dwasson
05-14-2006, 05:21 PM
So, on Monday, May 1, I wake up in the recliner, with excruciating pain in the right side of my back, and a cough. I suspect that cause is the recliner but, I'm not thinking that clearly. I sit and lay around all day Monday, hurting and getting worse.
On Tuesday morning, the 2nd, I go to the emergency room, hurting much worse, and coughing more. The coughing and shortness of breath are not getting to my consciousness, through the pain, so I spend most of my energy stressing the pain to the doctors. After x-rays and other tests, they decide that it's most likely a kidney stone, but since I'm not screaming, it will pass. They give me some vicoden and send me home.
Meanwhile, on another track, I am negotiating a job. It is a good, short term opportunity, that may extend. On Monday, they agree to start me on May 8.
Overnight on Wednesday the worst of the pain stops. Now the coughing and shortness of breath is on top of the complaint list. Every time I cough I'm racked by pain in my lower chest and I'm hacking up ugly stuff. But, since the pain has lessened I'm obviously getting better, right? The coughing continues to worsen over the next two days, but the worst of the pain has left. I'm grateful for any small improvements.
At this point, the new employer emails me that he needs to slide my start date back a few days and asks if I'm OK with that. I tell him about the kidney stone and suggest that May 15 may work better for both of us. He agrees. I've bought some time.
On Friday night, I realize that I haven't eaten any solid food since Monday. my lovely bride comes home from work and persuades me to return to the emergency room. We go the hospital emergency room and they take me in the back, ahead of the lobby full of people. This scares me a little, making me think that it is pretty serious. Then the really scary stuff starts. They attach the EKG leads, O2 line, and other things. I was expecting a shot, and getting sent home to recuperate. It doesn't look like that is anyone's plan.
After four hours in the emergency room they decide I have pneumonia, and to admit me. Since we went to the local clinic branch, this involves getting me to the big hospital downtown. I get an ambulance ride. It is a rough ride, laying on my back as we hurtle down Michigan roads.
I arrive at the hospital about oh-dark-30 and I spend the next five hours reanswering questions that the emergency room doctors asked, getting more blood removed, and generally being poked and disturbed, all the while becoming more and more exhausted. Movement or talking brought on a spell of painful coughing and spitting up ugly stuff that could last an hour. Repeatedly, the first day at the hospital, I would just be nodding off and someone else would come in disturb me again. As I became more tired it seemed to me that I was getting worse in the hospital.
Saturday, during the day I was very ill, and they still wouldn't let me sleep. I've settled into a routine 4 1/2 hour cycle. Wake up, struggle upright, pee in the bottle, sit on the edge of the bed and cough for awhile, then lay back in the bed and drift into unconsciousness. None of these episodes of sleep last more than 2 hours and most are less than 45 minutes. The older gentleman in the next bed has a large family, with kids and babies, and people constantly coming and going. He keeps his TV blaring at all hours. Throw in the staff interruptions and there is always something trying to keep me awake. And I just feel worse and worse.
By Saturday evening, May 6, I still haven't found anything I want to eat and I really don't care. I'm on O2 and IV fluids and antibiotics. Everything that has a taste is foul. Everything would be made better if I could just get three hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Sunday, I'm getting surly, but probably feeling a little better. My sleep/wake cycle seems to be completely out of whack with the hospital's schedule of poking me. So, I decide to attempt to sync myself to their schedule. I try to sit in the chair for a little while, but the change in position causes a coughing attack. I make a deal with the staff. If the man next door is asleep they will turn his TV down a little.
A little observation on hospital staff:
It looks like only the best of the support workers are able to see patients as people and not just impediments to their jobs.
Examples:
In order to reach the rest room my IV tree had to be at the foot of the bed. One NA would move it aside to check my vitals, and then leave the IV tree wherever she pushed it. :
It looks like everyone of their machines generates error beeps. Instantly upon removing the POX lead from the patient's finger the machine begins beeping insistently. I looked at this machine and there is a button to turn off the beeper. But almost inevitably there are personnel walking down the hall, dragging this noisy machine behind them.
One of the cleaning staff would come in and sweep the floor, banging things around. The worst was when she would bang the IV tree against the steel frame of the bed.
So, by Monday, I'm getting better and more impatient. They tell me that I can leave Tuesday afternoon. I spend the next 24 hours trying to avoid changing their minds. my wife arrives Tuesday afternoon to take me home. At noon, I'm waiting for a 2:00 check out and I have the best sleep I've had in a week.
She gets me home about 4:00 Tuesday. I sit on the sofa and rest for a while and rest up I feel toxic. I take a shower for the first time in 4 days. Then I go back to sit on the sofa for a while and fall into a blissful sleep for a few hours.
I've been getting better each day. The new employer moved the start date back to May 22. I think I can still do this.
On Tuesday morning, the 2nd, I go to the emergency room, hurting much worse, and coughing more. The coughing and shortness of breath are not getting to my consciousness, through the pain, so I spend most of my energy stressing the pain to the doctors. After x-rays and other tests, they decide that it's most likely a kidney stone, but since I'm not screaming, it will pass. They give me some vicoden and send me home.
Meanwhile, on another track, I am negotiating a job. It is a good, short term opportunity, that may extend. On Monday, they agree to start me on May 8.
Overnight on Wednesday the worst of the pain stops. Now the coughing and shortness of breath is on top of the complaint list. Every time I cough I'm racked by pain in my lower chest and I'm hacking up ugly stuff. But, since the pain has lessened I'm obviously getting better, right? The coughing continues to worsen over the next two days, but the worst of the pain has left. I'm grateful for any small improvements.
At this point, the new employer emails me that he needs to slide my start date back a few days and asks if I'm OK with that. I tell him about the kidney stone and suggest that May 15 may work better for both of us. He agrees. I've bought some time.
On Friday night, I realize that I haven't eaten any solid food since Monday. my lovely bride comes home from work and persuades me to return to the emergency room. We go the hospital emergency room and they take me in the back, ahead of the lobby full of people. This scares me a little, making me think that it is pretty serious. Then the really scary stuff starts. They attach the EKG leads, O2 line, and other things. I was expecting a shot, and getting sent home to recuperate. It doesn't look like that is anyone's plan.
After four hours in the emergency room they decide I have pneumonia, and to admit me. Since we went to the local clinic branch, this involves getting me to the big hospital downtown. I get an ambulance ride. It is a rough ride, laying on my back as we hurtle down Michigan roads.
I arrive at the hospital about oh-dark-30 and I spend the next five hours reanswering questions that the emergency room doctors asked, getting more blood removed, and generally being poked and disturbed, all the while becoming more and more exhausted. Movement or talking brought on a spell of painful coughing and spitting up ugly stuff that could last an hour. Repeatedly, the first day at the hospital, I would just be nodding off and someone else would come in disturb me again. As I became more tired it seemed to me that I was getting worse in the hospital.
Saturday, during the day I was very ill, and they still wouldn't let me sleep. I've settled into a routine 4 1/2 hour cycle. Wake up, struggle upright, pee in the bottle, sit on the edge of the bed and cough for awhile, then lay back in the bed and drift into unconsciousness. None of these episodes of sleep last more than 2 hours and most are less than 45 minutes. The older gentleman in the next bed has a large family, with kids and babies, and people constantly coming and going. He keeps his TV blaring at all hours. Throw in the staff interruptions and there is always something trying to keep me awake. And I just feel worse and worse.
By Saturday evening, May 6, I still haven't found anything I want to eat and I really don't care. I'm on O2 and IV fluids and antibiotics. Everything that has a taste is foul. Everything would be made better if I could just get three hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Sunday, I'm getting surly, but probably feeling a little better. My sleep/wake cycle seems to be completely out of whack with the hospital's schedule of poking me. So, I decide to attempt to sync myself to their schedule. I try to sit in the chair for a little while, but the change in position causes a coughing attack. I make a deal with the staff. If the man next door is asleep they will turn his TV down a little.
A little observation on hospital staff:
It looks like only the best of the support workers are able to see patients as people and not just impediments to their jobs.
Examples:
In order to reach the rest room my IV tree had to be at the foot of the bed. One NA would move it aside to check my vitals, and then leave the IV tree wherever she pushed it. :
It looks like everyone of their machines generates error beeps. Instantly upon removing the POX lead from the patient's finger the machine begins beeping insistently. I looked at this machine and there is a button to turn off the beeper. But almost inevitably there are personnel walking down the hall, dragging this noisy machine behind them.
One of the cleaning staff would come in and sweep the floor, banging things around. The worst was when she would bang the IV tree against the steel frame of the bed.
So, by Monday, I'm getting better and more impatient. They tell me that I can leave Tuesday afternoon. I spend the next 24 hours trying to avoid changing their minds. my wife arrives Tuesday afternoon to take me home. At noon, I'm waiting for a 2:00 check out and I have the best sleep I've had in a week.
She gets me home about 4:00 Tuesday. I sit on the sofa and rest for a while and rest up I feel toxic. I take a shower for the first time in 4 days. Then I go back to sit on the sofa for a while and fall into a blissful sleep for a few hours.
I've been getting better each day. The new employer moved the start date back to May 22. I think I can still do this.