Things That Guided Saving my Life

Things That Guided Saving my Life

On 27 October 2011 I was admitted to a local hospital with third degree heart block. There were several things that came together to save my life.

If any of the below had not happened, and various medical personnel had not done their jobs plus done extra effort, I would not be here today. I thank all the people involved:

1. I was doing a report for a law institute and the added stress taxed me a lot more, enabling me to be in distress on the one day of every six months I was at the Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Clinic for my appointment where I was checked on their machines. It was the day after the final report was submitted and I was still stressed out.

2. The CHF Clinic nurse recognized a problem when she hooked me up to the machine showing my vital readings and called my heart doctors.

3. My heart doctor and Nurse Practioner (both highly qualified women) were at the hospital making morning visits and diagnosed the problem and got me admitted immediately into the hospital, directed my care throughout, and answered my questions, etc.

4. A night nurse assigned to my room watched me closely, and kept me awake overnight so my heart would not stop anymore, and got me moved to SICU (Surgery Intensive Care Unit). (My heart would slow way down, less than 20 beats/minute, or stop as I was trying to doze off.)

5. The nurses at SICU watched me closely until I was scheduled for my implant operation.

6. The nurses in the operating room assisted the doctor in the final act that saved my life, installing a pacemaker/ICD.

7. The doctor performed the operation of installing a pacemaker/ICD under trying and heart-stopping (my heart stopped several times) conditions in the final act to literally save my life. Thank you, Doctor!!!

8.  Justin from St. Jude Medical for supplying the ICD device that keeps my heart beating right, and for making sure all was going ok after the implant of the ICD.  Thanks to him for also explaining a bunch to me and making me feel more at ease.    Thanks!!!

ALL are to be commended for a job well done and thanked forever for helping me. They bought me whatever time I now have left ......... Thank you.

Adrian R. Lawler,   (C) 2011 --