Where have I been???

I can't believe it has been so long since I have checked in with y'all! (I hope I still have more than one person that checks in on me!) Things have been a little crazy around our house. Let me catch you up on our family.

On Sunday April 11th we had an absolutely beautiful day. The weather had been very cold up to that point, and it seemed that it either rained or snowed every weekend! So on this particular Sunday my Handsome Prince decided to take full advantage of the warm, sunny day and get some much needed yard work done. He cleaned the front porch and pulled weeds out of the flower beds and even mowed the lawn.

At about 11 in the morning he didn't feel good. Sort of short of breath and just not "good" so he decided to take a little break. He grabbed a bottle of water and sat on the porch for a little while and started feeling better so he went back to working. That happened a couple more times and the shortness of breath became more of a tightness in his chest. Hmm, maybe this is something more than just 'working in the yard for the first time this year' aches and pains.

He decided it was time to call it a day with the yard work around 2. Came in, cleaned up and then sat in the chair for a few minutes. Still didn't feel good. I began with the list of questions - "Does your left arm feel numb? Are you nauseous? Dizzy?" No, to all of the above. He decided maybe he should check his Blood Pressure - it was 166 over 100. Okay, we are going to the Emergency Room - NOW! We arrived at the hospital a few minutes before 3 and by 3:05 we were in a room and he was hooked up to more monitors than I could count.

We were VERY fortunate that we didn't wait any longer than we did. The first blood test they did showed no enzymes, but because they couldn't rule out the heart as the source for his discomfort they decided to admit him overnight for observation. They did three more blood tests during the night and each time the enzyme level was a little higher. My Handsome Prince had a Heart Attack. They scheduled more tests Monday to determine where the blockage was and how much blockage he had. They had thought they could just do a stent (stint?) and all would be fine. Unfortunately, the blockage was 95% in his main artery, and 40 and 45% in two other arteries on the left side. Bypass surgery was the best option and scheduled for Tuesday Morning.

The Medical Staff at Mercy Hospital is just phenomenal! We were so Blessed to be cared for by highly qualified Doctors and Nurses. Everyone was so kind to us and very good to explain all of the different procedures and what we could expect. This is scary new territory! We are getting through it though, and Larry is feeling MUCH better. He even went back to work for a few hours yesterday! (We both work for my Parents, so you don't have to worry that he overdid it. He went to the office to get caught up on the projects we have going on and then came home to rest.)

This has certainly caused us to put things in perspective. You really can not take ANYTHING for granted! Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. We are making some changes for the good in our lives. There will be a LOT less stress and a LOT MORE family time. Larry and I want to Thank all of you that carried us through this in prayer. We appreciate you! I'll check in again soon!