Wednesday, February 08, 2006

ER...our very own reality show!
When Rich came home from work last evening, he said he didn't feel good. I asked him what was wrong, and he shrugged. When pressed, he said, "My chest hurts."
Well, you can imagine, that brought things to a standstill. It seems his chest had been hurting for several days, and he just hadn't mentioned it to me.
Long story short, we headed for the hospital. Rich insisted he felt well enough to drive! He spent the night there in the Chest Pain Observation Unit, and had a stress test this morning. The good news is that he has acid reflux disorder, NOT heart problems. The REALLY good news is that his heart is in wonderful shape: the ER doctor said Rich should take the images they got during the stress test to our insurance company and demand a discounted rate because he has absolutely no sign of heart disease.
The bad news is that his chest X-ray shows the beginnings of emphysema. We will both be quitting smoking...

The good thing about hospitals is you can knit there for very long periods of time while you wait.
These Jaywalkers are finished. I kitchenered the toes in the ER while waiting to see if they were going to keep Rich overnight.

The generic make-it-up-as-I-go socks in the really lousy picture are begun. I started them this morning while waiting for Rich to finish his stress test. The yarn is vintage Lady Gault from Kroy. It's very, very, very fine, almost laceweight. It's nice and soft, though, and a lovely color of green...I believe I have had carpet this color of green in every house I've ever lived in!

9 comments:

ChelleC said...

Becky, I am so glad Rich did not have heart problems. Now emphysema (sp?) - wow, I understand why you both want to quit smoking. There's nothing like knitting to make the hospital time less nerve wracking. Chelle

ChelleC said...

I love your Jaywalkers too, by the way. I think I told you the other day that they look GREAT! Chelle

Lisa said...

Glad to hear his heart is healthy, and good for you for trying to quit smoking. My wonderful FIL died yesterday, he had empysema too. It was very hard for him the last couple of years. Keep knitting and hang in there! You can do it!

Sarah said...

I love you both and am very glad to hear that his heart is good. It was the hardest thing I have seen to watch my dad lay in the hospital bed after his heart attack and the surgery. I urge you both to do what it takes to quit, when I quit I noticed that I felt better after about 1 month, the stuff that you will cough up is hard to get through, but please stick it out. I love you!!!!

debiknits said...

Becky, sooo glad there is no problem with Rich's heart! Sorry to hear about the beginning emphysema, though. That can get nasty if not caught early like this! The Jaywalkers are gorgeous! Is this your own pattern or someone else's? Take care of yourself and Happy Knitting, Debi

phoenix_anew said...

Becky ...
I will keep you and your husband in my prayers ...
The Jaywalkers ... YEAH! I'm still trying to work on my pair (since I had to restart) ... I'll try to get them finished by the "deadline" of Feb. 13 ... but it's not looking wonderful ... I'm not a fast sock-knitter ...
(((HUGS)))

e's knitting and spinning blog said...

I hope Rich is feeling better! I quit smoking 11 years ago. I was a 2 and a 1/2 pack a day smoker! It was the hardest thing I've ever done but the best. Good luck!

Betty Ann said...

Pleeease take care of yourselves. I have a 17-yo who is around no one who smokes but has been looked over carefuly for emphysema. He had cysts in his sweet young lungs which led to a hole in his lung. It's too scary.

ChelleC said...

Is everything all right, sweetie? We haven't heard from you in a while. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Rich. I hope all is well. You certainly don't need any more ER in your lives.Chelle