So I ended my last blog with my "craziness" being at Good Sam and not knowing that I was actually headed back up to Cleveland. A CT of my chest (at Good Sam the next day) showed that I had more air trapping then what was there in January. (Pneumomediastinum...air between my lungs). Good Sam was ready to do a chest tube to relieve the air but Cleveland disagreed and wanted me to be transported up there to be admitted and watched. So we waited and waited for a bed to open at Cleveland and I got there about 11 that night. No chest tubes were done. Once I got there to Cleveland they wanted to do an ABG (arterial blood gas) on room air to see where I was at O2 and pCO2 levels. I was taken off my 4L for I would say less then 5 minutes and blood was drawn. The woman drawing the blood grabbed me an air mask and put it to my face right away after the draw as I was starting to have a hard time breathing...which was reason because my O2 reading was 49! (Normal is 85-95) My pCO2 was 55, which is on the high side, normal is (34-46). When she had come back with the results they were afraid that they did just a venous blood draw and not arterial...but nope...it was arterial. So scare #1 right there, but I "recovered" and was able to get a little bit of rest that night despite everything going on around me.
I was swabbed to see if I had RSV...which I did end up having...so that meant that the nurses and doctors had to gown and mask up before coming in. Doug did not have to because he wasn't seeing other patients on the floor. So that was a little annoying having to try to understand these doctors behind their masks. :) So I was told that I would be listed, but we first had to get rid of the RSV because I couldn't be on the list and have an infection. Once they found out that I just had RSV, Infectious Disease said that I would be able to take the antibiotic in pill form and we could stop the IV antibiotics. Yet it was the weekend...a holiday weekend to boot and no one at the Pharmacy could ok insurance approval for the pills. Each pill was $260 and I needed 30 of them! If I was in the hospital, the pills were covered, so they were the only reason holding me there. Doug did find a loophole, saying if a doctor talked to the insurance for the Pharmacy that it could get okayed faster and I could go home. (they were telling me 2 days which would be Tuesday after Memorial Day). Here it is Monday and it just stunk knowing all of my out of town family that I hadn't seen in a year or more was about ready to leave and I hadn't even seen them!
So one of the transplant doctors comes in Monday morning and tells me that it would be another day because they just couldn't get the insurance approval. So I had a mini breakdown. I hate to cry in front of people at all but I just couldn't help it. I told him I didn't understand...told him about my family (again) and how important it was that I try and leave that day, not on Tuesday. I think he was taken back a little and did say he would try but he had so many other patients, etc...but he came back later and said if we could swing a small amount for the pills I could be released. Yay! well, I didn't get too excited because I still felt like it wasn't going to happen...my heart rate was still pretty high. I kept lying down to rest hoping to get it to go down. He comes back in to tell me they can't let me go after all because of my high heart rate. I got upset again because it had been high the entire stay, yet now this is going to keep me from getting to go home??? I told him this and asked if I could get it to go down if he would consider letting me leave later that day. He prescribed a pill for the heart rate to try and agreed to wait and see. Doug left to make some phone calls, I fell asleep and the nurse came in about an hour later telling me the doctor was discharging me! Whew!
Got home late Monday night and was able to see my parents, aunt, brother and sister-in-law for just a little bit and was so happy! I was able to get some rest that night...thought I was still in the hospital...but was able to spend some more time the next day with everyone before they left for town the next day. I was very bummed I missed out on my niece, Allison's graduation festivities. Such a special and fun time in life and I wasn't a part of it. :( I was there in spirit but that's just not the same. Everything "worked out" but I still would've liked more time with everyone. I overdid it a little with the talking, because my face and neck blew back up with the trapped air, but it was well worth it. :)
My last week has been recovering and I am feeling better then the previous week. I need to take it easy and stay in as much as possible so that I don't get sick. I also have to be very careful of those that may come see me..any trace of a cold or flu stay away! (No offense!) :) I'll be wearing a mask a lot more even in my house with visitors so don't take offense if I pull it on while you're here. :) I'm still stubborn in putting it on, but now that I am going to finally be listed I am going to be wearing the masks a lot more because I just can't take the chance in getting sick and being pulled off the list!
Butterfly wings, here I come!!!
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