Dad called me the morning of Thursday, April 24th and asked if I could bring him to urgent care. I was able to get him to urgent care and he was quickly admitted directly to Methodist Hospital after a chest x-ray and EKG indicated he was most likely experiencing congestive heart failure. After admission to Methodist he received the standard course of treatment for cardiac patients along with standard tests including an Echo Cardiogram. They identified a clot in his left ventricle which they began to treat with blood thinners. They determined his heart was functioning at approximately a 10% EF which would be around 50-60% normally. His kidneys and liver were not functioning at their normal rate and he had severe edema (swelling from fluid build up) due to lack of blood flow from his weakened heart.
He had a fairly stable Friday and Saturday as they waited for his body to get stronger. The plan was to do an angiogram on Monday to see if they could get him tuned up. We enjoyed many conversations over a variety of topics as the days passed. I left late on Saturday night knowing he was doing well and all things were progressing as hoped. Unfortunately I received a call early Sunday morning that he had gone into cardiac arrest and that I needed to come quickly to Methodist. Fortunately he was resuscitated quickly and they transferred him to the cardiac ICU. Phil and I were able to talk with him and walk him through the events of the morning and how he arrived at the hospital. He was a bit fuzzy, but started to piece things together pretty quickly. Our friend Brian joined us and dad recognized him right away.
We left the room for a minute while the nurse checked his skin and it quickly turned to a code blue with nurses and doctors coming from everywhere. Phil, Brian, and I stood outside the room as dad gasped for air, received CPR, and fought for his life. Brian kneeled outside the room and asked God to give my dad more time. Phil and I stood there numb. It is a scene I will not soon forget. We learned later that they had to place a balloon pump in his heart, insert a pacemaker, and put him on a breathing tube under heavy sedation. It is also our understanding that his heart had stopped twice during the incident.
They quickly moved him to the cath lab to perform an angiogram where they placed a stent, but were unable to open 2 arteries that were 100% clogged and another that was 90% clogged. The procedure took over 3 hours with no updates. They later explained the procedure required all staff and the long duration given the condition of his heart. We were fortunate to have the comfort of family and friends surrounding us as we waited for the news. The news finally came when the chief cardiologist came out and explained that there was nothing else they could do to repair his heart. Based on the prognosis we decided not to let him suffer anymore and placed a “Do not resuscitate” order in the event his heart stopped again. It was a dark day and nearly all hope was lost.