We have had a crazy couple of days. First, I will share in some absolute joy: On Tuesday morning, Joe and I were sitting in his oncologist's office, waiting for the results of the check-up he had had last week. See, about 20 years ago, Joe had cancer. Hodgkin's. He fought it and won. A few years later, he relapsed. Again, he fought it. Joe: 2, Cancer: 0.
He goes back to the doctor every two years or so for a check-up.
Tuesday morning, in that office,, the doctor told us all his tests and scans came back great and he didn't have to make a return for five years! We left the Mercy Cancer Center and I just started crying and praising God.
When you're worried that there's potential for not getting the Clean Bill of Health All-Clear, actually getting it is... Amazing.
Later that night, as I was drifting off into an exhausted sleep, Joe mentioned he thought he was getting pneumonia. He's had it before and his chest felt tight. I felt his forehead (because that, along with forcing the kids to open their mouths really wide so I can hold their tongues down with a butter knife and look at their throats when they're sore, is the extent of my medical abilities).
He didn't feel warm, but we agreed he ought to go in for chest X-rays on Wednesday.
The next morning, I went to work, he got the kiddos on the bus and went to Wilmar for meetings. He called me on his way home and said he was going to swing by an urgent care to get his chest looked at. He was still having pain and shortness of breath and we didn't want to take any chances with pneumonia.
Urgent care X-rays and EKGs didn't show anything so they recommend the ER.
"Well," Joe thought, "Something is not right and it's better than trying to schedule something later in the week."
The ER doctor did more tests and noticed a high level of enzymes in his blood. This is a sign that the heart is having troubles. Pretty big troubles.
As in, Joe had had a heart attack.
40-year-old, never-smoked, drinks just a bit, low-cholesterol, pretty awesome blood pressure, fairly fit... Joe.
They admitted him overnight.
Last night was not a restful night for Mr. And Mrs. Knudson. I didn't want to go to sleep because I knew that when I woke up, I would have to deal with whatever was going to happen. And it was so fast. I didn't want to.
This morning, I got the kids on the bus, with the help of my Breast Friend Kate, and was at the hospital by 9:30.
By 10:20, they were wheeling Joey away in a hospital bed, all hooked up to tubes and monitors, to get an angiogram. It was surreal.
A while later the nurse came in and reported that the one side of his heart looked pretty tough. (What?! Are you kidding me!?) Turns out that when Joe had radiation about 20 years ago, it damaged his heart. This isn't uncommon with Hodgkins patients because the radiation goes in through the chest area. F-you, cancer.
They brought him back to me in his room after about an hour and a half.
When I spoke with the doctor, he gave me some pictures of Joe's heart. One of his coronary arteries was in bad shape and he had put in a big stent.
There are two other spots he's nervous about but they were not dealt with today because there was another problem--a large clot. So they gave him a lot of blood thinners and took care of that. The other problem areas will be dealt with in about six months or so, once he's had a chance to let this first procedure settle in. They may need stents, or we may just need to have it checked every so often. We don't know yet.
So, I guess, in all the craziness, we are still thrilled Joey is cancer free, of course. And, even though we have had a terrifying couple of days and he is not completely out of the woods, we are thankful. Thankful that Joe knows his body as well as he does and he went in when he did. Had he waited, there is an excellent chance that big clot would have dislodged itself and traveled to his brain. We are thankful that we live so close to such wonderful doctors and nurses and equipment. We are thankful for our flexible jobs and understanding bosses and the people at work who are picking up our slack yesterday and today so we can be together. We are thankful to our parents for taking such awesome care of the kids-- by the way, we are not telling those four there is Anything wrong with Joe's heart. They just know he felt sick and the doctor wanted to keep him for a night or two to keep an eye on him. We are thankful for insurance!
We are asking for your prayers. Prayers for his heart, prayers for that unwavering, strong spirit of his and prayers for our family.
And please thank God as well. Because in the midst of the machines and monitors ... If a minor heart attack is what it took to make us aware of the much bigger problems he was unknowingly having, we'll take it.
And, friends and family, if you think he's not going to let us know ... constantly ... how tough he is--Walking around with a heart attack--you are sorely mistaken. As soon as he's feeling better, he will certainly be peppering his conversations with the recent tales of what an amazing and strong guy Joe Knudson is. But until then, I'll do it. Because I'm so proud of that amazing and strong guy... and I am so thankful.
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