THE TRIP TO CELEBRATE #6 - What happened next

Post #5 of this trip ended with me taking Mickey to the emergency room at Flagstaff

Medical Center at 9 p.m. on the night of our 50th Wedding Anniversary......after a wonderful day of remembering and retracing.

Mickey started getting really sick about 7:30 and it wasn't until 9 that he finally agreed that yes, I should get him to the hospital. I love my husband dearly, but like most men he can be very stubborn and head strong!!

When we walked into the emergency room the waiting room was about 3/4 full but when I told them the situation they rushed us right in and past everyone else. When they took his blood pressure it was 212. He was shivering and his stomach was upset. It wasn't until I heard him tell the Doctors and nurses that I learned he had 3 little pains in the heart area. Around midnight they are going to move him into an ICU room and I am told to go back to the motel & try and get some rest. By this time they had already contacted the Oklahoma City VA Hospital and all his information had been faxed to them. How wonderful our modern day systems are!

I am in a strange city, by myself at midnight, and I lost my way trying to get back to the motel. Flagstaff is divided by a railroad track between north & south and somehow I got over the railroad track and ended up on the south side of I40 and the motel was just off of I40 on the north . It was so dark, and so lonely but I just kept praying and saying, "Lord, you've got to help me find my way." He did and at 12:30 I got back to the motel.

The next morning when I arrived at the hospital at 7 they talked to us about having the surgery there in Flagstaff or going on home to Oklahoma. Mickey did not want to have the surgery that far from home and I was very concerned as to how I would get him home, on that long a road trip, post surgery. The Doctor said it was a risk either way. We opted to start to Oklahoma. I was eager to get on the road, so I could make as many miles as possible before dark. They were adamant they would not release him until they had completed 3 blood tests, spaced over a period of time, to be sure he had not had a slight heart attack and that no heart damage had occurred.

He was still shivering and having stomach pain. They were baffled as to why this was occurring. As they were preparing to release him I asked the nurse if there was not something they could give him for the upset stomach. She called the Doctor and they administered a shot, which helped immediately, and had me go to a pharmacy for a prescription for some pills. The third blood test came back showing no heart attack or damage and he was finally released at 1:55 p.m.

It was 318 miles to Albuquerque and we decided that was too far to try and drive. I do not do well, with my eye sight, driving at night. We decided to go to Gallup, N.M. and spend the night there. We got to Gallup at 5:30 and Mickey was feeling better, as we were dropping from the 7000' altitude to about 6000'. It had been raining off and on on us ever since we left Flagstaff but we decided to go ahead and drive 60 more miles into Grants, N.M. We were trying to get as close to home as possible.

Now I have to share with you the most wonderful experience the Lord gave us during this horrendous time. As we were driving from Gallup to Grants we saw a Rainbow. We commented on it and were happy to see it. Then it disappeared. Shortly it reappeared and this time there was another faint double rainbow to the left. We talked about how God brought the rainbow back to us. Then suddenly the second, fainter one, disappeared and the brightest, widest rainbow either Mickey & I have ever seen in our entire lives appeared before us. It lasted and lasted and it looked like we were going to drive right into it. Then suddenly the full bright arc appeared across the sky. Mickey & I knew this was God's way of telling us we were safe, and we were going to make it home. This all started around 5:30 and ended at 6:49. We were so struck by it that Mickey wrote down the times. I cannot tell you what a blessing this experience was to us!!!

We arrived in Grants at 7:30 and check into the motel. Mickey is so-so. I call Marc & report how far we have gotten and leave for a few minutes to run to the Walmart, right near the motel, to get us some milk and cereal to eat and I had already gotten some bananas and a large muffin that day. Mickey takes just a few bites and starts getting sick again. I do not even think Grants has a hospital but I call the front desk at 8:10 and ask if they have an emergency service. She asks me if I don't want the hospital, to come to the front desk and she will draw me a map how to get there. Thank goodness both Flagstaff and Grants were small towns!!! I return to the room and put Mickey into the car and immediately head for the emergency room. Again we get excellent care and attention.

At 10 o'clock I return to the motel to try and get some sleep. I am near exhaustion. I slept until 4 a.m. 6 hours YEAH!! I called the hospital and am told the cardiologist will not be in until 9 a.m. He is resting and they are beginning the series of the 3 blood tests, like they had done in Flagstaff, to see if there is any heart damage.

6:20 our wonderful son, Marc, called to tell me he was booking a flight to Albuquerque, NM to meet us which would arrive at 1:00 p.m. I just had to drive the 90 miles to get us there. I kept reminding the hospital that I needed to leave to make the drive to Albuquerque to pick up our son but again the hospital was adamant about not letting us leave until the last of the 3 blood tests had been completed. He got a good report of no heart damage and we pulled out of the Cibola General Hospital parking lot at 11:25.

At 1:01 we were sitting in a parking lane waiting for Marc at the Albuquerque Sunport. He called just a few minutes later to say he had landed. We picked him up at 1:09. Now this had to be God again, putting this all together for us as only He can and does.

I must tell you.......I was never so happy as I was when Marc climbed behind the drivers seat of our HHR Chevy and I was able to climb in the back seat and know that I had additional help and we were, for sure on our way home!!!

We drove hard and steady. Stopped only to fuel up and grab a soda and snack. Marc & my plan initially was to drive straight to emergency at the VA Hospital in Oklahoma City. We arrived in OKC and Mickey wanted to just keep on for home. He was feeling pretty good now that we were down to below 1000' altitude. We decided to check into a motel in OKC which we did at 10:40. We were all exhausted and slept well.

When we awoke we told Mickey we were going to VA to report to them which we did at 7 a.m. They decided to move Mickey's pre-scheduled surgery date of October 16th up one week to October 9th. They went ahead and did all the pre-surgery tests while we were there and we were finished by 1:50 and got HOME at 3:45. I don't know if I have ever been so glad to be home. It was nice to have the one day to get some business taken care of and sleep in our own bed before returning to OKC and the VA Hospital on Wednesday night, in preparation for Mickey's 6 a.m. appointment for double bi-pass surgery

I have to admit that during this entire episode I was afraid and terrified in the natural (flesh) but I had total, complete peace in my Spirit that we were going to make it and that Mickey was going to be okay. The rainbow God sent us and the timing of making the flight connection of Marc flying to Albuquerque from Tulsa, via Dallas, and our driving from Grants to Albuquerque and making almost instant connection just was a God Thing.

Praise to our God and Savior, Jesus!!!!!