A Heavy Heart 8/20
Chapter Eight:
"When Charles was brought in his heart was in a state of arrhythmia, more specifically tachycardia. His heart rate was irregular and too fast. It's likely that he experienced shortness of breath, light-headedness and possibly chest pain when this began, causing him to eventually lose consciousness as the symptoms worsened."
The doctor pauses for a moment to make sure Don and Alan are following him. Both look glazed over but they have to be told the truth, hard as it might be to hear.
"We ran a number of tests including an echocardiogram. It's basically an ultrasound of the heart. We found that there's a thickening of his heart muscle, a condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. The thickening of the muscle interferes with oxygen levels and can disrupt the heart's electrical signals."
"Is it... terminal?" Alan finally finds the strength to ask the question both he and Don need answered.
"Not specifically, although people with this condition do run an increased risk for sudden death. Our first concern was addressing the arrhythmia, since that's a more immediate threat to his life. A heart can only bear the strain of tachycardia for so long before it fails. We performed a procedure called Electrical Cardioversion, which shocks the heart back to a normal rhythm. Charles responded well to it and his heart rate has returned to normal."
"So the danger is past, then?" Alan asks tentatively.
"I won't lie to you, Mr. Eppes," the doctor tells him. "The first 24 hours after an attack are critical. It's the highest risk period and it's when complications are most likely to arise. As long as Charles doesn't experience another episode of arrhythmia, which I doubt given his age, he'll be out of the woods by tomorrow. Once he's stabilized, we'll run a battery of tests over the next several days so we'll have a clearer picture of his condition. At that point we'll decide on a course of treatment for the HCM, as it's called."
"Like open heart surgery?" Don asks.
"Surgery is one option but it depends on what we find out from the tests. For right now we really just need to focus on getting him through the next 24 hours." The doctor stops for a moment and focuses on Alan.
"Mr. Eppes, I don't know how close you are to your son but it's obvious that he's not been taking care of himself. He shows signs of exhaustion, malnutrition and dehydration."
Alan blanches, filled with guilt. "Is that what caused this? Him not taking care of himself?"
"Not exactly. He's likely had HCM and just wasn't aware of it. It often doesn't show up until a person hits their twenties. HCM is believed to be caused by genetic abnormalities so he's been predisposed to this from birth. He did likely exacerbate it and brought on the arrhythmia by not taking care of himself though. That will have to change. His whole lifestyle will have to change now because of this."
The doctor stands up to leave.
"HCM is a genetic disorder that rarely skips a generation. Each child has a 50:50 chance of inheriting it. I would suggest that both of you get tested in the near future to ensure that neither of you have it as well."
Don nods to the doctor as his father clutches his hands. Alan is just barely able to comprehend that this has affected his youngest son and simply can't bear the idea of it affecting his eldest as well.
The doctor leaves and Alan whispers to his son, "Donnie... You could have this too."
Don feels his heart, suddenly heavy in his chest.
"We both could..."