Pat is in the hospital as of early yesterday morning. I woke at 3 am because of him thrashing around and making an odd puffing sound--I always know this is a low blood sugar episode. Jumped up and got him orange juice, which I have ready in a squeeze bottle. However, he resisted it, wouldn't drink it, and was very combative, puffing and waving his arms around. I got a glass and a flexible straw, but he wouldn't take that either. Finally, after 25 minutes (by the clock) of trying, I got him to drink some of the o.j. with sugar in it. He seemed somewhat more coherent and I gave him a jelly sandwich (you're supposed to follow simple sugar with complex). He ate that, then it occurred to me he should have the peanut butter after all, for the fat, so I made him a half, but he ate only part of it. He started acting the earlier way again and by this time, it was 4:15, so I called 911. They came, worked over him for about a half hour, then took him in the ambulance to Atlanticare. I followed in the car. I was alarmed when he told me he threw up twice in the ambulance.
We were in the emergency room until noon and he threw up three times there. They had taken an EKG and blood tests and so on, and the upshot is, they say he had a heart attack. He had no pain or tightness or anything else, but this has happened before. About 16 or 17 years ago, he was told, based on the EKG, he had had a heart attack. Once he was in his room, we talked to a cardiologist, and he confirmed this. Of course, his breathing has gotten much worse over time and maybe more so in the last few weeks (though it's hard to tell).
I stayed with him when he was finally transferred to a room (at noon) and had lunch, then left to go home and clean up, change the bed, and so on. Went back at 5:00 and he seemed pretty good; however, he threw up again and the doctors aren't sure why. Could be his heart or the hiatal hernia he's had for awhile, or something else. This is very unusual for him--I can't remember the last time he was sick to his stomach.
I left at 7:00 after A. came in. Was exhausted, as I had been up since 3 am. Will call hospital now and go in this morning.