyone here was invested in me and the best outcome for my baby.”

As the youngest of nine children and the youngest grandchild, it’s not surprising that Eileen Wedegartner of Pepperell, MA, has a keen sense of how valuable it is to be surrounded by a caring support network. And in late 2009, the value of such support, from both family members and people she had never met before, would reveal itself in poignant ways.

Eileen, 35, and her husband, Ian, were enjoying life and thinking toward the future during the late fall of 2009. Already blessed with a healthy young son, Charlie, Eileen was nearly six months pregnant with their second child.

“There was nothing wrong in the pregnancy,” said Eileen. “I was in great health and things were progressing as they should have been. There were no concerns.”

Concerns, however, would start to grow one morning in November – first, for their unborn baby and not long afterward, for Eileen. She admitted that she was feeling a bit out of sorts that month, but wasn’t overly concerned. “I had a bad week – but when you’re pregnant, who doesn’t have a bad week?” she said, laughing.

A daughter comes earlier than expected

On Friday afternoon, November 20, at the very end of her second trimester, her water broke. She telephoned the obstetrician on call at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) and also spoke to her sister, Kathleen Murphy, who is a nurse practitioner in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at BWH. They both advised her to come in immediately, but also tried to comfort her – telling her that it might only be a little bit of leaking. Eileen wasn’t convinced. “I just knew that it wasn’t a little bit of leaking,” she said. “It was bad news.”

BWH Newborn Medicine Specialist Linda Joanne Van Marter, MD, MPH (left), cared for Claire (right) after she was born prematurely at just two pounds. Claire spent 103 days in the BWH Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Ian ordinarily wouldn’t be home on a Friday afternoon, but happened to be there that day. He described himself as being “very focused” when he drove Eileen to the hospital, while Eileen described his driving style as “flying.” She warned him to slow down – not because she was worried about an accident, but because she was worried about being forced to go to the nearest hospital if they were pulled over. “I wanted to go to a very specific hospital,” she explained. “I wanted to go to the Brigham.”

When she came in, it was confirmed that she had experienced a premature rupture of the membrane surrounding her baby, an uncommon condition that is particularly serious when it occurs preterm. The obstetrics staff tried to prolong Eileen’s pregnancy, but, as is typical in such cases, her labor commenced within 48 hours. Ian and Kathleen were by Eileen’s side when Claire Wedegartner, weighing only two pounds, was delivered by cesarean section on Sunday morning, November 22.

Thus began Claire’s 103-day stay in the NICU. Eileen said that Claire ended up going through virtually every health condition listed as a potential complication for a premature baby while she was there – infection, brain hemorrhaging, abnormal blood vessel development in her eyes, and a heart defect, which required surgery at Children’s Hospital Boston.

Eileen feels an intense pain in her chest

Eileen was able to return home about a week after Claire’s birth, but made the long drive back and forth from Pepperell to Boston every day to check in on her daughter. And when Eileen or Ian weren’t at the hospital, they received constant updates from Kathleen and were comforted knowing that Claire’s brother was always there to keep her company – in a photo with the family dog, Pandora, hanging in Claire’s incubator.

By mid-January, as Claire’s health improved, Eileen returned to work. Two weeks later, as she was about to head out the door for a conference, Eileen felt an intense pain in her chest. She initially convinced herself that she was having an anxiety attack, but the pain didn’t go away.

She went to a local community hospital, but each medicine they gave her failed to get rid of the pain. The staff subsequently ran some tests, eventually determining that she had experienced some type of cardiac event. The hospital, however, didn’t have the resources to take care of her condition, so she was transferred to BWH.

Ian, Charlie, Eileen, and Claire

Cardiac surgery for Eileen

Eileen was diagnosed with dissections (tears) in her left coronary artery, a condition that ultimately leads to artery blockage. A surgical team from the BWH Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory performed an angioplasty to open up the artery and implanted four stents (short tubes) to help keep the artery open. Everything seemed fine.

As the cardiac team was attending to Eileen, in stepped yet another sister, Mary Aquilino, who is a registered nurse in the Cardiac Surgery Intensive Care Unit at BWH. Mary received updates from the nurses who were helping to take care of Eileen, and the nurses, in turn, brought back words of encouragement from Mary.

In the midst of all this anxiety, Ian was happy to have Eileen’s sisters around. “Having her sisters there gave me comfort,” said Ian. “These weren’t just any people talking. These were her sisters, and they’re professionals.”

The next day, while talking with her sister Mary on the phone, Eileen suddenly felt dizzy. She quickly hung up the phone and passed out. After being resuscitated, Eileen was brought into the catheterization lab once again. There it was determined that she had suffered a cardiac arrest from yet another dissection, this time in her right coronary artery, and she was treated with another angioplasty.

As Eileen recovered, she was less concerned about her health as she was about Claire’s health and getting back home to her husband and son. To help boost her spirits, nurses from the NICU and the 9th floor of the Shapiro Cardiovascular Center collaborated to arrange daily reunions of mother and daughter until Eileen was well enough to go home.

Recovery and reflection

Eighteen months later, Claire’s family and physicians are very pleased by her progress. Aided by an affinity for mom’s chocolate chip cookies, her weight is steadily ramping up, and she’s already quite tall for any child her age. And with bright, curious eyes and a boisterous laugh, she walks around and grabs any reachable item with ease.

Eileen also has recovered well, and although she is thankful that she and Claire need to return less and less frequently to the hospital for follow-up appointments, she reflects fondly on the quality and breadth of care that she and her daughter received at BWH. From the valet who took care of her car even though the garage was full, to the security guards, dietitians, financial counselors, family counselors, and social workers, she was happy that caring went well beyond the operating room.

“Knowing that you’re with doctors you can trust and nurses that are going to be there to answer all your needs is phenomenal,” she said. “But it goes well beyond that.”

“It’s not just about fixing you and sending you home. I felt like everyone here was invested in me and the best outcome for my baby. And it wasn’t just the doctors and nurses – it was everyone we came into contact with. For a patient, that means everything.”

[yes-dal456]

Could You, Would You Save A Life? This CPR-AED Awareness Week, Vow To Know How

As she prepared for the PurpleStride 5K in Kansas City a few weeks ago, Brooke Worrel took her time attaching the racing number to her shirt. This usually mindless task was a lot tougher with all the tears filling her eyes.

One year before, she ran this race with her dad.

She finished. He didn’t.

Shortly after crossing the finish line, 16-year-old Brooke went back on the course to join Rick at the end of his run.

When she reached him, Rick was on the ground, blood pouring from the left side of his face and his right knee. Men on both sides of him were performing CPR.

***

Rick Worrel’s grandfather died at age 55. So did his dad.

Rick was 55 when he and Brooke ran that 5K on May 14, 2016.

But Rick’s heart story dates to the day before Thanksgiving in 2014. To a routine trip to the gym cut short because he couldn’t catch his breath while warming up.

He went back the next day and it happened again. Was he really that out of shape? The next day, while helping his father-in-law transplant a tree, he became short of breath yet again. On the drive home, he lamented his poor conditioning to his wife and added that his hands felt funny. She redirected them to a hospital. Doctors determined he was having a heart attack.

A cardiac artery was blocked. Rick was taken for a cardiac catheterization and doctors inserted a mesh-like tube called a stent to prop open the troublesome artery.

Between his family history of premature death and wanting to be around for his wife, three daughters and three grandkids, Rick became a model patient. He faithfully took his medications and improved his diet. He went to cardiac rehab and resumed working out and running.

Finishing a 5K became his goal.

***

Six months after his heart attack, Rick met that goal at the 2015 PurpleStride event.

Being a competitor, Rick set a new goal. He would finish the race faster in 2016.

Rick started wearing a heart-rate monitor while exercising. About six weeks before the 2016 race, he noticed that his heart rate zoomed to his maximum allowable number within a few minutes. The fact he could keep it there lessened his concern.

The day before the race, the forecast called for temperatures around 55 degrees, the minimum allowable under doctor’s orders. Rick called his cardiologist for advice. A nurse said it was OK because of how much he’d trained and because he promised to warm up and keep a close eye on his heart rate.

Brooke ran with Rick for the first half of the race. Rick knew he was holding her back, so he encouraged her to take off. He looked fine, his heart rate was under control and he was chatting while running. So she felt comfortable leaving him behind.

About a mile later, while crossing a bridge, Brooke looked back to check in on him. She happened to see him stumble … and immediately recover.

***

In the final 50 yards, while running between Dr. Jack Uhrig and his son, Rick dropped to the ground.

Dr. Uhrig thought Rick had simply fallen, until flipping him over and seeing an ashen look on his face, his eyes rolling back. Bryan Rice, an off-duty EMT, emerged from the crowd. Two cardiac nurse practitioners joined them.

The immediate attention (CPR started less than 15 seconds after he dropped) and the expertise of the caregivers improved Rick’s chances of survival.

But after eight minutes of CPR from Dr. Uhrig and Rice, and another eight minutes from on-duty EMTs, Rick’s heart wasn’t beating.

The EMTs hooked up their AED and tried shocking him back to life.

Twice.

Then a third time.

Brooke saw it all. She’d arrived after the men who started CPR and before the nurse practitioners.

***

Now jump to this year’s race, to Brooke pushing through the tears while pinning on her racing number. To Brooke fighting more emotion at the starting line and while running the first three miles. To Brooke slowing at the very spot where Rick went into sudden cardiac arrest.

And there he was, joining her for the final 50 yards.

“Slowest time ever – 51 weeks and 30 minutes,” Rick said, laughing.

The chain of survival worked.

Between the quick response and textbook care at the hospital, Rick overcame the electrical problem that caused his heart to stop and got five more stents to clear up a plumbing problem – a “widow maker” heart attack that he also suffered. (Learn the difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack.)

He went home within a week.

“I suffered no cognitive brain damage and no heart muscle damage,” he said. “My heart pumps as much blood as yours!

“There are a lot of good outcomes to CPR, especially when it’s administered quickly.”

***

CPR and AED Awareness Week begins Thursday. June 1-7 has carried this designation since 2008 under a Congressional resolution aimed at spotlighting how lives can be saved.

About 40 people each hour have a cardiac arrest while not in a hospital, and nine of 10 do not survive, according to AHA statistics. Most people say they feel helpless to act because they don’t know how to administer CPR or it’s been too long since they learned.

The truth is, when you see a teen or an adult collapse, it only takes two steps to save a life:

Call 911.

Push hard and fast in the center of the chest, preferably to the beat of the disco classic, “Stayin’ Alive.” (The 120 beats per minute are the perfect rhythm, and you can’t beat the title for a helpful memory trick.)

Rick feels as if he was the main character in a miracle performed by others. This leads him to the inevitable questions: “Why me? Why was I spared when most aren’t?” He believes it’s so he can use his story to encourage others to become potential lifesavers.

“Once people are aware of the benefits of CPR, it eliminates some of the intimidation and anxiety to jump in quickly,” he said. “You don’t need to do mouth-to-mouth any more. Research and studies show that Hands-Only CPR is as good or better. If we can raise the number of people who know it, the survival rate can exponentially increase. But if I can help save a single life, that’s worth it. If it’s more than one, that would really be awesome.”

People never know how they’ll respond to a situation, which is why it’s best to envision it now.

A teen or an adult just collapsed and isn’t breathing. What would you do?

Imagine being paralyzed by fear. That could lead to the tragic ending you may have been bracing for while reading the beginning of this story.

Now think of being among those who responded and the joy you felt at picturing Rick and Brooke crossing the finish line together.

“No one should ever hesitate to try saving someone’s life,” Rick said. “Statistically, I’m not supposed to be here. I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for the grace of God and for these people stepping in and starting CPR right away.”

Below are two TV news stories done on Rick’s amazing tale. The first shows him thanking the EMTs at the Kansas City Fire Department and the other shows him in his new volunteer role promoting Hands-Only CPR.

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Could You, Would You Save A Life? This CPR-AED Awareness Week, Vow To Know How

As she prepared for the PurpleStride 5K in Kansas City a few weeks ago, Brooke Worrel took her time attaching the racing number to her shirt. This usually mindless task was a lot tougher with all the tears filling her eyes.

One year before, she ran this race with her dad.

She finished. He didn’t.

Shortly after crossing the finish line, 16-year-old Brooke went back on the course to join Rick at the end of his run.

When she reached him, Rick was on the ground, blood pouring from the left side of his face and his right knee. Men on both sides of him were performing CPR.

***

Rick Worrel’s grandfather died at age 55. So did his dad.

Rick was 55 when he and Brooke ran that 5K on May 14, 2016.

But Rick’s heart story dates to the day before Thanksgiving in 2014. To a routine trip to the gym cut short because he couldn’t catch his breath while warming up.

He went back the next day and it happened again. Was he really that out of shape? The next day, while helping his father-in-law transplant a tree, he became short of breath yet again. On the drive home, he lamented his poor conditioning to his wife and added that his hands felt funny. She redirected them to a hospital. Doctors determined he was having a heart attack.

A cardiac artery was blocked. Rick was taken for a cardiac catheterization and doctors inserted a mesh-like tube called a stent to prop open the troublesome artery.

Between his family history of premature death and wanting to be around for his wife, three daughters and three grandkids, Rick became a model patient. He faithfully took his medications and improved his diet. He went to cardiac rehab and resumed working out and running.

Finishing a 5K became his goal.

***

Six months after his heart attack, Rick met that goal at the 2015 PurpleStride event.

Being a competitor, Rick set a new goal. He would finish the race faster in 2016.

Rick started wearing a heart-rate monitor while exercising. About six weeks before the 2016 race, he noticed that his heart rate zoomed to his maximum allowable number within a few minutes. The fact he could keep it there lessened his concern.

The day before the race, the forecast called for temperatures around 55 degrees, the minimum allowable under doctor’s orders. Rick called his cardiologist for advice. A nurse said it was OK because of how much he’d trained and because he promised to warm up and keep a close eye on his heart rate.

Brooke ran with Rick for the first half of the race. Rick knew he was holding her back, so he encouraged her to take off. He looked fine, his heart rate was under control and he was chatting while running. So she felt comfortable leaving him behind.

About a mile later, while crossing a bridge, Brooke looked back to check in on him. She happened to see him stumble … and immediately recover.

***

In the final 50 yards, while running between Dr. Jack Uhrig and his son, Rick dropped to the ground.

Dr. Uhrig thought Rick had simply fallen, until flipping him over and seeing an ashen look on his face, his eyes rolling back. Bryan Rice, an off-duty EMT, emerged from the crowd. Two cardiac nurse practitioners joined them.

The immediate attention (CPR started less than 15 seconds after he dropped) and the expertise of the caregivers improved Rick’s chances of survival.

But after eight minutes of CPR from Dr. Uhrig and Rice, and another eight minutes from on-duty EMTs, Rick’s heart wasn’t beating.

The EMTs hooked up their AED and tried shocking him back to life.

Twice.

Then a third time.

Brooke saw it all. She’d arrived after the men who started CPR and before the nurse practitioners.

***

Now jump to this year’s race, to Brooke pushing through the tears while pinning on her racing number. To Brooke fighting more emotion at the starting line and while running the first three miles. To Brooke slowing at the very spot where Rick went into sudden cardiac arrest.

And there he was, joining her for the final 50 yards.

“Slowest time ever – 51 weeks and 30 minutes,” Rick said, laughing.

The chain of survival worked.

Between the quick response and textbook care at the hospital, Rick overcame the electrical problem that caused his heart to stop and got five more stents to clear up a plumbing problem – a “widow maker” heart attack that he also suffered. (Learn the difference between cardiac arrest and a heart attack.)

He went home within a week.

“I suffered no cognitive brain damage and no heart muscle damage,” he said. “My heart pumps as much blood as yours!

“There are a lot of good outcomes to CPR, especially when it’s administered quickly.”

***

CPR and AED Awareness Week begins Thursday. June 1-7 has carried this designation since 2008 under a Congressional resolution aimed at spotlighting how lives can be saved.

About 40 people each hour have a cardiac arrest while not in a hospital, and nine of 10 do not survive, according to AHA statistics. Most people say they feel helpless to act because they don’t know how to administer CPR or it’s been too long since they learned.

The truth is, when you see a teen or an adult collapse, it only takes two steps to save a life:

Call 911.

Push hard and fast in the center of the chest, preferably to the beat of the disco classic, “Stayin’ Alive.” (The 120 beats per minute are the perfect rhythm, and you can’t beat the title for a helpful memory trick.)

Rick feels as if he was the main character in a miracle performed by others. This leads him to the inevitable questions: “Why me? Why was I spared when most aren’t?” He believes it’s so he can use his story to encourage others to become potential lifesavers.

“Once people are aware of the benefits of CPR, it eliminates some of the intimidation and anxiety to jump in quickly,” he said. “You don’t need to do mouth-to-mouth any more. Research and studies show that Hands-Only CPR is as good or better. If we can raise the number of people who know it, the survival rate can exponentially increase. But if I can help save a single life, that’s worth it. If it’s more than one, that would really be awesome.”

People never know how they’ll respond to a situation, which is why it’s best to envision it now.

A teen or an adult just collapsed and isn’t breathing. What would you do?

Imagine being paralyzed by fear. That could lead to the tragic ending you may have been bracing for while reading the beginning of this story.

Now think of being among those who responded and the joy you felt at picturing Rick and Brooke crossing the finish line together.

“No one should ever hesitate to try saving someone’s life,” Rick said. “Statistically, I’m not supposed to be here. I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t for the grace of God and for these people stepping in and starting CPR right away.”

Below are two TV news stories done on Rick’s amazing tale. The first shows him thanking the EMTs at the Kansas City Fire Department and the other shows him in his new volunteer role promoting Hands-Only CPR.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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