After experiencing suspicious pain in my chest for over two weeks, I had a heart catheterization one week ago, on Tuesday, August 20th. For the last month and a half, every Sunday when I left the pulpit, I experienced weakness and felt very rough! While in my study daily, I felt unusually tired and exhausted. I shared with Sheryl on Thursday last week, what I suspected, that is, that I felt that I had a blockage and needed catheterization and a stent. (I have had this perception in the past, and have been correct each time, as I’ve come to know what’s happening inside my body. To this point, I have six stents.) Obviously, Sheryl wasn’t pleased, but asked what I thought I should do, and I said I thought I should wait through the weekend and call the doctor’s office on Monday if I felt the same way after the weekend. (By His Stripes.) My father had a massive coronary just after his 51st birthday but unfortunately, he didn’t have the medical advancements and technology I had available. In 1973, my mother was a widow at 48 with two married and 4 children still at home.) I had open heart surgery with triple by-pass to fix four blockages, in September 1996 after experiencing three heart attacks in one night. I had just had my 50th birthday and my sister-in-law’s funeral a few days before. This will be 17 years ago next month. Sunday, August 18th, we had guests in at New Hope Christian Center, so I didn’t have to preach. Missionaries from our church, Tom and Kim Roof were home and with us {Tom is from Lima, Ohio and was saved and discipled at New Hope and he and his wife Kim (who met at JSBC in Baton Rouge) are missionaries to Lima, Peru} (tomkimroof.wordpress/). They are on a treck across their support base, raising funds for a new church that they are planting in Lima Peru’s outer limits, that has no gospel witness among thousands that are moving in a great regional expansion. Tom and Kim brought guests with them, Mario and Suzanne Barbarczy. Mario is a native Peruvian, who along with his Pennsylvanian wife are founders and directors of “Hearts In Action International” (heartsinaction.org/). Mario preached in our AM service. WOW! (Pastors, you need to invite Mario to minister to your congregation… he will breath life and fresh air from heaven into your labors! He and Suzanne presently live in Columbus, Ohio. Marion just became a U.S. citizen and is thrilled at being an American!) Resuming from Monday… Sheryl (who is a freelance interpreter for the deaf) had a couple of interpreting appointments on Monday. I stayed home and studied, but called my doctor’s office @ St. Rita’s Cardiac Center. I talked to the nurse and explained my perceptions and desire to see my caridologist. She told me they were scheduling catheterizations but… it was clear into September, and were very busy in the office and it would be a few days before I could see my Dr. Baki. She emphasized that if I felt the urgency of a heart attack or the necessity of a catheterization, with new health care changes and new hospital policies… I should go to the E.R. and then, on emergency basis, the cardiology department would put me on the front of schedule for a catheterization. So…. after feeling perplexed, I called Sheryl and asked her if she wanted to go to a good movie. She asked me how I was feeling. I told her, frustrated and I wanted to go to movie. Then she asked about what the nurse said at the cardiologist’s office when I called. I told her what the nurse had said and she came home, as she had been at her office at church after her interpreting appointments. She said, “Is it a movie, or is it E.R.?” I said, “Movie, …….. ahhh, E.R!” So Sheryl took me to St. Rita’s E.R. and they immediately admitted me, based upon all the facts, and attending physicians assessment in light of my medical history. (By His Stripes.) Now… for a little embellishment of a true story, let me share about my visit to E.R. When I checked in at the front desk, the receptionist asked me what my need was and I told her that I felt like I had a blockage needing a catheterization and stenting. She then asked me what I felt like, and I again told her that I felt like I had blockage and needed a stent. Her reply was, but what do you feel like… so I told her that I felt like I had an elephant sitting on my chest and she immediately called for help. (I wondered if she ever had an elephant sit on her chest… I hadn’t, so I really wasn’t sure what that felt like, … but I did know what it felt like to have a blocked artery to my heart, knowing that catheterization and stenting were necessary.) (By His Stripes.) From there, I saw the admitting nurse, who promptly asked, “What does it feel like?” My answer was, “I feel like I have a blocked artery to my heart and need catheterization and stenting.” To which she said, “but…….. what does it feel like?” Well, you know the dialogue from there… Then, after a chest x-ray and being taken to an E.R. treatment room and another nurse… and… and… I was asked the same question… and you again know the routine! (Pete and Re-Pete!!!) Next, the doctor in charge comes in. I beat him to the punch. He asked me how I felt, and I said…. “well doctor, have you ever had an elephant sit on your chest?” His answer was “NO” to which I replied, “neither have I, but, I have been here before, feeling like I had a blockage, needing catheterization and stenting, and that‘s how I feel now,” to which he said “O.K.”and admitted me to St. Rita’s and had me sent up to Cardio Care, to spend the night. The next morning I was scheduled for catheterization at 11:30 AM. (By His Stripes.) Two doctors, Dr. Baki, my cardiologist and Dr. Scott Woolery, who has been a friend since childhood, (in fact, when Scott was 5 years old, I threw him out of a tent that a couple of us older boys were camping out in over-night) plus the catheterization team. After the catheterization, Dr. Woolery told Sheryl that I was a “‘walking heart attack’ waiting to happen”. They had to aspirate clots (vacuum through catheter tube) before they could put a stent in. Somewhere in the process, and a clot went to my brain and I had a small stroke following the catheterization. I had difficulty with my right side, walking and using my right arm and right hand. Everything is now returning to normal, speedily (By His Stripes). For the second time within a year, Dr. Woolery had a difficult time and repeated what he said before. He said that no one else in Lima could have placed that stent, and would have closed me up and transported me to Cleveland Clinic. This stenting was very painful, which is not normal, and “I still feel like I have an elephant sitting on my chest” … but I am confident that all the problems that needed attention have been tended to and…… (By His Stripes). “BY HIS STRIPES, I AM HEALED!” (Isaiah 53:5) I am not allowed to drive for the next month to two months, and am confined to home rest and study… lot’s of time to pray an atmosphere of REVIVAL! (By His Stripes.) Thank You for all your prayers…. I’ve had so many people tell me that I “still have a lot to do”, then they tell me “to slow down” …. Now, which am I to do? Well, I’m going to motivate and delegate and still do a lot… and generate and ‘ATMOSPHERE FOR REVIVAL!’ (I suppose this “is slowing down” and “doing a lot!”) Two first for me with St. Rita’s… in 1983-84, after a motorcycle accident that I had. (A lady went over center line and hit me head on. I was on a motorcycle on an Ohio State Highway doing 55 with no-where to go…. Soooo… bam!) From September ‘83 thru July ’85 I experienced nearly 90 days in St. Rita’s and 7 major surgeries on my leg. During my recovery and healing ordeal, I developed a raging infection in my leg that was life threatening. Because of extended stay in the hospital, Dr. Bagenstose knew that being in for so long was not helping me mentally or physically. I became the first patient to be prescribed IV (interveinous) Anti-Biotic as an at home treatment. Sheryl gave me a bag of IV anti-biotics three times a day for over two ½ months at home. That was a first from St. Rita’s. During this incident, the night of my stenting and consequential stroke, I had a CT Scan followed by an in room consult with Dr. Amuldallah, a local neurologist, and a Dr. of neurology and radiology from OSU Columbus. The stroke team from St. Rita’s came into my room with a new robot that was fixed with a screen and camera for two way communication and a contact was made with Columbus and my room. I could see the Dr. from OSU on the screen and an image of myself in bed. Dr. Amuldallah introduced me to the Dr. on screen and then explained our situation. The OSU physician then asked me questions… studied the CT Scan, and proceeded to instruct me on several visual tests that he conducted. The camera on the robot turned, focused, zoomed in and out, and changed direction at the Columbus Doctors control and direction. After the consult, he told Dr. Amulhallah, that I definitely had a stroke, and that further consult would be recommended in needed, and courteously said “Good Night” as the robot screen went blank. I was placed in IV Hepurn along with the IV fluids and Nitro that they had me on. The next morning, Dr. Amuldallah scheduled a MRI. They heavily medicated me to go into the MRI (I don’t do good in those, as the stents in my arteries and the steel band in my chest from open heart light up and I feel like my chest is going to explode. Consequently… I finally got the sleep I had been lacking a few nights…. All day, all night! Later was informed that they located the blood clot in the back of my brain, and confirmed a stroke from catheterization procedures. (By His Stripes… I AM HEALED!) After the consultation via robot with OSU… the stroke team cheered and applauded me. I said, “What’s the fuss?” and they told me that they had this robot for a few weeks, as St. Rita’s is starting a new co-operation with OSU to help immediate stroke cases, without having to life flight victims to Columbus, endangering their recovery and treatment by time and travel. Needless to say, I was the first time patient to be on the robot’s camera and consult with Neurology at Columbus OSU from Lima, St. Rita’s. (By His Stripes.) This is the first day, I am typing with both hands, no impairment (not too much) with my right hand, since being released from the hospital. Hallelujah! (By His Stripes.) Today, I am feeling great. (I know, we are not supposed to go by our feelings. But, we all have them and I prefer to feel better and stronger!! Besides, when it comes to my moral character and behavior, I don’t go by my feelings… but the LORD placed them there, so when I need to use them as signals, I can stay alive and continue loving my wife and kids and 16+ (17 in April) grandkids, feed the sheep and preach the gospel!!!! Remember… “You’ve got a lot to do” … “slow down” … “God’s not finished with you yet” … “we need you”… !!!! ETC.) (By His Stripes.) P.S. “I don’t feel like I have an elephant on my chest…. But rather, I could ride an elephant into the Harvest” Well maybe…. A white horse from the Lord’s army! Well, even without the ride… “Into all the world!” (Matthew 28.) Luke 10:2 Therefore said he (Jesus) unto them, “The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.” Let’s generate an atmosphere of REVIVAL! P.S.S. Please visit tomkimroof.wordpress/ And view the video that Tom and Kim have prepared that shares their work in Lima, Peru and their vision for the new church. Please PRAY! Visit heartsinaction.org/ To visit Mario and Suzanne and investigate their ministry and vision! Likewise… PRAY!
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 12:56:47 +0000
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