He Seems Comfortable

Update. 
He seemed comfortable through the night. 
He is still sedated and they also has a paralytic on board. 
Today at about 11:00 they will begin to rewarm him. About 1/2 degree per hour. It will take about 12 hours. 
Then they will take away the paralytic and sedation. 
And hopefully he will open his eyes and ask where am I? How did I get here? And I gotta get to Crossfit.

 

This was posted on Facebook the day after his arrest.

It was a long exhausting day. I had been up for about 30 hours.

My kids were all able to come and be with me.

My phone call that morning was to Matt. I was still in the ER at Madison and they were getting him ready to fly.

One of my co-workers told me that I needed to let my kids know.

I knew that I wouldn't be able to call them all and maintain any composure. I was terrified and trying to hold it together.

I thought of each of the kids...

Lynsey....she would just be starting her shift in the OR. She lives in Denver and I knew this would devastate her.

Matt...in Utah...probably awake.

Nate....in Twin Falls....I was worried he had worked his night shift at the Police department and I didn't want to wake him up.

Cameron...Blackfoot...was at work and no phone access.

Candice...Idaho Falls...minutes away from EIRMC where we would be taken to. I knew she would still be asleep, she doesn't typically get off work until 2-3 in the morning. And she's my baby. I couldn't make THAT phone call to her.

So I called Matt.

He was very calm. Wanted details, "where will you be, what are they saying, I'm on my way."

I told him that his dad had been at Crossfit and had just finished working out. He was apparently helping one of the other crossfitters put away some weights when he suddenly collapsed. The other crossfitters there realized he wasn't breathing, nor was his heart beating.

They started CPR.

When the ambulance arrived, they found his heart rhythm to be in V-fib. They shocked his heart twice. After the second shock they got ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation).
When the ambulance arrived at the hospital Howie was breathing on his own, but he wasn't conscious.
He was quickly intubated by the ER physician.

I gave Matt the burden of making the phone calls to his siblings.

He called Candice and he called Rob my bishop (Ecclesiastical leader) Both of them came as quickly as they could. 

Lifeflight allowed me to fly in the helicopter with Howie.

It is only about a 10 minute flight, but it felt like forever.

They took Howard straight to the Cath Lab and the flight crew walked me to the ICU waiting room.

And I sat.

Alone.

My mind was just racing. I knew what was going on in the Cath Lab.

As an ER nurse I have dealt with this very scenario numerous times.

I also worked at EIRMC years ago on the cardiac floor. I'm familiar with hearts.

Knowledge in this case would be my enemy and friend.

It seemed like he was in the Cath Lab forever, but Candice was with me when the doctors came out.

Dr. Krell (I worked with him years ago and LOVED him) and Dr. Lassiter the cardiologist.

They informed us that they were unable to do the heart cath, he had too much diffuse blockage. They weren't sure when, but he would need bypass surgery.

How could this be?

He has exercised rigorously for the last 3+ years. Last year he did three Spartan Races. He is lean.

 

 

For him...it was genetics. His father, an older brother and his grandfather were all dead by age 61. Howard is 61. We thought we were doing all the right things, statins, blood pressure meds, healthy living...

However, I'm convinced that because he was exercising and was so healthy that he was able to survive the initial insult to his heart. His muscles, lungs and heart is strong.

This has been a long and rambling post.

I am hardly able to make it though a thought without being tearful. I can't think of a time I have ever been so scared.

I'll try to post more tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

CARDIAC ARREST (December 6, 2016)

At the request of some family and friends I am going to post the events of this day here.

This morning my sweet hubby left for Crossfit at his usual 4:45 am and I got up and began getting ready for work. 
I arrived at work at about 6:00 am and was getting shift change report. We heard the ambulance get dispatched out to Cedar Point trucking for a male having a seizure. I made a joke to my co-workers that that is where Howie does Crossfit. But it is also a trucking company so I didn't give it much thought.

A minute later dispatch said that CPR was in progress. 
I started feeling uneasy but went to get the trauma room ready for the coming ambulance. 
As I came out of the room my co-worker came up to me and informed me that the ambulance was bringing in Howard.

There is nothing to prepare you for that moment.

 

My eternal gratitude to the people at Teton Crossfit. CPR was started. Gratitude for the Madison County Paramedics for shocking his heart twice and doing what you have been trained to do. Gratitude for Madison Memorial ER. For doing what you do best. Gratitude for Life Flight for getting there quickly, for allowing me to fly with you. Gratitude for Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. 
I'm incredibly thankful for the miracles I have seen. 
I'm desperately praying for more.

They were unable to do a heart cath. 
There is too much diffuse blockage in multiple coronary arteries. 
Currently he is intubated, paralyzed, sedated and is being actively cooled to 89 degrees to decrease metabolic demand on his brain and his body.

They will cool him for 24 hours and then gradually rewarm him. We won't really know neurological status until tomorrow night or Thursday.

Down the road.... I don't know days or weeks he will need open heart.

I'm the meantime I would desperately appreciate prayers in his behalf. 
He is my world.

I will update from here as there is anything to update.

I love you with every fiber of my soul Howard Egan

 

 

 

GEORGIA

I came on a business trip with Howie and we took the weekend to go to Brunswick, GA.

 

I got to see my twin-sister Gigi.

Love you Gigi!

 

TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER

It was so humbling to be here.
Especially to feel the reverence and respect.

Arlington was sobering.

The history of this place.....

Words fail me.
I feel so blessed to have been able to witness this.

WASHINGTON D.C.

Saturday morning we rode the train into Union Station and spent the day being tourists.

Wow!
I have never been to Washington D.C. and the thing I really wanted to see was the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

I was not disappointed in it at all.

But before we got there, we enjoyed just "being" in such a busy, historic and beautiful place.

 Our train brought us to Union Station.

 View of the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.

 Vietnam Veteran's Memorial

 So very sobering, so many lost.

 There are so many that gave "their all."

 Such a great walk to see this enormous monument.

The architecture was so beautiful everywhere.

 Hey! Why don't we put THIS GUY in the White House??? I think he would do a fabulous job!

TRIPPIN'

Yesterday I flew from Idaho Falls to Baltimore to spend the weekend with Howie.

He's in Pennsylvania for two weeks. 

Today I had the rental car and I played tourist. 

I started at Antietam. 

Bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War. 

The countryside is lush and beautiful. 

Then I went to a Pennsylvania Dutch market. 

What a blast.

I saw an Amish girl with flip flops. 

They were bejewled. 

Sorta edgy isn't it?

Then I went on to Gettysburg. 

Wow. 

Very humbling. 

It's been such a great day. 

BEST BUBBLES EVER

The longer the solution sits the better. 

 

These bubbles get so huge. We spent hours playing with them.

 

I did a slo-mo video but can't download it for some reason. 

I wanted to put the recipe here so I had it easily accessible. 

I C dawn dish soap

1Tbs guar gum (health food store)

1 Tbs baking powder

1/3 C corn syrup

16 C water

 

Mix the guar gum and baking powder together with a whisk, then add 1/2 the water.

Mix with a whisk until lumps dissolve. Then add the dawn and the rest of the water.

Have a blast.

WHY IS JULY HALF OVER?

I hate when the summer goes too fast.

I've been off work for 10 weeks. Wow. 

I had no idea recovery for this surgery would take this long. 

But now that I'm out the the sling and cast I'm getting stronger every day and gaining range of motion.

Howie is in Minnesota for 2 weeks. 

So I stole this one. 

We are having some fun.