Chapter 13

With the fall season rapidly approaching, Derrick began the process of closing the pool for the winter months, which made him feel a little depressed. Not that he wanted the pool season to last longer for his own use, it meant that Karen, Kathy and Megan and some of her friends wouldn't be parading around half dressed for him to enjoy.

It was late Saturday afternoon when he finally had the job completed, and was looking forward to a peaceful evening, but a call from Kathy changed all of that. Derrick could hear the panic in Karen's voice, and knew something was wrong. When she hung up the phone she looked at Derrick. "It's Jim. The ambulance just took him to the emergency room. Kathy thinks he had a heart attack. Quick, we got to get there."

Karen consoled her sister, while Megan and Jason sat quietly on the sofa in the waiting room as the doctors tended to Jim. About twenty minutes later, a doctor came out to see Kathy. "Mrs. Parker, hello I am Dr. Nelson. Your husband has had a blockage that caused his heart some problems. Fortunately the paramedics treated him correctly, and got him here in time. We have a very fine cardiologist on staff, actually one of the best in the state, and he is going to insert a stint in the left descending artery of your husbands' heart. This will open the artery and eliminate the need for open-heart surgery. Do you have any questions?"

"A stint? What is that? Can I see him yet?"

"No, he is on the way to operating room as we speak. As for the stint, it's like a small spring that keeps the artery open where the blockage was. He'll be in the recovery room in about an hour or so. You can see him then, but not for very long. We also think he may have suffered a mild stroke, but I quite positive it wasn't severe."

It was almost two hours before Jim was moved to recovery and Kathy was allowed to see him. He was still sort of out of it from the pain killers he got in the E.R. to ease the pain he was experiencing, but did smile at Kathy and said hello. When she came out of the recovery room, it was obvious that she was quiet relieved. "Jim is sleeping, but he did speak a little. The doctors said it's best if we let him sleep the rest of the night, and in the morning he will be moved to the C.C.U. floor."

Jim was lucky. The fire department arrived within minutes of the call, and the paramedics knew exactly what to do. That, and the fact that he didn't have to have his chest opened for heart surgery. Now it was just a matter of him following the doctors orders and take the medicines they prescribed. As the doctor figured, the mild stroke Jim had was just that, mild and didn't appear to have done any damage whatsoever. He was told to do nothing except sit around for the next two weeks, and then he would be able to get back to a normal life. The doctor explained it like a car tire that picked up a nail, and was patched. Yes there was a hole, but it was fixed and as good as before. Jim was like that tire.

Two weeks went by and after having an exam, the doctor felt he was a good as new, but ordered a stress test as a precaution, which he passed without any problems. "Well Mr. Parker, it looks like you came though this pretty well. The thing is, you have to change your lifestyle a bit. By that I mean no more smoking, alcohol, and fast food places. Your cholesterol is quite high, and also you blood sugars are elevated a bit. Two of the prescriptions I gave you will help lower the cholesterol and also the blood sugar. The others are strictly for your heart to help keep the blood thin and help stop any more plaque build up that caused the blockage. There are some side effects to these medicines however. If you experience any muscle pain, call right away for more blood work. The cholesterol medicine can affect the liver, and we would have to change that one. The other problem you are possibly going to encounter involved sex. You may find that you're not going to be able to obtain an erection, or a weak one. Don't be alarmed. It is the reaction to the medicines, not from the mild stoke or heart attack. Unfortunately, I cannot prescribe Viagra or products like it, due to the other medicines you will be taking. This will not be permanent situation, but as long as you are on the heart medicines you will find from time to time a lack of both desire and response."