One Night Stint In The Hospital

That's just how it is...living on a ventilator can present some unpredictable health scares. I was fine this past saturday and sunday until the end of the day sunday. Nurse Jen was giving me a routine suction and we got some blood. At 1st, I didn't think it was too big of a deal and then I remembered I was having a little pain in my right ribcage. We decided to just go get it checked out. I thought, since it's so cold out and it's a sunday eve, ER probably won't be too busy. And they weren't. By 9:15pm, I was reviewing my chest x-ray with the Dr. and he showed me a cloudy area on the right lung that he thought could be pneumonia and they wanted to admit me. Yikes. I broke down for a few minutes until I met another Doc. He had a gorgeous smile and a Ricky riccardo accent. His smile wasn't bad either. Very sweet and he reassured me with a portable ultra sound that he didn't think it looked as bad. We got up to my ICU room and they set up for a throat and lung scope. It wasn't the most fun, but he got a good sample from my lung. Doc V. decided to start a strong 3 day round of antiobiotics. One pill form, one intravenously thru a pic line that was installed. this was a late night. So, no sleep. By the next day, I was correcting the nurses on sterile procedures, lecturing on the fact that disabled patients need to be handled carefully and even telling the respiratory therapist a thing or two. By 1130 that day, I was reporting concerns to a charge nurse and asking my Doc. if I could go home with my little pic line and the meds. so I could be free! He released me! I have never been so glad to get home. For just the next day, they are still growing my specimen culture to see if it is bacterial. And a great Healtheast IV service has been stopping in to change out the IV med. bag. It is a portable, electronic med. dispenser. It is so awesome! So, that's the scoop. I am feeling great and really appreciating all of the mundane little things that I think I was taking for granted. Like sleep. Food. And freedom! If you have these, you are truly blessed. Also a quick shout out to my family who were always there for me.