I've not told anyone yet... mostly because it's so hard to talk about still for my husband & myself.... but here we go...............
I started feeling a bit off a few weeks back.. My pulm ordered tons of test.. PFT, Bronch w/ biop, blood work up, contrast ct.. blahblahblah... I get results on this Friday@ 9 am (can't wait either) But in the waiting game of my life.. I became more ill... every part of my body hurt, not holding down food again, no sleep.. So by Friday the 5th I thought I was going crazy because of the pain..
So late that night I called a friend to take me into the hospital to just see what's going on or maybe they could give me suggestions on something else to take to try...
After being at Genises West for about 5 hours.. the stupid doctor said he thought I was having an anxiety attack, gave me 2 atavans & sent my tail home.. Needless to say I was Ticked Off... I went home & went to bed..
I woke up to have lunch with Gary (who was at his second job) honestly I don't remember much after leaving him.. I know I didn't eat, I had a drink only.. but on the way home something happened & I ended up in the oncoming traffic & almost hit a big truck head on... Somehow I crossed the center & oh my gosh.. I was scared...
So I called one of my sister's & told her she had to stay on the phone with me till I got home.. I went back to bed.. That's all I remember till Tuesday the 9th late at night I started to wake up a bit..
This is what I've been told by all my family, friends & doctors...my sister Dee was worried, so she thought she would drive here to check on me.. She got me up & took me to a different hospital Trinity Terrace.. The ER doc there said my liver was enlarged, I had pancreatitus & would be admitted right now... So Saturday early evening I guess that's what they did.. Sometime late Sunday night they moved me to ICU, I was going into respatory failure... They felt I needed to be watched closely... Monday morning around 4 my husband sat down with the staff & asked should he go to work or not & they assured him I am in the icu & would be watched close & they'd call if they needed him.. So he went to work... (You all have to remember he has a JERK for a boss, so I knew he had to do what he had to do.. He was so worried I would be upset, but I wasn't at all)
Ok, here we go......
Monday my sister, a nieces & one of the pastors from my church was there.... it was about lunch time.. so a few had stopped by... Everyone left but my sister.. & all the sudden I stopped breathing...
So much for my DNR & Living Will..... (I am happy to be alive... but so confused about all I went threw... )
Doctors informed my sister whoever needed to be contacted needed to be done NOW... so she freaked out & called a few people... From what I hear from the icu nurses I had about 30-40 people up there within 20 minuets.. My mother was in North Carolina visiting one of my nieces... so she hit the road & drove as fast as my sister Rhonda could..
I ended up coding around 1, I died & 2 doctors made the choice to bring me back... my husband & boys are grateful too!!!
My husband had asked for them to keep me alive as long as they could so he could see me when he got there... They couldn't keep my vitals up though... Lot's of meds, lots of people working on me... They worked on me till late into the night. One smart butt doctor who doesn't know me from Adam made the comment infront of my kids that I some how must have overdosed on my medications & mainly my pain meds.. Morphine & Ultraset.... NOT.... My husband snapped on him & got into some kind of fight.. ended up sending someone to my house to get my meds... The counted them & I had way more then needed to make it clear I never abused my meds ever!!!!
But I was on Narcan 4 times, my vitals were still in danger of crashing again.. Docs ended up thinking I had a massive heartatack or threw a blood clot either to lung or heart.. So they were getting things ready for a cardio cath... Which I had & ended up looking good.. My heart was fine & no signs of blood clots anywhere... They let my boys in to see me & I was about to crash again when my youngest son laid on my chest & cried.. the doctors, nurses & my brother Rick said they all watched my numbers raise... I'm not kidding.. this is all documented... NUTS HUH??????? I didn't wake up for several hours after this.. But this is what all I've been told.
Meanwhile...... I'm still on Narcan.. which is used for people who do overdoes... so after having a sister-in-law who is a RN, an Aunt who is an RN & 2 of my brothers are EMT Paramedics.... they all have said that they watched this hospital give me morphine by mouth & threw iv both several times... Were still looking into it.. but looks like this stupid hospital ended up giving me way too much medication...
I woke up in fear, in a different world, seeing & hearing things that weren’t happening... I couldn't recognize anyone.. I thought people were cutting me up, eating me, taking my body parts... This went on till Wednesday afternoon.. my ears started to be able to hear a little better on Wednesday morning.. I was hearing like when people with cancer have to use the little box up to their voice box to talk.. That’s how my ears worked... Drove me Crazy... I still couldn't walk till Friday night & I still drag my left foot & limp... talking is still a little messed up.. but Thank God I'm not talking like a little baby any more.... I am having major nitemares... I just don't know what’s going on..
I am home now... have been since Thursday night.. I think the hospital said "Stabilize her & get her out the door" LOL
we didn't hear it, but that's how we feel...
I have a few cracked ribs from the cpr, some burn marks from the paddles... major bruising... left arm is unusable... right arm is sore but getting better... huge bruise between my chest, covering my right breast & down to my belly button.... Drinking is still hard to deal with & I'm not eating solids yet.. But I go to my MD tomorrow at 11 and then my pulm on Fri... I have to go see a neuro & a rumatolagy doc soon too.... Ohhh yea & since being in the hospital they ended up checking my blood sugar & now I take insulin (SUCKS) my fingers are so done with this crap.... Docs say it's from all the stress & meds...
So there ya go... Please please please pray for me.. I can't tell you how horrifying this has been for my boys & us... I'm still so sick & no one seems to know why...
I'll keep you informed as I find out stuff...
Thanks,
Windy - Iowa