The Rest of the Story

[Guest Guest]

I'm home from the mountains, and my Mom's house where I stayed until yesterday. CM works such long hours, we thought it would be better to be with someone during the day.

 

Someone asked if this all started with a cold. Yes, it did. I went into the Dr. who gave me antibiotics, cough medicine and sent me home. Someone here suggested a humidifier, so CM got ours out and plugged it in, and it really did help. The next week, I went back in to the Dr. because I wasn't any better as far as the cough, etc. His assistant immediately discovered that my oxygen saturation was very low, and put me on oxygen. After examining me, he said I was very ill, and needed to go to the emergency room. I was alone, and he wouldn't let me go by myself, so he called my Mom. At emergency, they did xrays, and confirmed that I had pneumonia......3 large spots of it, 2 on one lung, and one on the other. I was admitted, and spent a week there.

 

The night before I was released, I started throwing up, and the nurses attributed that to the IV antibiotics they were giving me. They went ahead and released me the next day, and I went to my Mom's house, where things immediately got worse. I couldn't keep anyting down, not even water, and I was so dizzy, I was hitting the walls if I tried to get up unassisted. My Mom took me back to the Dr. at the clinic, and she said I was dehydrated (an understatement) and gave me a shot to help me keep something in my stomach, and got a coke down me, and sent me home. I seemed fine, but by the time we got back to my Mom's home, all symptoms had returned, and my Mom had to get a neighbor to help me into the house.

 

By Sunday, I hadn't peed in 5 days, there was a roaring in my ears, and everyone sounded like Minnie Mouse, and my vision was like looking at the world through a negative of a photograph. CM and my Mom tried to get me to go to emergency, but I felt so bad, I argued with them, and said I would go the next day. They insisted, and it's a good thing they did, or I wouldn't be writing this.

 

CM rushed me back to the little country hospital, and they made me sit in a wheel chair in the waiting room without even assessing my condition. When I started throwing up, it got their attention, and they got me into an examining room. They sent me for x-rays, ultrasound, and an echocardiogram. The guy in x-ray told CM to quit messing around, that he didn't like what he was seeing, and that I needed to be in a better hospital.....we had been there for 4 hours by this time. CM started putting pressure on the staff, and they decided to transport me by ambulance to a large hospital in the city that handles shock and trauma cases. By then, they had determined that my kidneys had totally shut down, and they didn't know for how long, and I was in heart failure. My blood pressure was so low, they were afraid I would go into a coma. The Dr. there kept saying my chances of survival were not good. When they couldn't get my blood pressure up high enough for transport, they called in Life Flight because they didn't think I would survive the 45 min ride by ambulance. When that team arrived, they took over, and got my blood pressure up high enough to make the 15 min flight.

 

As they carried me out to the chopper, it was cold, and the sky was a beautiful midnight blue, with silver threads of clouds, and the moon was beautiful. I wondered if that was the last night sky I would ever see. I could see how grave my condition was, in the eyes of the young man who was the co-pilot, back up nurse. And a lovely woman kept holding my hand, and telling me they would do everything they could, and she tried to get me warm......those choppers are not heated.

 

When we arrived at the hospital, there was a cardiologist and a kidney specialist waiting. By the time CM and my Mom got there, they had put in an arterial line and three IV's, and were working on me nonstop. I heard the kidney specialist telling CM and my Mom that IF I survived the night, I would probably be on dialysis. He was very cold natured, but he did know his job.

 

My Mom was frantic, and I don't know about CM as he is the strong silent type. They did all they could, then suggested that CM and my Mom leave, and let me rest.

 

Obviously, I did make it through the night, and late the next day, my kidneys produced some urine, which was a wonderful sign. I was in ICU for two days while they got my kidneys functioning again, and my blood pressure up to where it should be. Then I was moved to a surgical ward.

 

The Dr's had taken me off all the meds I take daily, for high blood pressure, and arthritis. By the end of my stay, they said I should not be on BP meds, so I got to drop both of those. Because I had been off the arthritis meds for nearly 6 weeks, I could barely walk, and today, walking is my most difficult challenge, as I don't have enough of the drug in my system yet.

 

CM took me to a condo in the mountains, at Sun Valley, Idaho for a week, which was a blessing, because the place was so small, and easier for me to get around. I have a dear, childhood friend who lives there, and she would come and spend afternoons with me, and it was SO good to see her, as it had been nearly 3 years since we'd seen each other.

 

Now, I have to go for a sleep study, as it has been confirmed that I have sleep apnea, and will continue to need oxygen at night. That probably explains why I have been so tired for the last few years. No one knows exactly why all of this happened to me, but if you have a loved one who is ill, make sure they are urinating, and if vomiting continues, or ear and eye sight go, get them to a hospital.

 

For any emergency, we will now go to the city where the care I got was much more professional. Another thing we will do is to research, on the computer, our symptoms to try to find a diagnosis.

 

At the same time that I was ill, my niece had pain and was throwing up. Her Dr. sent her home and told her to drink plenty of fluids. Her Mom did some research, and was convinced that she had a kidney stone. Guess what! She was right, and my niece had emergency surgery to remove the stone as it was too large to pass.

 

I go back to work next week, working at home half time, and see how that goes. I'm still a bit weak, and am still on oxygen, but mostly, it's painful to walk.

 

I'll be around, but probably not as much for awile until I am fully recovered.

 

Again, thank you so much for your prayers, and the thread that you sent to the hospital with CM. Reci, thank you for the letters and cards. You all are the BEST!

 

Now I need to caught up with whats been going on around here.

 

Hugs,

Mare

[mrszouave]

That brought tears to my eyes Mare.......oh my.......what you've been through......(Not to mention Mr. Cavey and your Mom!)

WOW!

All i can say is a sincere THANK YOU LORD......for bringing Mare through this horrible time!

 

SO very Happy to know your feeling better Mare! Your in my continued prayers!

xox

deb

[Guest Guest]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Mare}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

 

Thank God you made it!!!

 

How scary that it all seemed to come on so *quickly*!

 

Take care, rest, and get well. Don't push yourself... we NEED you!

[Guest Guest]

What an experience! I'm so happy to hear you are recovering now, Mare.

[gardnmom]

It is so good to have you back. It is really tough to learn that we can't always trust our care completely to Drs.

I learned that as a child. I had my Dad though, he was in the medics during world war ll. And thanks to him I can raise my left arm above my head. You are so right about doing your own research. You take care of yourself now. Check out MSM while you are doing your research. Love ya (((Mare)))

[logcabinmama]

Good morning.

 

I am so happy you are home and able to post Mare. It has sure been a rough road you were traveling.

 

Prayers have been answered for sure.

 

You take care and just post when you are able.

 

(((((((((Mare)))))))))

 

 

[Goose Liver]

Oh Mare so glad you back and feeling better. Sounds like about the scariest thing that a person could ever go through.

Take care of youself, we missed you.

 

[Guest Guest]

Mare, I'm so happy that you are feeling better, and sorry about your illness, do what ever it takes to get back on your feet, even if it's a little at a time...

Maybe it was meant to be, if they feel you don't need blood pressure pills any more, medicine affects us in ways we don't always know......

I must say, I learned a lot about your personality by the way you decribed the night sky, even as sick as you were, I'm convinced you have a poet's soul..... (((( hugs)))))

[Lois]

Bout time ya started getting better! That sure wasn't no vacation girlfriend! All kiidding aside, I am so very very happy that your on the mend and that you are back home with that loving hubby of yours. Pleas get lots of rest Mare, I among others would be so lost without you in my life. Luv twi.

[Dee]

Wow you sure went through the wringer Mare and I am so glad your back up and around. Watch that Sleep Apnea- it can cause all kinds of havic with your body. I have one long card to send to you which I will get out shortly from everyone here along with their well wishes. I am just so glad to see you up and around. Take it easy and give your body time to get strong. Hugs... A.

[HapyGirl]

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Mare}}}}}}}}}}}} We are so grateful you are back home safe and sound and well enough to post! Please continue to take it easy and I hope the arthritis medication kicks in soon so you can move around without so much pain. We missed you!

[Linda]

that made me want to cry... i am so thankful to the Lord for answeared prayer. And that you are alright. You poor darling

now when i look at the night skies, i shall think of you and give thanks that that wasn't your last time to see the beauty of the skies at night.

love to you and CM and lots of thanks to your Ma.

So glad you are better.