The Angels Above and the Angels Below

The angels above and the angels below have conspired once again to melt our Jell-O.

We have long been certain that we have angels sitting on our shoulders, making sure that we make the best choices, even if we have to make them under duress. We are very happy with our angels, we are very proud of our angels. Sometimes we are upset about what our angels cause us to do or not do.

This time our angels had a major job to do, and it has taken them a few weeks to do it.

Today was our day to start on a six-month summer tour. The first event on the agenda: a pre-paid hot air balloon ride (out of Phoenix) with a champagne breakfast to follow. Next a visit with my brother and his wife up in Prescott. After that a wandering trip up to Carson City for a month's visit with most of our family, and later a big round loop through Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico and home.

All that was to start today.

You may recall that recently we had major repairs on our car because without them we'd have lost a rear axle, probably while driving some curvy road somewhere out of cell phone range. That was Angel Message #1.

A few days ago we learned that there was to be wind in the area today and tomorrow, mostly 10 to 20 miles per hour. with some gusts above that. That was Angel Message #2, which we chose to ignore because we have often driven safely under those conditions.

Yesterday morning, we got weather advisories on our smart phones telling us of serious wind coming these two days, heavier wind with gusts up to 50 mph, starting in late morning and lasting until evening. Oh, then we'll just start out very early in the morning and be at our first stop before the wind gets really bad. Angel Message #3. Does it sound like we weren't listening?

In the middle of hurriedly loading the last stuff in the motorhome and putting it away (I was loading, Suzy putting away) Suzy began to recognize that her heart was racing, so she sat down and took her blood pressure (normal) but her pulse was 97!

After resting a half hour, the pulse was back to normal. Shortly thereafter it was racing again, at 93. Soon it settled again, and we got back to work. Earlier, Father Bruce, our priest-neighbor behind us, had invited us for a wine-cheese-and-crackers happy hour; we figured it would be all right for a quick visit.

In mid-afternoon Suzy suddenly got very dizzy, light-headed, and drenched with sweat. She was in the motorhome I was in the house. She didn't have her phone with her to call me. She managed to climb down from the motorhome, stagger to the casita to search for me, then back to the house and up the steps, where she told me what was happening. We checked her pulse again -- 131! At that point we stopped all action of loading and storing and decided to take a trip to the Emergency Room. I ran back and told Father Bruce what was happening. He grabbed his kit and ran back with me, to give Suzy the Sacrament of the Sick.

Father Bruce had served as the equivalent of an EMT while a Chaplain in the Coast Guard. One look at Suzy and he insisted we call 9-1-1 and get an ambulance. After I called, he went out to direct the ambulance through our park to our site.

In the meantime, Suzy's pulse was racing, dizziness continued, but she needed a bathroom break, and asked me to help her get there. After just a few steps, she passed out and collapsed onto the floor.

To shorten a story that's getting too long, we soon had one ambulance, two EMTs, two police cars, and four policemen; Suzy was being loaded into the ambulance when the fire truck arrived. There were uniformed folks all around us, flashing red and blue lights acknowledging their presence.

Later in the hospital, it was determined that Suzy had developed Atrial Fibrillation, and was told in no uncertain terms not to travel until meeting with a cardiologist and getting appropriate medications to keep things under control.

Angel Message #4. We got the message this time, even it it was accompanied by flashing red and blue lights.

When can we go? Won't know for a while, but we plan to gone from here for a good part of this summer of ... Our Life on Wheels.