PERICARDITIS...

is something I wish I didn't have to learn anything about, but unfortunately tonight I have been learning all about it! 

Dick gave me quite a scare tonight.  He was having pains last night, but they weren't like sharp pains, more of a dull ache when he would take a deep breathe.  And it wasn't right in the middle of his chest more up by the throat and kinda radiated to his shoulders, and he wasn't to concerned, and kinda blew it off when I questioned him about it.  Well it bothered him all night, but he went ahead and went to work, by about lunch time it was getting worse, so he called his doctor (who is about an hour from where he works) and he got an appt for 4:30.  He got off work early and drove to the doc, called me on his way and told me what was going on.  Well I scrambled to make arrangements for the kids.  Oh, and at the same time, my mom is stranded in the Kansas City airport because there is a blizzard and no one can make in to the city to pick her up.  Anyway, my dad came down and stayed with all four kids for about an hour, then a neighbor, (the Genson's) picked up Laurell and Walker and took them to church, while Dad took the little boys home to his house and fed them dinner (what an awesome grandpa!!) And another friend (the Demery's) would take Laurell and Walker home with them after church if I wasn't back in time.  I was still in denial and assuming we would go to the doc and it would all be fine.  And I would even make it to church in time for my bible study.  (But I was starting to get more and more concerned).

So I met him at the doctors office, and they did an EKG in the office and the doc said it didn't look alarming but it didn't look normal, that he needed to go to the hospital.  So we went to the ER, and because he was having chest pains we didn't have to wait at all, they took him right back.   When he got back to the ER room they immediately hooked him up to tons of wires and monitors...  did another EKG and things looked worse.  Then not very long later they did another one.  All the while his blood pressure was going pretty high.  So the doc came in she seemed pretty concerned and said from the looks of the EKG he was having a heart attack!  I just fell apart inside, (but was amazed that I kept it together outside, but I give God all the credit for that. I had been praying all evening with constant silent prayers, for Dick.  My prayers were heard and He took care of not only Dick but me as well!)  then she continued to say that the fact that he wasn't in massive pain while this was going on was concerning her too, something was off?  (He was hurting but not excrusiating pain).  I think the only time I have been this scared was when Laurell was born and had seizures.  My husband, my kids' dad, the love of my life, isn't supposed to have heart problems, that's serious, and we kinda need him around for a lot longer!

So they took the tests results from EKG's, the blood work, the x-ray and whatever other test they had done and discussed with a cardiologist and came to the conclusion that he wasn't having a heart attack after all instead he had Pericarditis, which is:  a condition in which the sac-like covering around the heart (pericardium) becomes inflamed.  So this was really great news!  And this condition needs to be treated with an anti-inflamitory.  So right now in his IV he has Morphine, an Anti-inflamitory, and a steroid and something else that I can't remember.  But he is comfortable and they are trying to control his blood pressure, it keeps going way high then way low.  He is staying the night at the hospital and they are going to be doing multiple EKG's and blood work so they can compare them and make sure nothing is changing.

WOW!!!  What a night.  I just talked to him he is settled in his room and nothing has changed so far, which is great news. I told him it wasn't very nice of him to scare me like this, he should know me well enough to know that I can't handle this!!!!

Oh and about 10pm tonight I learned that my Uncle Mike was able to finally get to mom at the airport and she is now safely at my Aunt Janies house. 

I am so very thankful though for the amazing family and friends I have.  The people I called when I needed help (the Gensons and the Demery's)  didn't even hesitate to say "yes, no problem"  when asked to help with my kids.  And many other people that I talked to all offered to help any way they could.  I love that I have these people in my life that I can count on.

So please keep Dick in your prayers and I will update when I know something.  I hope everyone elses evening wasn't nearly as exciting as ours!