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hattie
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2012 08:33pm - Edited by: hattie
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Hello everyone. I won't be around much because, once again, we have had a medical emergency. I did want to tell all of you the importance of having a home defibrillator at your cabins in case of an emergency such as the one we experienced. They are very expensive, but this is one insurance policy I am thanking God I had!
On December 30, my husband's heart stopped while he was shovelling snow. I was with him and ran to call 911 when he fell down. A neighbour saw him fall and called another neighbour who ran to help with his two adult sons. While I was getting the portable phone they started CPR. One of the men said there was no pulse or breathing so I ran to get our home defibrillator (something everyone should have). I was pretty flustered so the man doing CPR helped put the pads on Bob and after the machine analyzed him, I had to shock him with it. He needed a total of two shocks but then got a pulse and began to breathe but was unconscious. A neighbour who is a volunteer firefighter came with oxygen and then the ambulance came (45 minutes later!). They took him to Princeton hospital and then Penticton where he is now in ICU. He became very aggressive in the ambulance to Princeton and they had to severely sedate him to work on him. When he started to come out of the sedation at Penticton, he could move his hands and toes and talk, so there was no brain damage which is miraculous! The doctor in ICU said he had two others the day before with the same thing and both were brain dead. The defibrillator and our AMAZING neighbours saved his life. The same man who did CPR drove me all the way to Penticton because they wouldn't let me drive myself as I was pretty flustered. It looks like Bob should recover perfectly but right now he has some short term memory loss (he can't remember what you told him 5 minutes ago but can remember what happened a week ago). The doctor said that was probably because of the sedation and he is gradually getting much better.
Originally we were told he will be flown to St. Paul's Hospital today, but now they are saying not until Thursday. They will be putting in a pacemaker and defibrillator and he will be there for about a week or so. I was in Penticton but had to come home yesterday with my daughter to get things organized. We needed clothes, etc. My daughter helped me close down the motel and get packed and organized. We had taken Molly to the breeder/kennel and headed to Port Coquitlam where I am now. I am staying in a suite in my daughter's condo unit. We were very disappointed to find out that Bob wasn't flown to Vancouver today and will have to wait until Thursday at least; but after looking at the weather forecast for this week I decided to just come here early anyway. I will be staying here the entire time and will bring him back when he is well.
We were told he had another cardiac event this morning but it was so mild he didn't know it was happening and they didn't need to do anything. It was just enough to set off all the alarms. He didn't have a heart attack per se because he has no blockages or narrowings that the doctors can find. It seems that he is suffering from something called cardiac dysrhythmia (abnormal electrical activity in his heart).
Sorry this is so long but I want everyone here to seriously consider getting a home defibrillator. They are very expensive, and hopefully you will never need it but if you do, you will be happy you had it. Whenever you are a distance from medical treatment this machine could save your life as it did my husband's. Neither of us had a heart condition, but I bought this because I knew that timing is critical in a heart emergency. I hope you will all give this serious thought!
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Nirky
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2012 08:42pm
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Amazing story, especially considering how few people have defibrillators who have no heart disease history like you two but you somehow you both had the foresight to spend considerable funds to have one. Seems like someone above is watching over you both, hope your husband makes a full & speedy recovery.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2012 08:52pm
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O hatie when it rains it pours .God bless you both, keep strong..
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turkeyhunter
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2012 09:08pm - Edited by: turkeyhunter
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Hattie---i will keep Bob and you in my prayers. Thank GOD you had the defibrillator and GREAT neighbors!!!!!
Please keep us updated.
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Vince P
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2012 09:46pm
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Hattie,
My best to you and Bob. You WILL see this through.
Vince
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naturelover66
Member
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# Posted: 2 Jan 2012 10:34pm
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Hattie... I'm so sorry for what you and Bob are going thru. I know how terrifying this is. It sounds like he got really lucky as I did. After my cardiac death and.open heart surgery I had memory loss too..and what I did remember scared the hell out of me. your lives will never be the same and every day for a while will be difficult and emotional. Lean on your support system and please ask his medical team all the questions you need answered. You will get thru this.... Please keep in touch. I will be thinking about you and.Bob.....
Xoxo Lisa
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 3 Jan 2012 10:43am
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What an awful thing to have happen, but just look at the good fortune and grace of God surrounding you. You both will get through this.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 3 Jan 2012 01:06pm
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Hattie, please know that you, Bob and your family are in our prayers. I know you will be able to find the strength to make it through this and I hope the days until your husband gets the pacemaker go by as quickly as possible 'cause the waiting is hard. Remember all your friends here are thinking about you and want to be updated when you get a chance but please don't feel obligated.((( Hugs Hattie)))
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 3 Jan 2012 04:39pm
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Dearest Hattie.wow.i am so sorry.u just never know when things like this will strike .i am so sorry for the fear u must of felt.and terror.
i could not imagen this happening to my mister.i am so sorry.hugs n love to the both of u.u are in our prayers.
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ErinsMom
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# Posted: 3 Jan 2012 06:06pm
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Hattie,
Sounds like the pacemaker / internal defibrillator is just what he needs. AEDs are becoming more common place in malls, airports, etc. But, I still find them hard to find in most hotel / motels.
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Malamte
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 12:14am
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Wow Hattie, very sorry to hear about Bob, but glad you were ahead of the curve on this one, and he's going to be alright.
Will keep you both in prayer. Hang in there.
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 12:44am
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Bob's short term memory is almost completely back. He still hasn't been transferred to Vancouver because there are no beds in the hospital. We were told he had to be flown out within 72 hours if a physician had accepted him. One did and it is over 72 hours now. We are all very frustrated.
And the bad news just keeps coming. I found out last night that my son-in-law and son were in a head on collision on the Hope/Princeton highway on their way home from the Penticton hospital.
They had left a day before my daughter and I did. They told us the engine in their car blew up, but we found out that they had slid on the ice and hit an oncoming car. They didn't want to tell us because they knew we would be driving the same road and were afraid we'd be too stressed out and would get into an accident too. The entire stretch of highway in the mountains is one accident after another.
The woman in the other car is fine as is my son-in-law but my son had a head laceration and required stitches. I saw my son tonight and he looks fine, but my daughter and I are taking him to his family doctor tomorrow just to get him checked out again. He wasn't going to bother but we said he was going whether he liked it or not. Both cars are write-offs.
They say bad news comes in 3's but I think we reached that limit a long time ago. I know I must be grateful, and I am so very grateful, that each time the outcome has been good, but to say this is a stressful time doesn't even come close.
I'll keep you posted on things here. Please keep us in your prayers.
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Montanan
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 01:12am
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So glad you were able to intervene and that Bob looks to recover fully. So sorry about the transfer delay, as well as the collision. I am glad no one was seriously injured. Hoping you're due for some GOOD luck now. Hang in there.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 07:35am
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Hattie---thanks for the update---glad no one was seriously injured in the wreck. Hope you can get Bob on a flight to Vancouver soon---will keep your family and you in my prayers.
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trollbridge
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 07:56am
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Hang tight Hattie...things have got to improve with all these prayers.
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PA_Bound
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 08:43am
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I'll keep you and your family in my prayers, also. Keep the faith...
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naturelover66
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 08:02pm
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Thinking about you Hattie......
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neb
Member
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# Posted: 4 Jan 2012 10:53pm
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Sorry to hear that news. I hope all goes well with Bob and you. The one good thing it was not a heart attack and Med. people have this heart thing figured out. It is amasing the progress they made in this area.
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Shas
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# Posted: 5 Jan 2012 04:22pm
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I'm very glad this worked out for you.
It sounds like you and everyone involved
kept your heads on straight and did that right things.
Until my stroke I was an experienced ambulance paramedic,
working both in downtown Vancouver
and in the remote canyon area where our homestead is.
The truth is that your story is a rarity;
in very few cases would the defibrillator make a big difference
unless you had prompt cardiac-specific assistance close at hand.
I don't have an AED in my cabin,
and I would never spend the money for one
even though I have the training to use it.
If a small community of cabin-dwellers were to pool their resources
to maintain a collective first-aid station
an AED might conceivably be worth sharing,
but I would advise using that money to bring in an instructor
and give everyone a two-week first aid course.
Training is much, much more effective
than any equipment money can buy.
My goal is not to refute your suggestion, Hattie,
but to encourage the folks here to buy the most effective,
portable, always-with-you help you can get,
and that is knowledge and practice.
Personally-owned defibrillators
might save three lives per year, nation-wide.
First-aid training saves thousands of lives every year.
Wishing you and Bob all the best in 2012,
Shas
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ErinsMom
Member
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# Posted: 5 Jan 2012 07:44pm
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Hattie,
I'm sorry to hear of the delay and the car accident. I will keep Bob, you and famly in my thoughts and prayers. You have been through a lot this last year but are strong. I know God will bring you through.
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2012 01:14am
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Finally some good news! They have finally found a bed for Bob at Vancouver General and barring any problems with the air ambulance, he should be flown here tomorrow and arrive in the afternoon! I just can't wait to see him! Please keep him in your prayers as he still has a lot to go through with his surgery.
Shas - I agree that everyone needs to know first aid; but we'll have to agree to disagree on the defibrillator. Without a defibrillator, if a person's heart stops, their chances of survival are minimal. Minutes count and we had him hooked up and shocked in under 5 minutes. CPR alone would not have saved his life. It is the best $1500 I have ever spent! All of the doctors, nurses and ambulance attendants told us that if we did not have that defibrillator, Bob would be dead today.
I spoke with Philips (the company that makes the defibrillator I have) and told them our story. They told me that they would be sending us, free of charge, a new battery and new pads for our machine (worth hundreds of dollars). They have had many other success stories and were thrilled to know their machine saved yet another person.
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turkeyhunter
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2012 07:14am
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Hattie--thanks for the great news!!!! keeping you and Bob in our prayers. Thanks for the update.
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trollbridge
Member
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2012 08:22am
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Yes Hattie! Great news indeed! You must be extremely excited to see Bob and vise-versa!!!! You bet you'll still be in our prayers!
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2012 02:17am
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Just to let you know that Bob is in Vancouver General Hospital. The doctor is AMAZING!!!! They did an angiogram and afterwards the doctor came into the room and sat and explained everything to us in terms we could understand perfectly. We couldn't ask for better!!! The angiogram and other tests they did, show that Bob has a perfectly healthy heart. That is great news but it means that the wiring in his heart is out somehow. What happened to him could be a one time thing or it could happen again and that is why they will be implanting a pacemaker/defibrillator. The doctor said it is very unusual to have a case where a patient with a healthy heart has this condition – leave it to Bob to be "special" *smile*. He said the implant will let Bob lead a normal life without any fear of this happening again. The surgery will be sometime next week.
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turkeyhunter
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2012 05:10am
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Thank GOD for the GREAT news--glad he is doing better and can live a normal life--- i hope You and "Special Bob" have a good weekend--even though in a hospital--still great to be together --- Bob and you are in our prayers---take care
PS" good news on having a awesome Doc as well---that makes the journey a lot easier. ;-)
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neb
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2012 07:52am
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Great news.
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trollbridge
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2012 08:46am
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I'm so thrilled for you both Hattie and I agree with TurkeyHunter that having great doctors you trust makes it so much easier! Enjoy each others company now that you are together :-)
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naturelover66
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2012 05:14pm
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Thanks for the update Hattie.... I'm so happy you got good news! XO Lisa
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ErinsMom
Member
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2012 08:26pm
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I have been thinking about you and Bob. I was actually talking to my cardiac nurse husband over lunch today about Bob.
He was very lucky. I will keep you and family in my prayers.
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cabingal3
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2012 11:06pm
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hattie.this is crazy.i am so glad your sil and son are alright.hugs and prayers coming your way.
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