Update on Mark--need prayers

This is copied from an e-mail I sent to family and friends, so this may be a repeat for some:

Hi everyone! I hope you're having a great Memorial weekend!

I wanted to let everyone know how Mark was doing. This will get long and I apologize in advance for the length.

Here's the short version: Mark has been doing cardiac rehab since his heart attack and has been doing great with that and getting stronger. But this week he has had 3 bad episodes and we would appreciate prayers.

Here's the longer version for those who are interested: Mark has been going to cardiac rehab 3 times a week and exercising for almost an hour every day. He's been really pushing himself and doing great and I'm so proud of him. He says he feels like he has more strength and has been feeling better.

But, he has had a really bad week with some really scary episodes, unfortunately, and we would appreciate prayers.

On Wednesday morning, I had given him his routine insulin shot with only long-acting and no short-acting insulin. His sugar was borderline low at that time at 64. Within 45 min, he was unresponsive, foaming at the mouth and seizuring and was down to 22. I gave him a glucagon shot which he usually responds to within a couple min, but he didn't and I had to give him another one. Luckily, he did come to and was better. But, his sugar shouldn't have gone that low that fast with the shot I gave him and it was pretty scary. The doctor has made some insulin adjustments so hopefully that works, but even the doctor doesn't understand what caused it to happen.

Then Saturday, he had gone out for a short walk with Tyler. Tyler had come back alone and said Mark was still coming. A few min later, I saw Mark coming clutching his chest and I ran out to him. All he could say was "Chest and jaw pain. Need nitro." Luckily, that took his pain away and he was feeling better, but still very scary. Apparently he would have had Tyler come get me, but Tyler was running ahead and Mark was in too much pain to yell to him.

Then today at church, we were standing and singing when Mark had some upper back pain kind of like his pain he had with his heart attack. He took a nitro and sat down. Then he told me he was feeling really dizzy. Then, he wasn't responding to me and went completely limp and started seizing a little. My dad and a couple other guys got him out of church and out the door. It wasn't his sugar, as we tested that, and we think it was the nitro that brought his blood pressure so low that it caused him to pass out.

These are all pretty new things for Mark and it's pretty scary. We're pretty nervous as they all happened so unbelievably fast. We're pretty sure he had another heart attack with these episodes but without it documented, it's hard to know for sure.

I never took him into the ER and I do want to explain why before I have tons of e-mails wondering why.....I would be questioning it myself if I weren't in my shoes. 5 years ago, I would have with brought him in with Mark kicking and screaming. But, at this point in Mark's life, I respect his wishes. I feel he's been through enough and I want to do what he wants to do. And I know if something were to happen, I at least was respecting his wishes, and that's important to me. I know he'd go in for me, but at the same time, I want to respect his decisions and wants. I know it's hard to explain and understand unless you've had a terminally ill family member and I do realize that.

Please keep Mark in your thoughts and prayers. As much as I try to get him to rest and relax when this happens, he insists that he wants to "live life", "go on" and not "live cautiously" and I admire him for that. Sometimes I think he's just a little too stubborn, though. :)

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. It is very much appreciated.