BUMP in the road is behind me....

I took this picture a few years ago and with Fall setting in, I thought it was fitting!

NIV Romans 11:36 - For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.


THANK YOU to all who kept me, my wife and mom in your thoughts and prayers yesterday as I went through the heart catheter procedure!


Well, what can I say today, but THANK YOU Lord for all the things that you have done, are doing and will continue to do in my life!!


Yesterday was a long day, but a GREAT DAY!!


Prior to laying my head down Tuesday evening, I prayed to God that He would blanket my mind, my spirit and soul with peace. Yesterday morning we began our day at 6am. I woke up apprehensive with a little fear, but during my shower I again prayed for that blanket of peace.

We arrived at the hospital just before 7am, I checked in and by 7:45am I was taken to the Cardiac Cath Lab where the heart catheter procedure would take place.


Once we arrived at the Cath Lab, soon after a middle aged bald gentleman came out and called my name, I happened to be on the phone with my pastor at that time, but this gentleman told me to take my time and there was no hurry. After rushing my pastor off the phone, I was taken back to my room and once again I knew that God was with me!! You ask why did I know that?, Well, here's why....


The middle aged bald gentleman that came out to get me happened to be my nurse for the day and all I can say is that he made my entire day a fun, relaxing day!!! Ron Sanders, R.N. is his name, and can I tell you that I wish every nurse in the medical field had the zest and love for their job like Ron does!! He joked with me, teased my wife and mom and he never once allowed us to be without!


When the technician came to get me for the procedure (9:30am), Ron looked me in the eyes and said "Don't worry, there will be no major issues and you will come back to your room cleared for
surgery!"


I was rolled into the room by a younger gentleman who was also a very caring, concerned nurse and he also put me at ease. I was then prepped for the procedure, and soon after, Dr. Sabapathy came in, spoke to me briefly about what was going to take place and before I knew it, he was in the Femoral Artery and doing his thing! I watched the first 30 minutes of the procedure as I never did go to sleep, and the last 30 minutes I was told to turn my head as the x-ray machine just about whopped me upside the head!! LOL!!


I never felt any pain during the procedure, only a little pressure when he cut me to enter the Femoral Artery, and as he fed the camera and other tools through the artery into the heart.


I can say that that was the neatest thing to watch take place. I seen the camera flow up the artery into my heart, and then when he shot the dye into my heart, the arteries and veins came alive on the screen!! WOW!! How neat to see your heart actually pumping blood through your body, so neat what God has created in our bodies!!


After about an hour, Dr. Sabapathy completed the procedure and plugged the artery so that it would not bleed, he looked at me and said "ALL IS GOOD"!!


Ron was waiting for me when I arrived back in my room and immediately began to make me comfortable and began to share very critical information with me about the next 6-7 hours!!

Soon after, Dr. Sabapathy came in with a piece of paper the size of a prescription request and said that it was my clearance to go forward with surgery!! He informed me that my heart was excellent and my arteries were nice and large, very clear and there was only one that was 30% blocked, but no concern as I was on track to keep it under control!!



WHEW, RELIEF!!!!!! Now I can breathe easy!!


So, remember I said that Ron began to share some very critical information about the next 6 hours, well, all I can say is the next 6 hours was the worst part of this entire procedure!! LOL!!


I had to lay on my back, right leg straight, head on the pillow, and if I moved my leg or raised my head one time during the 6-7 hour span, it would be FATAL!! OUCH!! Hey, that got my attention real quick!!


Side note: I was told it would take approximately 3 seconds to bleed to death from the Femoral Artery that he entered!!!


I then began the longest 6-7 hours of my life....Ron was serious about what he told me, but he made us feel so comfortable as he continued to tease and joke with the 3 of us! (To bad he is not 8-10 years older because he would have been on a date with mom by the evening) LOL!!


Well, finally at about 11am, Ron brought me in a tasty turkey sandwich with baked Lay's potato chips, apple and a Sprite Zero... can I tell you that at that point I could have ate the rearend out of a skunk!!(one of the many, funny things my dad used to say, but he used a little different word for rearend). Remember, I had been fasting since Sunday with everything that had been going on this week!!


Every hour or two, Ron had to check the wound where the entry to the artery was plugged up to make sure there were no signs of bleeding. At noon, he brought me in a Vallium as I was having some comfort issues and back pain, well, it was then night night time for about an hour or so.


I woke up at about 1:15pm, and I won't go into detail, but a very embarrassing, but hilarious situation took place!! All I can say is, "I'm SORRY VERN!!" LOL!!

Ron came in at 1:45pm to check on me, by this time he had another patient, an elderly gentleman (Wilbur) that kept him on his P's & Q's!! LOL!! I had another 30 minutes before I could move or get up out of the bed, and can I tell you, that was going to be a very loooooooong 30 minutes, but, Ron was nice and at the 15 minute mark, he came in and checked the wound and gave me the ok to get up and make a run for the gents room!! WHEW, what a relief!!


I was then able to sit in a chair for another 30-45 minutes before I received the ok to go home...Ron informed Vern and Mom that he was sorry, but they would have to take care of all my needs the rest of the day, and there would be no "HONEY DO LIST" for me to do for the next 3 days! Boy, I am so glad somebody had my back!! Thanks Ron!! Did I tell you that Ron was a God send for the day?


At 3:15pm, Ron allowed me to go home. He sent Vern down to get the car, but, well, when he and I made it down stairs, Vern was nowhere to be found....HMMMM, what happened to Vern? Well, a few minutes later she pops up behind us(somebody didn't follow Ron's directions)....Ron was so nice that he wheeled me to my parked car so that Vern wouldn't have to go get it! What an awesome guy!!


A VERY BIG THANK YOU to Ron Sanders, R.N. , Dr. Rajendran Sabapathy and his staff, and all the other staff at Shawnee Mission Medical Center for taking such awesome care of me, my wife and mom!!


I spent the rest of the evening relaxing and sleeping. Finally at about 8pm, the wound, nerves and muscles began to come alive, I had some discomfort, but knowing that I was cleared for surgery, it was all worth it!!

Today, I am relaxing, updating the blog and enjoying the wonderful breeze coming in the windows. I am sore and moving a little slow, but I know that with time I will forget all about it!!


I am sure the next week and a half, I will be anxious, emotional and maybe even fearful, but God has let me know in many ways the last 8 months, that I am doing the right thing in taking control of my life and becoming a HEALTHIER, HAPPIER person!!




As I close this blog today, remember my motto and remember to tell yourself everyday....


YOU ARE #1 IN YOUR LIFE!!


Remember to take care of yourself first and other's second!!


Keep the prayer's coming!!


And until next time,


GOD SPEED!!
Tony