A time comes when you need to depend on the kindness of others-strangers as well as friends and family. Mine came Monday night when I was stricken with feeling very, very ill and my looming suspicion I was experiencing a heart attack. I called Thayne and he dropped the trailer from his pickup and picked me up in front of my house. He skilfully sped to Riverton Hospital where they took one look, took my word, and went to work. They consulted with Dr. Pickerel, Cardiologist, at Wyoming Medical Center, who O.K'd a shot of clotbuster. Then I was packed up and Life-Flighted to Casper in the new fixed wing ambulance. Thayne. bless his soul .waited the three hours while tests, X-Rays, etc. took place, then promised to take care of my dogs. A huge load off my mind. Brother Richard met me at the Wyoming Medical Center.
The next morning I was prepped for an angiogram-wires up the arteries to check things out in the heart. The clotbuster medication had done its job-my pipes were clean as a whistle but I have an arrythmia, and an enlarged heart that doesn't contract as well as it should. Dr Wick's surgical tech said she had never seen so large an aorta. One is awake during this procedure and a third Dr., Eisenhower, weighed in on what was being seen and should be done. The strategy for me is to strengthen the heart beat through rest and rehab-medicines. After one of my room attendants noted that my level of oxygen at rest was below 50, this was evaluated, and I came home with an oxygen accumulator. Rich brought me home-he is a good brother.
No way in hell will I be leaving for Florida by the 12th. I have weeks of med adjustments head of me. I am glad to be alive to make the adjustments. The Riverton Emergency personnel said it was a classic save. I remembered to take my aspirin. Treatment began within an hour of being stricken. They would have preferred that an ambulance transported me but they weren't the ones in pain and I trusted Thayne's driving on 17 Mile Road more than any occasional driver. He did save my life.
