Pragmatist
Pragmatist

I got bronchitis and called my doctor's office for a phone-in prescription.  After five days of feeling worse and worse, and trying to cough up my lungs, I called a friend and asked her to take me to the doctor.  At that point it was a friend or 911.  I'd just as soon not go to my doctor's office by ambulance. (Do they take you to a doctor, or is th ER or nothing?)

I have to thank my friend over and over again.  Not only was she willing to drive me to my doctor, about 10 miles away, but she stayed with me in the hospital for FOUR HOURS!!  I finally told her she had things to do and go home.  I appreciated her support, but I was in good hands now.  She laughed, and agreed maybe it was time to leave me in the expert hands of the nurses.  Bless you, Rivka!!

Anyway, by the time I got there, I was pretty sure my doctor was going to send me to the hospital, which, incidentally, is right next door.  So I was wheelchaired over there, admitted and got a bunch of needles stuck in me.  My right arm when I got home was a mass of black and blue.  Having had a mastectomy with all lymph glands removed, my left arm can't be used for such ministrations.

I was also getting nebulizer treatments four times a day.  That helped a whole lot with the breathing problems!  It's amazing how much garbage the lungs can accumulate before the patient suffocates.  My deepest sympathies to people who have emphysema!!

By the second day I was up and walking the halls (with a walker, of course).  But comes lunchtime, another surprise.  I was sitting on the edge of the bed ready to eat lunch, and all of a sudden I just fell over sideways.  "Oh, I don't feel too well," I said to the nurse.  She immediately stethescoped me and called ICU.  Atrial fibrillation.

For those of you who know what a-fib is, skip the next 3 paragraphs.  The heart is divided into 4 chambers.  The atria (singular: atrium) and the ventricles.  When one chamber doesn't work right, the other chambers have trouble, so it's important that all four chambers do their work properly.

Instead of a solid, steady pathump-pathump-pathump, I was going pu-pup-pu-pu-pu very fast, fluttering.  I always thought that anything erratic with the heart would be painful, but apparently I was mistaken.  No pain at all--just weakness.

Anyway, I spent about 36 hours in the ICU (more needles), with the possibility of needing a shock to get my heart stabilized.  However, one half hour before the shock was scheduled, my heart, by itself, went back to normal sinus rhythm.

After the heart rhythm stabilized, I went back to med-surg, but a different room--without a view--and a different set of nurses.  I was allowed to get up by myself to go to the bathroom.  That's a nice feeling of independence!

I hope no one will take offense at this, but I'm going to say it anyway.  I went to a Catholic hospital (because that's where my doctor is affiliated), and of course, there was a crucifix in every room.  Well, I felt a little uncomfortable saying my Hebrew prayers in the presence of an icon I don't believe in, so I took the crucifixes off the wall and hid them in a drawer.

This particular hospital doesn't have priest as a chaplain, but a nun and a (male) lay chaplain.  The lay chaplain visited me five times while I was in the ICU.  He kept asking me questions about my faith, and commented that obviously got great joy from my faith (I do!).  He also commented on the fact that my prayerbook is well used.

The nun, Sister Philomene, is a darling.  She visited twice, but her timing wasn't too good.  She managed to come just minutes before a nurse came to do whatever she was going to do, so we spoke very briefly.  I would have enjoyed her company if she had stayed.

Well, after two days in the second med-surg unit, I was kicked out.  With a bunch of prescription orders.  The blood pressure med I'll probably be on for the rest of my life, but heart regulation med, probably 3-6 months.  I'll be glad to get off that one because a side effect is muscle weakness and difficulty in walking.

Fortunately, I've acquired a walker with a seat, and brakes, too, if I have to negotiate a ramp.  A friend's mother is totally wheelchair-bound, so she GAVE me the walker.  I offered to pay for it, but she said, "No, absolutely not.  I'm just glad someone can use it."  I blessed with good friends.

What am I doing now?  Nebulizing once a day, using the inhaler a couple times a day, taking my medications, and easing into activities again.  My diet is (slightly) improved, and I'm hoping to get control of my snacking.

In other news: You all know that my computer died.  What happened, I don't know, but the hard drive was almost totally blasted.  I think a piece of mail I unintentionally opened had a virus or worm, or something evil.  I had to buy a new hard drive and a new Windows program.  I didn't have any registration numbers for Windows, as the computer was sent to me complete and ready for plug-ins, but no registration information.  So now I'm broke again, but a least I'm in contact with the world again.

An odd thing, though.  I couldn't find the cord for the modem, but everything seems to working just fine without it.  I'll have to remember all the programs I had installed, and re-install them.  First thing: the computer solitaire games!

I tried to read some diaries, but all the links aren't working.  They're there, but not underscored as links show up on my screen.  I wrote to Steve and asked if he could fix it.  Are any of you have such a problem?

Out of 900 plus emails, more than half were notifications of mail failure.  I guess those were mails I would have received if my computer was working.  But now, until Steve fixes the DD links, I can't read any of the diaries I saved, and that includes comments to my entries.  So if you want to talk to me, at least until the link is fixed, write to me at my email addy: [email protected].  

Oh, it's good to be home and connected again!!!!!

Shalom