"The Rest Of The Story"

It's clear from some reaction I'm getting? I better get off my rear and finish this yarn.  I just want to remind you THAT I AM FINE.   I did not have a heart attack. In fact their parting words to me were, "it wasn't your heart. Exercise at will."

I just want to talk about the adventure of it all, and let you know that should you find yourself in my circumstances? Go ahead and do exactly what I did.  CALL 911. 

I am genuinely impressed with the response time of the fire department rescue guys. They arrive before Peggy gets done describing my symptoms over the phone. And you have to know it's just BARELY possible to get in and out of our neighborhood in a HumVee right now. That's because of the snow.

They have these great new gurneys that start out as chairs before you get to the rescue truck. And unlike the old days the fire department paramedics take you all the way to the hospital.  They used to just be the first responders and then hand you over to a private ambulance company.  

While they are "ekg"ing me and other stuff, we have a pretty good chat on the bumpy ride to the hospital. As a son of a firemen, I have some pretty good tales to share with them about the "Old Days with Dad" in Los Angeles.

One other reason you want to call 911? You don't get put into a "triage" pool.  They just wheel you right in. There will be a point where you will be put on the "hurry up and wait" track, but it won't be in the waiting area with everybody staring at you.

I'm always impressed with the inital energy rush when someone first gets wheeled into an ER. And this place is no exception.   The people who work emergency, especially the nurses, are incredible.  They are really determined to make sure you get the attention  you need to survive. An almost insane penchant to "save lives" is what's sucked most of them into this career.

Several years ago Photographer Coby Howell and I got to spend a Friday night in the emergency room at Denver General.  They are perpetually one of the top rated trauma units in the country.  The energy rush we experienced that night is similar, but greater than the adrenelin rush that takes place in a newsroom when major news breaks out. I asked the head nurse that night how she dealt with it every day.  She didn't have a good answer.  She did say, " I just go home and stare at the wall for five or six hours. I've never been able to sleep after a shift."

Anyway, despite my alertness, they come right at me full bore, popping questions, attaching electrical leads, jamming tubes into me, asking more questions, drawing blood, taking pictures.  ( One thing I remember from the past is helpful this time.  Don't wear anything tight fitting or anything you value. They'll rip it right off you.  I wear an old South Pacific shirt Peggy has been trying to get me to throw away for years.)

Now Men, here is something to consider if you can slow down the process. It is not always possible or advisable.  But politely ask if they will shave your chest before connecting all those leads.  Oh man, does that hurt when they pull them off.  And I'm sorry, but I think there are some female nurses that, while they really want to save your life? They seem to kind of enjoy watching you suffer when they rip that tape off. Just some of them, not all!

Well I hope this addition up to this point puts anyone checking in, at ease. I just want to document this experience for you in as much detail as possible. It may seem an odd thing to share, but it's not something that is going to happen to you every day. And it's a chance for me to praise a lot of the people around me who got caught up in the drama.

I'm sorry if I got a little too mysterious in Chapter one. One of you asked if I still had a Merry Christmas? You bet...For one, I got to come home.  And....our neighbors the Kwits show up a half hour later with a full blown delicious PRIME RIB dinner with all the trimmings.

There is more to tell...and now I hope I've given you a better idea where this is going, and that you'll come back tommorrow for even more of "THE REST OF THE STORY."