More Than Enough For One Day

   On top of this self isolation, yesterday Jeff who's been trying to quit smoking woke up from a nap gasping for breath.  He's been complaining about a heaviness in his chest...chest pain...but not heart attack pain.  I thought it could be related to COPS and emphysema...both conditions he's had for several years and we wanted to talk with his doctor about.  But yesterday afternoon he really was having a problem.  He asked me to call an ambulance which I did but by the time it got here he was breathing normally.  When the attendants took his Bp and heart rate they were just slightly higher than what they were when he last saw a doctor!  (Bassett gives you a copy of your vitals after every visit.  A nice touch.)  They decided to transport him to Little Falls ER as a precaution and I expected a phone call to go and pick him up. 
   But it didn't happen.  They left here around 4pm and when I had not gotten a phone call by 6:30 I called the ER.  I was told they were waiting for test results but it looked like they were going to send him to Cooperstown.  So I waited some more.  Around 9:30 I called the ER again and was told they were now waiting for a bed in Cooperstown before sending him down.  I asked what the tests showed and the person I was talking to said the nurse would call me back with details.  She did...about 45 mins later.  The tests showed he had developed CHF (congestive heart failure).  His heart wasn't able to pump as well as it had in the past because of fluid that was building up around it.  That was the chest pain he had been having.  The fluid was building up in his hands and legs and causing muscle spasms, too.  He was having a lot of pain in his right leg, too.
   We talked a couple of time last night after he got to Cooperstown and again this morning.  At noon he was still waiting to be taken for the cardio catherizartion.   I went to LFH this morning and picked up his clothes...he went to Cooperstown buck naked because of the coronavirus!  Then I went to the laundromat and to do some grocery shopping.  The rest of the afternoon I sat here trying to stay calm.  I finally called his room around 5pm but there wasn't any answer.  I tried again about 6pm then I called the hospital and asked to speak to the floor nurse.  I ended up talking to the ICU nurse!  He had just come back from having 3 more stents inserted and was eating supper.  (The procedure went fine!) He'll spend the night in the ICU but may be discharged in a day or two.  His cardiologist is thinking of having Jeff wear a cardio vest to monitor his heart and act like a defibrillator when necessary.  Oh, I can just imagine Jeff's reaction to that!
  I sent PM's on Facebook to Jeff's brother, nephew and daughter to bring everyone up to date.  Then I called his sister and my friend Maggie to tell them.  I tried to call my cousin Ed but had to leave a message.  I'm done.  Now I want to get something to eat and feed the dogs.  This has been enough for one day.