2 August 2024
Well, yesterday was a bust! Wednesday’s wake up was 1:30 AM with diarrhea. I alternated with the bed and the bathroom. As I headed to the bathroom at 3 AM, I fainted in the hallway. My iPhone asked me if I had fallen and if I was OK. Thank goodness for Steve Jobs looking or for me.
I managed to eat a few bananas and kept pouring liquids into me but as fast as I added the liquid, it would come out the other end. I finally realized I needed to go to the emergency room. I called Keith and he came over. While waiting for Keith, I decided to check the mail and as soon as I opened the door, I fainted a second time. I’ve never fainted in my life and yet I did twice in one day.
Keith thought I was just waiting for him outside. I had lost consciousness and didn’t realize I was leaning back against a metal pole that holds the roof up. Keith thought it peculiar that I had not gotten up. He had to help me and off we went to Holy Cross emergency.
When we walked in, there were only two people ahead of me so they fit me in quickly. After preliminary vitals, they wished me to ER7. Zachary was my doctor and I swear he looked like a teenager. Be that as it may, he asked some very probing questions. They did a CT scan and X-rays. I don’t have a concussion, nor do I have any neck entry. My chest X-ray was clear. They also checked my abdomen and my pelvic region. The one finding was my Thoracic 12 vertebra is now compressed. Add that to L1, L2, L3, L4, L5 and C1 being in bad shape, you can see why I have extreme lower back pain. Oh yeah, when I fell, I also opened a deep womb on the back of my head. You know how head injuries bleed. The ER put 3 staples in my head and gave me a tetanus shot.
Sadly, Keith will have to clean some blood from his car.
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They kept doing blood draws and additional tests so they waited for the results to figure where to place me in the hospital. I ended up on the 5th floor, Room 572.
Michel waited with me in the ER and by the time my room was ready, I made Michel go home because Holley and Jim arrived. Once in the room, more tests and blood draws. Holy Cross provided me with a private room.
They’ve tried tramadol and one other pain medicine but neither worked. I think the next thing they will try will be morphine. Just call me a drug addict!
The doctors have an idea as to the falling. They. think it is dehydration. However, to be sure it’s not my heart, they’ve scheduled another echocardiogram. I’ve seen a lot of doctors since yesterday including an ER doctor, and internal medicine specailist and the head of cardiology at Holy Cross. Everyone has been great. All the nurses are very competent and, as you know, they run the place.
Jim and Holley stuck around and brought me two bananas, a cookie and some coffee. They really brought me more but I had no appetite. After they left, Holy Cross brought me a dinner: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and broccoli. I ate a little of that but didn’t do it justice.
I still get dizzy spells and I’m curious what the doctors say today. I didn’t get any sleep last night. Turning in the bed was extremely painful. I also didn’t realize I hurt my left knee until I tried to sleep in my normal position with one knee atop the other.
I have asked for a strong pain killer. I’m sure I have more blood draws today as well as the echocardiogram.
Everyone has been great and a lot of you asked about me because they didn’t see my blog. That makes me feel very good that people are reading it.
Breakfast will be one pancake, fresh fruit, orange juice and regular coffee.
Stay tuned!
