Wednesday I celebrated my 72nd birthday and received one of the better presents ever. Late that afternoon Dr. Layne Reusser, a cardiologist at Kansas Heart Hospital, said a cauterization gave more than ample evidence I had no arterial blockages or other problems with my heart.
The latest episode in my medical history began Tuesday afternoon at the Register. A couple of times I noticed a series of unusual pains in my chest. Having known my body — as we all do — for all these years, and having experienced nothing similar in the past, anxiety set in. I decided a trip to Allen County Regional Hospital’s ER was the smart thing to do.
An electrocardiogram and chest X-ray found no abnormalities, but blood analysis did — enzyme levels are heart markers, and mine drew attention. Dr. Frank Porter, doc on duty, said further and more sophisticated examination was his recommendation. Who was I to argue.
Kansas Heart Hospital was my choice, figuring that’s where the most expertise resides. A bed opened, but closed before arrangements could be made to ship my sorry soul to Wichita. We waited; 19 hours later I was on my way, following a night made all the longer by wrestling with a frequently inflating blood pressure cuff, a handful of wires attached to various parts of my torso and two ports, one in each arm, to facilitate putting liquids into my veins.
The journey aboard an ambulance dispatched from Humboldt wasn’t the most pleasant of my life, philosophically or physically. I wasn’t eager to face the invasiveness of cauterization, which seemed a certainty, and riding in a heavy duty vehicle on a gurney in no terms can be described as comfortable. The bright side was a conversation with Charles Ecton, paramedic who went along. He’s an interesting fellow with eight years in the military and well-founded in his medical duties. We need more folks like Charles, willing to serve others as his life’s work.
Arrival at Kansas Heart had social upsides: John and Jane Carder, long Iolans before moving to Herington and then Hesston, where John was city administrator, greeted me at the door; Joyce Heismeyer, administrator at Kansas Heart after leading Allen County Hospital just before the new hospital was built, popped in for a visit. I must add, Jane is among the dearest of my friends; we grew up together on Mulberry Street in Humboldt, and really did take baths together as toddlers.
It is indeed refreshing to have friends who care. They were not alone. Far more than I imagined posted encouraging and touching comments on social media, after daughter Brenda, tracking my progress by cell from Roswell, N.M., made the first posting on Facebook.
If there is a downside to being treated at Kansas Heart, I don’t know what it would be. Nurses were kind and attentive, both on the floor and in the surgical suite during the journey of exploration from — of all places — my groin into the critical network in and around the heart. They added just enough levity, without going overboard, to palliate my fears of what was to occur.
The procedure found that the truckload of cheeseburgers and other food that would be a stretch to characterize as heart-healthy had failed to clog any arteries. A sonogram Thursday morning made Dr. Reusser’s comment, “I hope my heart is as good as yours” in later years, all the more meaningful.
If there is a message from the event, it is: Don’t disregard any sign of pending health problems and let the professionals decide what to do when concerns arise. When pain or something else abnormal occurs, there’s a reason and, bowing to the old but true cliché, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Journey into uncharted waters
