So I’m at the beach in Destin with my wife, four sons, two daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren (four and two years old).
We arrived on Saturday, and by 5:30 PM on Sunday, I was in the Sacred Heart Hospital Emerald Coast, a newly built, two-floor hospital. By 4:00 a.m. Monday, I had been transferred to a room and connected to a Heparin drip. It seems that I had several pulmonary embolisms (blood clots in the lung) — which explained why I was struggling to breathe.
I’ve been seeing doctors for months now, knowing something was wrong with me but unable to get a diagnosis. Among the symptoms, a lack of stamina. Walking a block would leave me winded. So I’d been served up to the cardiologists, who were running a wide gamut of tests on my heart and finding nothing but a healthy heart.
But Sunday, shortness of breath became “can’t breathe,” became an ambulance ride to the hospital — which, by the way, is just like on TV. I wound up at Sacred Heart Hospital Emerald Coast, which is a small but very nice and very well-run hospital.
Well, the “can’t breathe” symptom was the clue that allowed for me to be diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) behind the left knee and several blood clots in the lungs (pulmonary embolisms). Not sure why, but evidently the leg clot was throwing off smaller clots that were lodging in the lungs.
So the good news is that my health problem had FINALLY been diagnosed, is treatable, and is being treated. I feel MUCH better.
The bad news is that the treatment will last most of the vacation, oh, and it’s a condition that could have killed me. I’m told that the danger of sudden death passes about 24 hours after treatment begins, and so it’s been long enough that I likely will live to the end of the week, just in time to pack to go home.
Praying for both you and your family Jay. I own a house there (rented now). Love the area. If you feel up to it, try Another Broken Egg for breakfast.
And all those empty chairs under the umbrellas at the beach!
Sorry to hear of your troubles. See Bobby Valentine’s post of today to get a perspective on our troubles.
Here’s a prayer for your health and continued vitality:
O LORD of grace, love, mercy, healing, and hope:
May you be with Jay in this hour of distress to his body. As Paul prayed, I also pray that he me be in health and prosper as his soul prospers. I confess that this is a selfish prayer, for I have much to learn from him – or as I should say, from you working in and through him. I and many others pray for his complete and speedy recovery, for we love the work he is doing in Jesus’ name in your kingdom
Please, hear this silent prayer – and may it go up from many hearts in the next few hours!
In the name of your Son I pray,
AMEN.
Better to lodge in the lung than the heart (it can stop — heart attack and /or death) or the brain (think stroke big time). So I guess we offer thanks for what has not happened.
Hoping a a quick recovery for you —
Best wishes and prayers for you, Jay
Giving thanks and praying for your complete recovery.
Jay,
Glad they finally got you diagnosed and treated. I’m just imagining the posts you’ll be able to write now that you’ll be hitting on all cylinders.
sorry to hear you are ill, but glad you were close to a good hospital.
Thankful for a diagnosis! Seriously, I’m pretty sure the Lord placed us back in Tuscaloosa so I could get you to a hospital on time. I vote we stay next week just to ensure you get the full beach vacation experience. It’s just not the same without y’all!
You should be much better by opening kick off. RTR
Jay, Thankful that you feeling better and know better what is going on. I’ll pray for a speedy recovery.
Pray your good health returns quickly
Praying for you.
I’m so glad you finally got a diagnosis and treatment! Praying for a speedy recovery!
The Lord does work in marvelous ways, he kept you going until you were near a place that had the knowledge to find the problem. Get well soon!
Get well soon! We need you!
Glad to hear you’re getting good treatment & praying that you’ll be back and at ’em soon–we need your posts to stir things up!
God bless you, the doctors, and your family, Jay. Get well soon!
So thankful doctors caught this and that you are okay! Such a scary thing to deal with. Praising our Father that it wasn’t your time and you can keep blessing us. 🙂 Prayers for speedy and total recovery….and thanksgiving.