{"id":41876,"date":"2020-11-17T20:51:53","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T04:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=41876"},"modified":"2020-11-17T20:51:53","modified_gmt":"2020-11-18T04:51:53","slug":"soineedaname-medical-update-doing-well","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2020\/11\/17\/soineedaname-medical-update-doing-well\/","title":{"rendered":"SoINeedAName Medical Update – Doing WELL!"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREETINGS PP Folks!<\/u><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"null\"<\/p>\n

Just a (maybe more<\/u><\/strong> than)<\/em> brief Update Note!<\/p>\n

I’m home since Sunday afternoon \u2013 and boy does it feel GOOD!<\/p>\n

When triaged into the ER on Tuesday morning (God, I am glad I drove myself there ASAP & not wait for ambulance) as the sickest patient.<\/p>\n

(NOTE: No one likes to wait in the ER \u2013 but trust me \u2026 you do NOT<\/u><\/strong> want to be at the top of the list to be seen \u2026 “Please, take <\/em>SOMEONE<\/u><\/strong> else first if possible”!)<\/em> and saw my VS monitor screen.<\/p>\n

(Not<\/u> to be overly dramatic, but I honestly thought I was going to die looking at those numbers!!)<\/p>\n

Maybe sometimes ignorance IS<\/em> bliss.\u00a0 But knowing what the numbers meant I honestly thought this was my “Hello, Jesus”<\/em><\/strong> moment.<\/p>\n

That was reconfirmed a day before my discharge when the nurse for the Hospitalist told me I was blue, mottled, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath.\u00a0 (I was there \u2013 I remember!)<\/em><\/p>\n

I have NEVER<\/u> been so scared in all my life!<\/p>\n

As my Vital Signs (VS) deteriorated, I do not believe I would NOT be here if it were not for the BIPAP machine!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

GIF<\/p>\n

It was literally a lifesaver!<\/p>\n

As you are all aware, Trump’s gross mismanagement of the COVID Pandemic has put literally MILLIONS of Americans at risk \u2013 and is the cause of TENS of THOUSANDS of DEATHS!\u00a0 (That is NOT<\/em><\/strong> hyperbole!).<\/p>\n

Given the COVID crunch, on Wednesday morning they tried to wean me off the BIPAP to make it available to someone else.\u00a0 (Understandable \u2013 all the BIPAP & AIRVO machines were in use.<\/p>\n

At least at this hospital, you get a 4-hour window to see if you can tolerate being off the BIPAP before they take it away.<\/p>\n

After an hour, I could tell I was NOT going to make it.\u00a0 My ER nurse told me to think “positive thoughts”.<\/p>\n

I told her I was \u2013 and I was POSITIVE<\/em><\/strong> I was NOT going to be able to tolerate being OFF the BIPAP.\u00a0 (She was not pleased \u2013 understandable given the crunch \u2026 but survival is a damn strong force.)<\/p>\n

When I was gasping again & my O2 saturation dropped below 80% (Normal: 95-99%), she put me back on the BIPAP<\/p>\n

Second time that machine literally saved my life!<\/p>\n

On Thursday they moved me to a Telemetry floor and started to SLOWLY wean me off the BIPAP machine.<\/p>\n

By Friday I was off the machine, and just on nasal FiO2 starting at 7 Liters.<\/p>\n

They slowly weaned me down & by Saturday morning I was on Room Air (RA).<\/p>\n

When you’re on the BIPAP you cannot eat or drink.\u00a0 (They give you tiny sponges soaked in water to suck on.)<\/p>\n

So I fasted from Tuesday morning to Friday.<\/p>\n

Not that I couldn’t use a fast weight-wise, but I’d rather be more proactive in selection.<\/p>\n

My Hospitalist (assigned \u2013 no chose) was really pretty good.<\/p>\n

The Cardiology & Pulmonology consults he ordered were EXCELLENT!<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

The entire hospital system \u2013 from doctors to dietary personnel \u2013 were excellent!\u00a0 I was VERY<\/u><\/em><\/strong> pleased w\/ the care I received!<\/p>\n

My only major complaint is that I felt a GREAT deal of pressure to get me OFF the BIBPAP and OUT of the hospital.<\/p>\n

I can understand the pressure \u2013 but I wonder what happens to folks who don’t have the background knowledge I bring to push for my own interests.<\/p>\n

(WRONG<\/strong> \u2013 no, I really do not<\/u> wonder \u2026 THEY DIE!<\/u><\/strong>)<\/em><\/p>\n

I lost 20+ pounds during my hospitalization per my scales.\u00a0 (I believe them)<\/p>\n

Mostly just fluid loss I’m sure.\u00a0 BUT the good news is I’m glad to get rid of the weight no matter how!<\/p>\n

The bad new \u2013 wonder if all the fluid retention is a possibility for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).<\/p>\n

My BNP (Brain Natriuretic Peptide) was only 1,020 \u2013 which is right on the margin of normal.\u00a0 But most folks in CHF have BNP values ot 20k-30k!<\/p>\n

So 1k is just on the border of normal.<\/p>\n

The Hospitalist thinks I have CHF.\u00a0 My Cardiologist does NOT!<\/p>\n

The Cardiologist does NOT believe my acute onset & fulminant course could be explained by a BNP of only 1,020.<\/p>\n

It is what it is, but I’m certainly in a gray area.<\/p>\n

I have a Pharmacological Stress Test scheduled for mid-December w\/ a F\/U (medical Follow\/Up \u2013 NOT the other F\/U<\/em>) w\/ my new Cardiologist.<\/p>\n

I really liked my original cardiologist \u2013 but he’s at a different Medical Center.\u00a0 I haven’t decided which one I’m going to go with.<\/p>\n

(Nice to have choices that are BOTH good.)<\/p>\n

Makes sense to consolidate all my care around the new Medical Center \u2013 particularly WRT communication\/sharing of info.<\/p>\n

Will have to wait and see how it goes \u2013 but that’s the direction I’m leaning.<\/p>\n

(Hard to leave folks who’ve I liked & worked hard for me.\u00a0 We’ll see \u2026)<\/p>\n

Bottom Lines:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Felt like I was on the brink of death \u2013 LITERALLY<\/u><\/em><\/strong> (I know it’s chewing-the-curtains dramatic-wise, but I honestly believe it) \u2013 so happy to be posting this.<\/p>\n

Glad to be alive<\/p>\n

Very pleased with my care<\/p>\n

Still questions down the road.<\/p>\n

I deeply missed you guys!<\/p>\n

Going back, I’ve been in the hospital overnight four (4) times previous to this \u2013 going back to being hit by a car as a 5 y\/o kid.<\/p>\n

This is the FIRST time I’ve been in longer than overnight!<\/p>\n

It was a true eye-opening experience (which I would have been HAPPY to forgo).<\/p>\n

But I had NO idea how energy-sapping a hospitalization (when you’re really not doing anything) can be.<\/p>\n

(TC \u2013 I yield to your “expertise”.)<\/em><\/p>\n

I’m EXHAUSTED!<\/p>\n

I’ll see how it goes, but right now I doubt there will be a “Friday Fun”<\/em> for a week or two.<\/p>\n

I’m just all done-in.<\/p>\n

Hugs & “THANK YOUS” for all the thoughts & prayers sent my way!<\/p>\n

But I hope I NEVER have to call on your powers again!!!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GREETINGS PP Folks! Just a (maybe more than) brief Update Note! I’m home since Sunday afternoon \u2013 and boy does it feel GOOD! When triaged into the ER on Tuesday morning (God, I am glad I drove myself there ASAP & not wait for ambulance) as the sickest patient. (NOTE: No one likes to wait […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[4194,4192,4193],"class_list":["post-41876","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-doctors","tag-er","tag-icu","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41876\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}