WHEN REALITY STRIKES YOUR HEART C2012 JoJo
As some of you know, I flew over to England on my own, January 1 to Folkestone, with the intention of spending the 3 months of winter, in a rented flat by the ocean. I went last year and loved it. I grew up near the ocean and having lived inland for a great many years, I sorely missed it. Taking daily walks along The Leas, breathing in the pure sea breezes, walking on actual grass, seeing beds of primroses blooming vividly was an unbelievably wonderful experience. The sea views were awesome – on a clear day I could feast my eyes on Calais, France, located a mere 20 miles across the ocean from Folkestone.
I walked down the cobbled road to the harbour where over 60 years ago, thousands of brave service men marched to their ships anchored there, in preparation for landing on the beaches of Normandie.
I enjoyed these pleasures for precisely one week before contracting a particularly nasty virus. I’d never experienced anything that virulent before – and when I mentioned it to friends, they told me they’d had it too. “Took me 3 months to get over,” I was told “And my doctor had to put me onto antibiotics before I lost the cough.”
So I decided to see a doctor, and even though the clinic was a mere 2 blocks distance from where I lived, I knew I couldn’t walk it, so I called for a taxi.
As I got in, I apologized to the driver for calling him out on such a short fare. “Don’t worry darlin’” he said cheerfully. “That’s what we’re here for.”
As I walked into the surgery, WHAM, I was hit by such crippling chest pain, I was bent double.
“Are you alright?” the receptionist asked.
“No,” I responded, “I think I might be having a heart attack.”
I was seen instantly by a young doctor, a sweet black girl who later came to see me in hospital, bless her. She summoned an ambulance, and 15 minutes later it arrived. It drove another 15 minutes to the William Harvey hospital in Ashford, the nearest medical facility dealing with major health issues.
As I lay in the ambulance, in excruciating pain, that’s when reality hit home. I was going to die, alone, in a foreign country, and never see my family again. I have never in my life felt such desolation and sense of loss. Worst of all, I had no means of contacting them back in Canada.
I was administered morphine by the ambulance men, much to my relief. In the hospital, I was diagnosed as having “Unstable Angina.” Not a heart attack but a precursor to a heart attack.
“Please may I phone my husband?” I asked. On being told it was a long distance call to Canada, my request was denied. I begged them to reverse the charges, assuring them he’d accept them. “Sorry, we don’t do that,” I was told.
So I lay there in my small cubicle, feeling utter total desolation and despair, overwhelmed by a crippling sense of loneliness.
Prior to going to the clinic, I’d phoned my husband, told him I was going to see a doctor because I was ill, assuring him I’d phone him back as soon as I returned.
When he didn’t hear from me, he became anxious. As the hours sped by, he became frantic. Finally he phoned the hotel in Folkestone where I was renting my flat and asked them “If my wife was taken to a hospital, to which hospital would she be taken?” They told him the William Harvey, so he phoned there and tracked me down in the emergency department. The nurse brought over a portable phone to my bed.
“It’s your husband on the phone,” she said handing it to me. I have never in my life felt such an overwhelming sense of relief and joy.
He flew over on the next available flight, and later, so my daughter, who happens to be an M.D.
I think the happiest day of my life was when I saw him walk into the ward and made his way over to my bed.
Once the doctors declared me fit to travel, we flew back to Canada and I was admitted two hours after landing, in the Ottawa Heart Institute.
I have three partially blocked arteries in my heart. Two can take stents, one can’t because it’s in a spiral. Two stents were installed in the major blocked artery, 3 days ago, and the second artery will be dealt with at a later date. As for the third, it might not cause problems but if it does, I face the possibility of open heart surgery.
But I learned something vitally important. When push comes to shove, when in a crunch and the chips are down, it doesn’t matter where you are, it’s your family that counts. They’re the ones who will be there for you when you need them.
It’s all about family – nothing else matters. I can’t begin to tell you how deeply I appreciate and treasure mine.
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Dear jojo my heart goes out to you (no pun intended lol) for the ordeal you went through and so glad your family was there for you. I hope it is all up hill for you now and the worst is over. I wish you nothing but the best. Take care – love fy2 xoxoxox
Dear Patty – thanks so much for being such a good friend and caring supporter – I really appreciate it.
Hugs, Jo
Dear Joanna, So glad you are back home and hope you will continue doing well after having the stents put in to the atery and hope you won’t have to have open heart surgery . Glad your family was with you and I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery . Take care . Love Marie xoxoxo
Dear Joanna first thank you for posting your experiance, I to was in a foreign country when I had my accident luckly for me I had good frriends around me who spoke the language and took are of everything at the hospial insurance ect …..Like you I was so glad when I got my safe to fly letter from the hospital and flew home to my family you are so right to say familys are treasures and we should always remind our selfs not to take them for granted as we sometimes do. I hope you health countinues to improve and it will not be nessasery for you to have open heart surgery…..Take care of you with Love from Rosh xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Once again, thanks so much Marie for being such a good friend and for the support. I appreciate it more than I can say.
Hugs, Jo
Dear Rosh,
Thanks so much for your comment. I’m sorry you also experienced health problems when you were in a foreign country, but thank goodness you had good friends around you at the time who not only knew the language, but could help you out!
Being alone under such conditions is truly a desperate feeling.
I entirely agree with you that we take a lot for granted, and sometimes it takes an unfortunate event like this to make us appreciate family and friends in ways that perhaps we never did before.
Thanks so much for commenting – I really appreciate it.
Hugs from Jo xxxx
jojo you lucky they let you fly.usually the plane companies refuse heart problems at such short notice..
glad you got back ok take care
Dear Jo, so glad you’re recovering. I can only imagine how frightened and lonely you felt. I’m glad your family was there for you.
Yes I was lucky that the plane company didn’t raise any issues, but the doctors had provided me with a letter saying I could fly. I’m so happy to be back, you can have no idea. An experience like mine makes you appreciate a whole lot of things you’d previously taken for granted.
Thanks so much for your encouragement.
Hugs, Jo
Dear Sunflower,
Thanks so much for your support and encouragement during these past two nightmarish months. Friends and family are wonderful! Love you all!
Hugs, Jo
Dear Jojo, what a terrible experience for you, so glad your family were so wonderful. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope open heart surgery is not necessary. Thinking of you xxxx skip
Dear Skippy,
You are such a dear and caring friend – thank you. I am trying hard to avoid open heart surgery because I honestly don’t think I could survive it. Pray God opening up 2 out of 3 arteries, plus careful diet and exercise will be enough to keep me going to many years to come.
Hugs, Jo xxx
Praying jojo xxx
Thanks so much for the prayers Skip – they are truly appreciated.
So glad that everything has worked out for the best,even though you still have worries,Yes family are great as long as they are supportive, lots don’t have that experience,so I thank God every day that I do,and that you do to jojo ,thank God it turned out great for you .
Yes I agree entirely with you Mac – not all families are supportive and we whose families are there for us when we need them, are truly blessed.
Thanks so much for your support and encouragement.
Hi Jojo
I’m so happy you are back home with your family I cannot think of anything more scarey……My Father was on vacation for 2 weeks and on the 2nd day his partner of 30 years passed away on the balcony……it was such a shock for him…within 24 hours he was flying back to us his family………family helps heal many things….
I am praying you have a speedy recovery my friend……….and God Bless you for the strength you encountered, I’m very disappointed tho that you were not allowed to call your husband…..I find that very very alarming…..and I may just write to the Hospital to ask why?…….
All the best jojo
xoxoxoxoxox
Hi Debz
I can only imagine how devastation it was for your Dad on vacation to have his partner of 30 years pass away like that so suddenly and unexpectedly. I don’t blame him for flying back to his family as soon as he could get away. It’s at times like these when we really need to be surrounded by family and caring friends.
I found it alarming that they refused to phone my husband because it was long distance – even after I suggested they reverse the charges. But at the time, I was too frightened and weak to put up a fight, so when he managed to track me down, it was just like a miracle to me.
Thanks so much for your comment.
Thanks so much for your comments Debz. As for the hospital refusing me my phone call home, they operate on a shoestring budget and long distance phone calls don’t figure on it. They did the best they knew how for me, and I’m grateful they did.