post-utah wrap-up

The last post was rather cryptic, so let me fill in some details.

Last Wednesday, my mom had a mild heart attack. She actually diagnosed herself via EKG (she’s an anesthesiologist, and was prepping for a case), and drove herself to the hospital. She had an angiogram that found no blockage or narrowing of the arteries, thus pointing the cause as aterial fibrulation (spasms in the coronary artery). The kind of heart attack she had strikes during restful times, not during times of stress, which is a plus when your job is keeping patients alive during surgery.

So I flew out to Salt Lake City on Thursday morning, arriving in time to pick up mom from the hospital. I’d not informed her of my visit, so it was a wonderful surprise for her (and she didn’t suffer another attack upon seeing me). My main job was to make sure she didn’t overexert herself, which was a tough task.

My mom is a type A personality, and she doesn’t like to be told that she can’t or shouldn’t do things. So trying to get her to slow down was a tough task. The basic rule-of-thumb became “think of what you feel like you can do, and cut that in half.” She did wear herself out at times, but by Sunday she had the system more-or-less down. She’s also adjusting to her new regimen of medications meant to thin her blood and keep her blood pressure and cholesterol down.

The other big task – which will be ongoing – is that she must quit smoking. My mom has been a smoker since medical school, and it has caused her some heath problems in recent years (primarily lung-related). But this heart attack was likely caused by her 45-plus year smoking addiction, and quitting now is a good way to prevent further incidents. She’s tried quitting before, both times going for approximately 8 weeks at a stretch. She’s tried the patch, to no avail. And she has a lot of friends who are enablers, who will say “it’s okay just this once,” and so forth.

But she also has close friends who set good examples. A fellow doctor who has been a close friend for over 30 years had a similar coronary experience this past spring, and can answer questions. Another close friend quit smoking some years back and is always there to lift my mom’s spirits and provide positive words. And her neighbors can provide an easy diversion from her urges.

It’s tough to face the mortailty of a parent, especially one who is still very intent on staying around a while longer. My mom has a very positive outlook on things, and knows that it’s going to be tough to get back to full speed. But she’s stubborn and determined, and I’m sure she’ll get back – with a little help from her friends and family.

So I’m hopeful, to say the least. And the trip was necessary – both for her and for me.