Tuesday afternoon, after installing a new quiet muffler on my truck, he came in the house tired needing something to eat. After feeding him some fish gumbo he mentioned his chest felt strange and asked me to check his pulse. I'm not good at this sort of stuff and yet I could tell there was something definitely wrong.
He says "with some rest it will go away". Since my patience level is real short, after a hour I ask if he is feeling any better. "No." Now I start looking in the phone book for non-emergency medical assistance. There is a medical clinic in Forest (appointments only and I don't care).
We arrive at the clinic just asking for someone with some medical background to check his pulse so we can decide what to do and where to go. With persuasion they finally let us see a Nurse who immediately got a Doctor who immediately called 911.
He is now in an ambulance heading for Stathroy Hospital, which is 45 minutes away. My job is to follow in my truck after paying the bill of $75. for this visit. Cash only. So I had to go the bank first.
I arrive at the hospital an hour later. Kirk is already hooked up to monitors and printers spitting out paper with squiggly lines on them. During blood tests and I.V. he is chatting on and on saying, this is his first time for an ambulance ride, emergence room, monitors.... etc.. He was like a little kid experiencing Disney World or all the attention.
After a short explanation of the numbers jumping up and down on the monitor a realization set in; this is serious! Now Kirk starts a deep concentration on the numbers. It is as if he wanted to "will them" to stop jumping. We are now left alone. There are other patients needing assistance.
We both stare at the monitor like watching some interesting TV program. It is getting late and I have to be a work at 6:00 am. The dogs are "home alone." I am getting very tired and I don't drive well in the dark at best of times. We now are concerned that the Dr. has forgotten us.
At 11:00 pm we are relieved to know the Dr. has his own monitor and announces that Kirk is staying the night with arrangements made for a Specialist to arrive in the morning. I now can leave for home.
I only had one dog accident to clean up. It had to be Shadow, because when letting them out Peaty had a very long pee. Shadow knew something was wrong as she was abnormally affectionate towards me. It was enough affection to let her sleep on the bed along with Peaty. We are going to try to sleep now. Right. It seemed I checked the clock ever hour. Finally it was time to get up. The dogs weren't interested in getting up. To bad. I put them in their beds. In the garage. Set out bowls of water and off to work I go.
8:15 am I get a phone call. Kirk is out of the hospital.
Positive points of this;
- Kirk may cut down on his smoking.
- Medical services are not as expensive as we thought.
- Emerg visit $250. Ambulance $240. Physician fee $50. (Dr is getting *crewed)
- Prescription $4.10
- Follow up visits arranged for Dec. 2 more test ($?) Jan. 10 discuss medication ($120.)
- Many friends and family offer assistance now and in future.
- 911 is just a heart beat away. Use it.
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