The Diagnosis and a Lesson for us all

Mike's official diagnosis is myocarditis with pericarditis. So he did not suffer a heart attack but his condition is so serious that everything electrical and blood wise puts off the same readings as a heart attack. One doctor agreed to let Mike go home today with four medications and strict instructions to rest. Another doctor disagreed and said Mike's bloodwork is very worrisome. The first doctor won and we are at home. The doctor knew our past and I can only assume he trusts us to abide by the instructions. I am staying home with Mike tomorrow to make sure he is taken care of and then Emily is filling in the rest of the week while I work. She has a complete list of symptoms to watch for that will warrant a 911 call. She is also going to make his breakfast and lunch so if anyone feels compelled to drop of lunch Mike will appreciate it...haha. It's a lot of responsibility to put on a 17 year old but she wants to be a nurse and I have no doubt she can do this with her training from Jude.

I will be honest like I always have been on my blog, I am scared. I am scared of losing my rock, my best friend, my darling husband. I am angry my family has been thrust once again into a medical spotlight that gathers sympathy and worry. However I am incredibly grateful for the influx of prayers because I do believe where two or more are gathered God is with them. Mike's condition is extremely worrisome but I am going to have faith he will and can pull through this. We did discuss some sensitive information tonight and exchanged our worries and love for each other. It was needed and now we put one foot in front of another. Lying in bed after a child dies can increase a cloudy day so I am going to come up with some ingenious ideas to this spirits. I might enlist some help so hopefully my friends are open to that.

We had a few people offer words of advice about diet or exercise but I want to point out something very important we can all learn from this. Not everything that has to do with the heart is based on what you eat and how much you exercise. As stated Mike's blood pressure is great, he can walk up to 15,000 steps at work in the heat (another possible issue), and he had ZERO plaque build up. In other words overall his heart looks VERY healthy structurally. Some heart conditions are brought on by viral infections that attack the body, stress, grief, bacteria, or a combination there of. So if you for any reason experience chest, back, or arm pain get seen. Mike had serious neck pain that eventually presented in his left elbow and shoulder. The phrase we kept hearing was, "THANK GOD you came in!"

So if anything I hope my readers remember that it started with just neck pain! Thank you for your continued prayers and support.