Dad’s heart attack remained a mystery to all of us. He ate all the right foods, made routine visits to his doctor, took his blood pressure medications as prescribed, and exercised daily (and not just a leisurely walk, mind you). Yes, we are all shocked and stunned. If dad was taking such great measures to live a healthful life, what about the rest of us who did not follow the same rigorous rules as he did with diet and exercise? Even more stunned, of course, was dad. He was left with questions that could not be answered. Some of the doctors and other family members concluded that it was probably due to genetics. I felt that it could not be pinpointed to just one exact cause- life and human beings are just not that simple to figure out. After all, we are complex creatures that are not defined just by our physical bodies, our cells, and our chemical composition. We have this complex brain that can store emotions and recall past memories just through smell and touch. We also have the ability to connect with other living creatures and our environment. We have a Spirit and a Soul that are an integral part of our being and if any part of us is thrown off balance in any way, shape or form- well, our bodies, mind, and spirit can compensate for a while until they are no longer able to do so on their own- then we are left with a “dis-ease” of some sort.
So, back to dad- what could have contributed to his heart attack episode other than genetics and a past of eating the wrong foods due to culture? Could it be the stress he has experienced all of his life- being the eldest of the children, feeling the responsibility of caring for his siblings and his parents, being a minor in the military and being treated as so, the post traumatic stress from the Vietnam war (he still can’t watch Pearl Harbor because of all the emotions and memories that surface) and whatever else life has presented to him?
Due to his life experiences, this once extremely shy boy became a tough man who developed a military persona of wanting to do things the EXACT and RIGHT way within speed time.
Could this be a great contributor to this awful disease? Many books have been written about how stress can affect us at a cellular level and it has been shown how stress does affect the human body chemically. (A good book that explains the details is called “Why Zebra’s Don’t Get Ulcers” by Rober M. Sapolsky)
So, with this in mind, I left myself open to dad’s beliefs and concerns, encouraging him to talk about himself, what he feels and providing him with emotional support in any way possible. I would gentle bring up possibilities in a straight forward manner about his possible stressful attitude and how he reacts to certain stressors in his life- just to plant that seed. He received routine Reiki treatments for energy healing as well as aromatherapy treatments to promote relaxation and continued regulation of his heart rhythm so his body could heal on its own. Over the next few weeks, we battled his health insurance company for him to acquire the care he needed (for God’s sake- we were given such a difficult time over simple follow-ups such as an Echo-cardiogram). We also enjoyed a nice July 4th weekend at one of our favorite places: Deep Creek Lake, where we fished, ate, and spent quality time together in Nature’s natural healing energy. We were all feeling great and so Thankful that dad survived.
Dad and my brother on our fishing trip.
Dad was under the impression that his heart would miraculously heal and that he would be able to return to his usual self. As it turned out, after finally getting approved for this echo a month later, his heart was severely damaged due to the type of heart attack he had. Because that major artery was 100% occluded for such a period of time, his heart suffered from lack of oxygen. Let’s remember that he was a walking miracle, after all. The damage to his heart muscle could not be cured; the only thing left to do was to try to prevent another occurrence of a heart attack. Thank God for modern day science and research- dad was qualified to have an internal defibrillator device placed. According to his cardiac surgeon, research has shown that people like dad were more likely to suffer from sudden cardiac death without any visible symptoms prior to the occurrence. So, in order to prevent that from happening, they now place these AICD’s in high risk patients to closely monitor any abnormal rhythms and give his heart an automatic shock if his heart goes into a lethal rhythm. Pretty amazing, ha?
So, to prepare dad’s body, mind, and spirit for this procedure- our family continued to support dad in every way. Brothers and sister volunteered to help dad with his gardening and yard work, my brother and I took turns taking him to his appointments and running errands, and mom continued to take care of the insurance business. I also contacted a couple of talented acupuncturists that I knew well, and they gave my dad pre and post surgical treatments to assist with the healing process.
The simple procedure left dad with a small incision over his left upper chest, but a large amount of swelling and pain. I rain dropped some lavender and tea tree oil over his gauze until we were allowed to remove the dressing. Then I continued with lavender and tea tree essential oils to assist with wound healing, pain, and prevent any infection from occurring. The acupuncturist gave dad treatments to help his heart and his overall recovery- providing also a nice set of ears to listen to my dad and give dad some advice. As it turned out, he revealed to the acupuncturist that he was having terrible stomach pains which appeared to look like his old ulcer resurfacing. She recommended an old remedy of pure aloe vera juice to help ease the pain, heal the wound, and act as an antacid- at least until he could get a better prescription for his stomach from the doctor. Thankfully, I had some aloe ready in my fridge and dad began that immediately with great relief. We continued Reiki treatments and aromatherapy treatments as well. He healed quite nicely physically and began to explore healing himself from the inside out.
Now, 3 months later, dad has been an active advocate for himself. He does not rely on anyone to make phone calls for him and does research for him to continue the healing process. Right now, he is taking part in cardiac rehabilitation therapy, has routine visits to his cardiologist, and is seeking help from VA for post-traumatic stress evaluation. He is also seeing a nutritionist (part of his cardiac rehab program) and is seeking any advice or changes that he may need in terms of his diet. He has become a strong believer now in energy healing, aromatherapy, acupuncture, and other healing modalities that are out there. In fact, he is opening up to Tai Chi in the future to continue the healing process. He is back to tennis and gardening- but with limitations. He pays attention to his body and rests when his body tells him to rest.
This is the beginning of a journey for dad and the rest of us. As dad continues to stand firm in how he chooses to heal, he encourages us to take better care of ourselves from a holistic perspective. There is no other way to REALLY heal.
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