Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Weekend That Wasn't


I didn't have a weekend this past week.  I was too busy.  Ever have one of those weekends, where Tuesday or Wednesday you think, hey, where'd my weekend go?

Thursday night, our part of the world had a surprise storm, and when I say storm, I mean rain and winds hitting 85+ m.p.h. With the sump pump in our basement running every three minutes, lights flickering and cable stations going out and coming on again, Hubby and I thought it might be a good idea to get the generator out of the garage and set it up to run the pump.

Of course, the power blew just as we said those words. I lit the kerosene lamp we have and grabbed my boots, heading for the basement to begin bailing out the water and yelling to the two older kids to get up, get dressed, and come help. Having opened the garage door just before the power went, Hubby headed down the driveway. Unable to find the two-wheeler or thinking to use the kids’ little red wagon to haul this 150 pound machine, he carried it to the front of the house, some 100+ feet away.

Then he came in the house and asked me to call 9-1-1; he, the cardiac patient himself, was having chest pains and shortness of breath. He was scared. I went onto automatic pilot.  I called for help. Told the Oldest to call my parents. Called neighbors to stay with the kids until my parents arrived. Called other neighbors to get the generator going. Grabbed a few things in the dark and threw them in a bag. Got ready for Chaos to reign over my world for the next few days.

Everyone came. My dad and neighbors got the generator running and hooked up the pump, saving the basement, while my mom stayed with the kids. Hubby and I were treated to an hour-long ambulance ride to the hospital, a ride that normally takes 15-20 minutes. I rode shotgun in the passenger seat, seeing firsthand what Mother Nature had done. Sixty foot pine trees snapped in half, power lines down everywhere, huge old trees ripped up by their roots and toppled over, no power on anywhere, making the drive extremely treacherous. A few times we had to drive on the shoulder of the road to avoid debris or lines. When the sun came up, the destruction was even more apparent. It looked like a giant with a club in hand walked through the area, just swinging at anything, smashing trees everywhere.

Our power was out until Friday night, while some in the region didn't get it back until Sunday. And how do you tell people there’s no school when power, phone, and cable/Internet lines are down? Somehow word got out, and the kids faced an adventure-filled day with no electricity. No Wii. No TV. No Internet. The horror!

As for Hubby, he did not have another heart attack like six years ago. He was lucky he felt something and lucky he listened to his body and stopped, as the blockages he had were in the area they call “the Widow-Maker”. Nice name, huh? The cardiologist explained some people have no symptoms and then drop dead of a heart attack, and their autopsies will show this is the area that was blocked. Hubby did have some blockages that were resolved the next day with a cardiac catheterization procedure and a second stent, and he was released Saturday with a warning from the cardiologist. He looked my husband in the eye and said, “you can’t do anything about your family history (which is lousy), but you can address the other risk factors – you need to lose weight, and you need to watch your diet.” FINALLY!!! I didn’t do the “I-Told-You-So” dance, but looked Hubby squarely in the face and promised to break his jaw if I see him eating potato chips anytime during the next, say, 20 years. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about his diet for at least 6-8 weeks while he’s wired shut! Now I just need to find the crowbar…

So how was your weekend?

3 comments:

Stacey said...

Wow. Quite the weekend for your whole family! I'm glad that aside from a minor procedure everything was OK for your husband. I'm also impressed with your project management skills! You were able to get everything pulled together so you could focus on your husband. Great job.

Shelli said...

Holy cow, that was a weekend. I'm glad hubby is okay. Very scary!

Just A Normal Mom said...

Scary and scarier! Scary storm, but your husband - yikes! Glad he is okay! I hope he listens to the doc!
***Ally