Blog 71 More Trying Times, Life or Death

(This picture is about 4 months after my radiation treatments.)

My life had, finally, begun to be normal again. I even took three trips through every eastern state, except Rhode Island. However, though I was considered cancer free, the after effects began changing my life. I was back to doing outside work in my yard, including mowing. One of those times that I mowed, I made a sharp “twist-turn” and I heard a cracking sound in my hips. After finishing the yard, I found myself limping hard back inside. I made an immediate appointment with my doctor. She sent me for x-rays that showed that I cracked BOTH hips. They had me go immediately to the Concord Hospital for surgery.

(Words never expected to hear)

Now, I was told that my cancer could not move into my bones. Then, the chief Orthopedic Surgeon came into my room and told me that I had bone cancer and he needed to do more research on what hip surgery would do to my bones, if they proceeded. I froze silently on my bed not saying a word. Robert was in the room, as well, and we could have heard a pin drop.

What seemed an eternity, the doctor returned and changed his diagnosis to broken hips without cancer, yet he never apologized for his first diagnosis. I was scheduled for surgery to place pins in my hips. This totally changed my walking technique, but I first had to have therapy and stay in a wheelchair for six weeks. (It was very unusual to have to return to work from a wheelchair. ) It, actually, was a little fun and built up my arm muscles. However, I was determined to get back to the usual stride and did strength exercises to get back on my A-game.

(Please make it stop!)

Things were getting back to normal when about a year later, I woke in the night with my arms killing me. I got out of bed and went to the living room where I could lay with my arms above my had for comfort. I would fall asleep until I found that my arms were down by my side and, again, I would raise my arms over my head. This went on all night. I felt my body would feel better if I took a hot bath, but I did not want to awaken Robert from the noise, so I waited until morning.

When Robert finally came downstairs, I told him about the night and said I was going to take a hot bath. I stood up to go when after two steps, I felt a sharp pain in my chest and I bent over gasping for air and grabbing myself over the heart. I looked at Robert and said that I needed help. (At the same time I leapt back to the couch and landed hard on the couch arm chest first.) Robert was going to call 911, but we lived only 10 minutes to the hospital and I insisted that he drive me. (It would be faster.) I knew I was having a heart attack.

Robert made it to the hospital within minutes. He ran into the emergency room ahead of me as I slowly walked in. I went to a chair and sat down. Another, older gentleman was ahead of Robert citing that he was, also, having a heart attack. They immediately grabbed a wheel chair and took him into the back. The emergency room was packed and a young lady behind me began stating that she had been there three hours for pain and the hospital kept taking people ahead of her. I raised my head, still grabbing my chest, and told the woman that heart attacks were always taken in immediately and that I was there for the same reason, I told her that, if called, I was going to move ahead of her, as well.

Within a minute, the nurse had a wheelchair in front of me and told me to sit in it. I looked at the woman right when the woman said that next time SHE was going to claim a heart attack.

I was beginning to pass out and was jolted by the nurse. she yelled that I was in the mist of a heart attack and called out to alert the cardiology emergency group. (This is called a “cold blue”.) By the time I was in a cardiac room, many people were around me. They were taking my vitals, starting IV’s , putting on a heart monitor, taking x-rays and more. A doctor stuck his head in my room and said, “Mr. Scherzer, you have had a heart attack. Try to relax and not move.” I heard Robert in the hallway talking to him and being assured that I would make it, if at all possible.

Now, Albemarle did not have any cardiology groups that could do a heart catheter study, so once I was stable, they took me 30 miles to Concord by ambulance. they let Robert ride up front because they were still working on me. When we arrived, there was a group of people waiting for me. They took me immediately into the heart catheter lab and began a study that sends a video inside a small tube through my arteries to my heart. The tube allowed to try to open closed arteries and replace a “stent” in the vessel that was blocked to help keep remaining open. (They placed three stents inside me.) Then sent me to their Cardiac ICU for monitoring me.

By the time I realized what was happening, Both my sisters , from Dallas, Texas were by my side. I was hospitalized for about four days and then my sisters went back home. Robert and my cohort employee tried taking very good care of me. ( It is great to have friends!)

(Not again)

In six weeks, my sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Bill Fish, had come through Charlotte on their way up to main. They were spending Thanksgiving with us. One night, I began having chest pains again.) I remember saying that it felt lighter than before, but I felt I was beginning a heart attack again! They immediately rushed me back to the hospital, and everything began again. But, this time I was at the beginning of a heart attack and the same doctor told me to try to be calm and it may not get any worse. This time, though, they sent me to Concord by a helicopter. My stretcher was placed rather high in the back of the helicopter and had just a small window to peek out. (This was my only helicopter ride and I could not see anything but rain and clouds.)

As before, their was a team waiting to take me to the heart lab. This time they placed two more stents in. When the cardiologist visited me the next morning he told me that he knew I would be back, just not so quickly. He told us all in the room that they had nothing else they could do and that it would be good for me to go home and arrange my affairs. Again, I told him that I would do as he said, but he would not tell me when I would die that only my God would decide that time.

(continue in Blog 72) Beginning Volume Four: My Latter Days