THIS PAST WEEK I SPENT THE WEEK IN THE HOSPITAL AND NOW I AM GOING TO SHARE WITH ALL OF YOU WHAT HAPPENED AND WHAT I AM DEALING WITH. I WILL BREAK THIS UP IN SEVERAL PARTS. HERE I GO:
BEFORE GOING IN HOSPITAL:
ON MONDAY OCTOBER 5TH I GOT HOME FROM WORK AND FOUND OUT I HAD A TEMP THAT WAS ABOUT 101. I TOOK SOME IBUPROFEN AND WOKE UP TUESDAY WITH A NORMAL TEMPERATURE SO I WENT TO WORK. FELT GOOD MOST OF THE DAY UNTIL AFTER 3PM WHEN I STARTED TO GET A FEVER. I WAS TRYING TO WORK THROUGH IT BUT IT WAS DIFFICULT. MY FEVER REACHED 103 AND I TRIED TO CALL TO GET SOMEONE TO COVER FOR ME BECAUSE I FELT LIKE CRAP. MY HEAD ACHED AND I WAS FEELING WEAK. THANK GOODNESS THAT MY SALESPERSON WAS ABLE TO TAKE CARE OF CUSTOMERS THE REST OF THE NIGHT WHILE I LAID IN THE CAR AND SAT AROUND AT WORK FEELING TERRIBLE. ANYWAY, GOT HOME TUESDAY NIGHT AND MY FEVER WAS OVER 103 SO I TOOK MORE IBUPROFEN. IT KNOCKED THE FEVER DOWN BUT NOT TO NORMAL. WEDNESDAY I SAW MY FAMILY DOCTOR AND ACCORDING TO HIM I HAD FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS SO HE TOLD ME TO REST THE NEXT DAY OR TWO AND SEE HOW I FEEL. TOLD ME TO TAKE THE IBUPROFEN WHEN I NEEDED FOR THE FEVER. I WENT HOME AND BATTLED A FEVER THAT WOULD GO UP AND ONLY COME DOWN TO ABOUT 100.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT OUR FRIEND, ROBERTA, ARRIVED FROM FLORIDA AND STAYED WITH US. WE HAVE NOT SEEN HER FOR 14 YEARS SO IT WAS NICE TO RECONNECT ALTHOUGH I FELT TERRIBLE. WE HAD PLANNED THIS MONTHS BEFORE BUT DID NOT PLAN FOR ME TO BE SICK. I SPENT THURSDAY AND FRIDAY BATTLING A FEVER THAT WOULD SPIKE UP OVER 103 THEN GO DOWN TO UNDER 100 BY TAKING IBUPROFEN. I HAD BODY ACHES, A HEADACHE AND JUST FELT HORRIBLE AND JUST LAYED AROUND. I KEPT FLUIDS IN MY BODY BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT TO DEHYDRATE. WELL FRIDAY ARRIVED AND I HAD NO CHANGE. I WAS STILL BATTLING A FEVER AND THEN GOT DIARREA. I CALLED MY DOCTOR AND THEY RECOMMENDED ME TO GO TO THE ER BECAUSE IT SOUNDED LIKE I WAS DEHYDRATED. THAT IS WHEN THE JOURNEY TOOK AND UNEXPECTED TWIST.
AT THE ER:
WE GOT TO THE ER AROUND 4:30PM ON FRIDAY WHEN I CHECKED IN TO BE SEEN. THEY CHECKED MY TEMP AND IT WAS 100.5. I FELT TIRED AND HAD HEADACHE BUT HAD TO WAIT TO BE SEEN. WHILE WAITING I GOT THE CHILLS AND I COULD FEEL MY TEMP GOING UP. I TOLD PAM THAT I HOPE THEY SEE MY FEVER SPIKE AND THEN MAYBE WE CAN FIND OUT WHAT IS WRONG. DID NOT KNOW THAT THOSE WORDS WERE PROPHETIC BECAUSE IN A FEW HOURS THINGS WOULD TAKE A TURN FOR THE WORSE. ANYWAY, THEY PUT US IN A ROOM IN THE ER SECTION OF THE HOSPITAL AND THEY TOOK MY TEMP. IT STARTED TO CLIMB TO OVER 103. THEY TOOK ALL KINDS OF TESTS INCLUDING CHEST XRAYS, BLOOD TESTS, ETC,… WHILE IN THE ROOM THEY WERE GOING TO GET ONE BLOOD TEST BUT THEY HAD A HARD TIME FINDING AN ARTERY. MY FEVER THEN WAS OVER 104 AND I COULD TELL THEY WERE CONCERNED. WELL MY FEVER WAS 105.6 WHEN THEY TRIED TO FIND AN ARTERY TO TAKE A BLOOD SAMPLE WHEN MY EYES ROLLED BACK INTO MY HEAD AND I PASSED OUT ON THE TABLE. PAM WAS THERE AND SAW THAT BUT THANK GOODNESS THE DOCTORS AND NURSES FILLED MY ROOM AS THEY TRIED TO SEE IF I WAS CONCIOUS. I GUESS IT WAS A SEEN FOUND ON ER WHAT PAM TELLS ME. I HAD A YOUNG NURSE AND IT WAS HER FIRST NIGHT AND SHE WAS UPSET WATCHING ME LOOSE CONCIOUSNESS. ANYWAY, I WAS ONLY OUT FOR LESS THAN A MINUTE BUT NOW THE DOCTORS AND NURSES KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING SERIOUS GOING ON.
AFTER WAKING BACK UP THEY PUT ME ON A COOLING BLANKET FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS BECAUSE MY FEVER WAS SO DANGEROUSLY HIGH. THE COOLING BLANKET HAD WATER IN IT THAT STAYS AROUND 40 DEGREES TO HELP ASSIST IN COOLING DOWN THE BODY. AFTER WHAT HAD SEEM LIKE MANY HOURS MY TEMP CAME DOWN AND THEY ALLOWED ME TO JUST REST IN THAT ROOM. ONE OF THE DOCTORS THERE TOLD ME THAT THEY FOUND PNEUMONIA IN MY RIGHT LUNG. SHE THEN SAID THEY WANTED TO ADMIT ME TO DO FURTHER TESTING SO FRIDAY NIGHT LATE I WAS ADMITTED OFFICIALLY INTO STURDY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (HTTP://WWW.STURDYMEMORIAL.ORG ).
MY STAY AS A PATIENT AT STURDY:
IT WAS OFFICIAL. I WAS ADMITTED AND GOT MY OWN ROOM. I TRIED TO REST FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY BUT I WAS SCARED, FEELING LOUSY AND WANTED ANSWERS. THE NEXT FEW DAYS I BATTLED A FEVER, HEADACHE AND CHILLS BUT THANK GOODNESS I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL. I HAD AN IV IN MY ARM TO PUT FLUIDS BACK IN MY BODY. THEY TOOK A LOT OF TESTS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. AT FIRST, THEY WERE BEING PRECAUTIOUS SO ANYBODY THAT CAME TO VISIT ME HAD TO WEAR A GOWN, GLOVES, AND MASK. THEY WERE THINKING POSSIBLE SWINE FLU VIRUS SO THEY WANTED TO BE CAREFUL. I MEAN THEY TOOK EVERY TEST POSSIBLE OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. ORIGINAL CONCERN IS THAT MY FEVER WOULD SPIKE UP LATER IN THE DAY AND AT NIGHT SO THE FIRST THING TO DEAL WITH WAS THE FEVER. I TOOK SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THE FEVER STABALIZED. I GOT THE ANSWER TO MY ISSUES THE NEXT DAY WHEN THE DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT MY URINE SAMPLE TESTED POSITIVE FOR LEGIONEER’S DISEASE (HTTP://WWWEDCP.ORG/FACTSHEETS/LEGION.CFM ) . IT SEEMS LIKE BACTERIA ENTERED MY BODY AND PRODUCED PNEUMONIA IN MY RIGHT LUNG. THEY PUT ME ON AN ANTIBIOTIC KNOW AS LEVAQUIN (HTTP://ANTIBIOTICS.EMEDTV.COM/LEVAQUIN/LAVAQUIN.HTML ). THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS THEY STARTED ME ON THIS ANTIBIOTIC WHICH IS USED TO TREAT A BACTERIAL INFECTION LIKE LEGIONEER’S DISEASE. SO I SPENT TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AT THE HOSPITAL GETTING THIS ANTIBIOTIC. UNFORTUNATELY, I HAD TO DEAL WITH SOME CRAMPING AND DIARREA BUT KNOWING THIS WILL KILL THE INFECTION GIVES ME PEACE.
SINCE THIS INFECTION ENTERED MY BODY MY FEAR IS THAT THIS COULD POSSIBLY DAMAGE MY HEART SO I REQUESTED THE DOCTOR TO HAVE A CHEST ECHOCARDIOGRAM (HTTP://WWW.HEALTH.HARVARD.EDU/FHG/UPDATES/SEEING-THE-HEART-WITH-SOUND-ECHOCARDIOGRAM.SHTML ). MY FEAR IS THAT THIS BACTERIA COULD HAVE DONE DAMAGE TO MY HEART SO I REQUESTED A TEST BE DONE TO MAKE SURE. I WAS DUE FOR MY YEARLY TEST SO THIS WOULD GIVE INDICATION IF DAMAGE WAS PRESENT. I DID GET THE RESULTS AND IT SEEMS MY ESTIMATED EJECTION FRACTION WAS 50%. THAT IS LOWER NORMAL AND IT SEEMED NO DAMAGE BUT THERE IS STILL SOME CLARIFICATION NEEDED FROM THIS TEST SO I WILL KNOW MORE WHEN I MEET WITH MY CARDIOLOGIST FOR A FOLLOW UP.
RELEASED TO GO HOME:
I WAS RELEASED TO GO HOME YESTERDAY WITH LIMITED RESTRICTIONS. FIRST, I CANNOT DRIVE FOR SEVERAL DAYS. WITH ALL THE ANTIBIOTICS AND EVERYTHING MY BODY HAS GONE THROUGH IT JUST SEEMS SMART TO BE DRIVING. SECOND, SINCE THE WEATHER IS COLD I HAVE BEEN TOLD TO STAY INDOORS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THIS IS JUST COMMON SENSE. I WILL BE TAKING LEVAQUIN IN TABLET FORM FOR THE NEXT 20 DAYS. I ALSO HAVE A FOLLOW UP WITH CHEST XRAY APPOINTMENT WITH MY FAMILY DOCTOR NEXT THURSDAY. AFTER THAT APPOINTMENT I WILL CHECKING WITH MY CARDIOLOGIST FOR A FOLLOW UP AS WELL. IT IS NICE TO BE FINALLY HOME AND ABLE TO RELAX AT HOME. IT IS DIFFICULT TO RELAX IN THE HOSPITAL SO I WILL BE PLANNING TO GET A LOT OF REST THE NEXT WEEK. TENTATIVELY, I COULD POSSIBLY RETURN TO WORK ON 10/26 BUT THAT DEPENDS ON MY APPOINTMENT NEXT THURSDAY. JUST GOING TO TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME!!
MY EVALUATION OF STURDY’S CARE FOR ME:
LET ME JUST SAY THAT NURSES, NURSE ASSISTANTS AND SOME VOLUNTEERS ARE NOT PAID ENOUGH FOR THE JOB THEY DO. I WAS HUMBLED AND THANKFUL FOR THE CARE THE ER AND HOSPITAL GAVE ME DURING MY STAY THIS PAST WEEK. ANYTIME I NEEDED SOMETHING THEY WERE THERE TO CARE FOR ME. THEY SHOWED ME GREAT COMPASSION AND THEY REALLY CARED FOR MY WELL BEING. THE PEOPLE HERE AT STURDY ARE EXTRAORDINARY AND WELL WORTH MY PRAISE FOR THEM!! IF ANY OF THEM READ MY BLOG I SAY THANKS TO ALL OF YOU!!! I AM HUMBLED DUE TO YOUR CONCERN FOR ME AND I WILL NEVER FORGET!! THEY ENCOURAGED ME WHEN I FELT DOWN OR HAD FEARS. THEY STAYED POSITIVE AND HELPED ME TO KNOW THAT THINGS WILL BE ALRIGHT. THIS IS NEVER RECOGNIZED BUT TODAY I RECOGNIZE HOW SPECIAL THESE PEOPLE TRULY ARE!! I CAN SAY WITH FULL ASSURANCE IF ANY OF YOU GET SICK AND ARE TAKEN TO STURDY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL YOU WILL BE IN GREAT HANDS AND GET THE SUPPORT AND CARE NEEDED FOR YOU TO RECOVER.
WELL, THIS WAS MY ACCOUNT AND EXPERIENCE AT STURDY THIS PAST WEEK. I KNOW MY WORSE DAYS ARE BEHIND ME AND I AM ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY!! I HOPE THIS HAS ENCOURAGED YOU AND GIVEN YOU SOME INSIGHT. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I WOULD BE THE ONE TO GET A BACTERIAL INFECTION. IN FACT I JUST CANNOT BELIEVE IT AT TIMES. I KEEP SAYING, “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?” MY PHILOSOPY IS TO TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME AND CHERISH THE HEALTH I DO HAVE AND LIVE EACH DAY CELEBRATING LIFE!! LIFE IS NOT FAIR AT TIMES BUT AT LEAST I AM ALIVE TO ENJOY WHATEVER LIFE BRINGS.
JUST WANT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT FOR ME!! I HAVE GOTTEN MANY OF YOU CONCERNED ABOUT ME AND I AM SO THANKFUL TO HAVE THE SUPPORT OF MY FAMILY, FRIENDS AND FACEBOOK FAMILY. GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
