One year ago today, my dh had a heart attack and had a stent put into his heart to open up a nearly blocked artery. The experience gave him a lot to think about, and a lot of time to think while he recovered. I've been so proud of the changes he was willing to make in his life. He started by giving up meat and following the kids and me in our vegetarian lifestyle. He's even willing to try new things (as long as it's not tofu, LOL!) and we've found some new tasty food items as a result. He's never been one to exercise, but he's been trying, and we've been able to enjoy many walks together. The experience drew him and our children closer together--he realized that he might have never seen them again had he died, and they realize that they came close to losing their daddy. My heart swells every time I see them enjoying each other.
The biggest change is his Ultimate Heart Attack, however. He began thinking about God more after his heart attack. He even got a Bible of his own--the first one he'd ever owned. I'd catch him reading it sometimes when he thought I didn't know it. He became more serious in attending church with the kids and me, and for the first time, was interested in participating in Bible study. For the past few weeks he's attended Bible meetings--his choice--and he's made the decision to follow God, and to be baptized and join my church. Today--the anniversary of his heart attack--is his big day. I'm so happy, to think think that the man I love will be following the Jesus I know and we will be walking together after all of these years.
Showing posts with label Heart attack. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heart attack. Show all posts
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Thursday, May 31, 2007
God speaks in mysterious ways
Oops, my poor neglected blog. It's been two weeks since I was here . Well anyway, we've had a life-altering occurance in our family and I'm here to share my thoughts about it.
My dh is almost 30 years older than me. He's overweight and doesn't take care of himself. Well, ok, he did quit smoking 4-1/2 years ago (yay!!!) but he rarely exercises and he is clueless about good nutrition. I've been praying for a long time that he would take better care of himself. And for a few years, as he has gotten older, I've prayed that something would wake him up but that it wouldn't be something catastrophic because I didn't think I could handle catastrophic illness. Well, God knew better. He knew my dh needed a good sharp rap upside the head. My dh had a heart attack early last Friday morning. He experienced some chest pressure/pain and numbness in his arms while on patrol, so he drove to the EMS station in his town to have them check him out. The 12-lead EKG didn't show a significant change (it was actually a very small change that the doctor picked up on in ER) but a nitro did give him some relief, and they persuaded him to go get checked out. So, I got the dreaded call at 11:30 that he was going to ER, and away I went for what I can truly say was a night, or maybe a weekend, from hell. The good news was that they gave him retavase, a clot-buster drug, in the ER and stopped his heart attack in its tracks. While he had a 90% occlusion of his Right Coronary Artery, which they opened with a stent when they did his cath, he had no tissue damage or death. Thank God for that. He spent the weekend in the hospital and came home on Sunday.
So what's so good about all of that, you ask? Well, first of all, he's alive. And second of all, he answered the wake-up call and is taking seriously the fact that he needs to make changes, and make them NOW. He was absolutely terrified that he'd never see our children again. That is the motivation he needs. He's listening to me, unlike before when I got the "yes dear" response and he kept at his old ways. And he's apologized for not listening because he's discovered that I was right all along and that I really wanted to help him change his lifestyle. Before this, he'd preach lifestyle change to other people, but not apply it to himself. Now he's saying he knows he needs to do it. He's got a 3-person cheering team right there with him all of the way.
So, this week I'm thanking God for the heart attack he gave my husband. Bizarre as that may seem, HE knew all along what he was doing. It's just up to us to follow and see where HE is leading us.
My dh is almost 30 years older than me. He's overweight and doesn't take care of himself. Well, ok, he did quit smoking 4-1/2 years ago (yay!!!) but he rarely exercises and he is clueless about good nutrition. I've been praying for a long time that he would take better care of himself. And for a few years, as he has gotten older, I've prayed that something would wake him up but that it wouldn't be something catastrophic because I didn't think I could handle catastrophic illness. Well, God knew better. He knew my dh needed a good sharp rap upside the head. My dh had a heart attack early last Friday morning. He experienced some chest pressure/pain and numbness in his arms while on patrol, so he drove to the EMS station in his town to have them check him out. The 12-lead EKG didn't show a significant change (it was actually a very small change that the doctor picked up on in ER) but a nitro did give him some relief, and they persuaded him to go get checked out. So, I got the dreaded call at 11:30 that he was going to ER, and away I went for what I can truly say was a night, or maybe a weekend, from hell. The good news was that they gave him retavase, a clot-buster drug, in the ER and stopped his heart attack in its tracks. While he had a 90% occlusion of his Right Coronary Artery, which they opened with a stent when they did his cath, he had no tissue damage or death. Thank God for that. He spent the weekend in the hospital and came home on Sunday.
So what's so good about all of that, you ask? Well, first of all, he's alive. And second of all, he answered the wake-up call and is taking seriously the fact that he needs to make changes, and make them NOW. He was absolutely terrified that he'd never see our children again. That is the motivation he needs. He's listening to me, unlike before when I got the "yes dear" response and he kept at his old ways. And he's apologized for not listening because he's discovered that I was right all along and that I really wanted to help him change his lifestyle. Before this, he'd preach lifestyle change to other people, but not apply it to himself. Now he's saying he knows he needs to do it. He's got a 3-person cheering team right there with him all of the way.
So, this week I'm thanking God for the heart attack he gave my husband. Bizarre as that may seem, HE knew all along what he was doing. It's just up to us to follow and see where HE is leading us.
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