Even worse...

Perhaps the only thing worse than the cops showing up at your door at midnite with an "emergency message" is the message itself: Dad has had a heart attack!

HORRORS!

Several days later - spent in the ICU - his Doctor's are calling his recovery the quickest recovery they have ever seen! He has no heart damage at all and although he's due for some rehab and some MAJOR life changes (read NO MORE BACON!)he should make a complete recovery! He was lucky!! EXTREMELY LUCKY!! Thanks to the quick action of brother Eddie... not one to mess around... as soon as Dad uttered the words "My chest hurts" Ed was on the phone with 911... no questions asked.. no time wasted... and each moment was critical... So HURRAH for Eddie... I'm not so sure I would have been so quick to act as he was... so Ed moving in with Dad, yeah, freakin' BEST thing that ever could have happened... I've always thought so, but I know Ed has always felt a little guilty, laboring under the delusion that he was somehow 'mooching off Dad', but the rest of us knew better... Having him there with Dad has always been a comfort to the rest of us.. we knew Ed would take good care of Dad, and even without the quick phone call in this emergency, he has taken extremely good care of Dad... mowing his lawn... cooking dinner... and perhaps even more important - being there for him!!

So yeah and hurrah for Eddie - he saved Dad's life as surely as the EMT that revived Dad in the ambulance did! (Dad doesn't know that he coded in the ambulance - he thinks he 'fell asleep' - so if your reading this and you know my Dad - please don't tell him - we've decided it's just one bit of information that he doesn't need the stress of knowing right now - thanks!)

So.. the point of this post... if you don't feel good... get some HELP!!! IMMEDIATELY... Besides Dad's horrendous bacon addiction, it turns out he has had pneumonia for weeks now... he had a cold, and he did do the right thing and go the Doc's and got some antibiotics - which he took and finished as directed - but he never went back to the Doctors when he still wasn't feeling any better - the breathing difficulties put tremendous strain on an already over-taxed heart... so people.. if your chest hurts and your thinking "maybe it's just indigestion", as your standing there debating between taking a Pepcid and calling 911... just call... let the pro's handle it... what's the worse that can happen?? They give you an antacid - you let out a huge burp in the Emergency Room - and you walk out of there feeling so much better... but if it's not indigestion... if it's NOT... you'll be in exactly the right place at the right time... and time is OH so important...

Thanks to the quick actions of Eddie, we now have more time with Dad... time that we came so horribly close to losing forever! Thanks Ed... we love you!

Later...