RM 5105, ONCOLOGY & PULMONARY FLOOR
Wow, it is amazing how much can happen in one day. Yesterday at this time I posted a simple blog that said I was tired of telling the same story over and over again. Well, I'll choose my words more carefully next time.
At about 8:30pm I was standing in the kitchen getting a fudge pop and had a small belch. I felt a sharp pain in my left side. It came and went fast and I assumed it was just gas in my chest so I sat on the couch and watched a movie not giving it another thought.
After the movie I pushed the recliner into the upright position and tried to stand up. When I did, the pain in my side was awful. I moved my arm around and twisted, thinking it was a pinched nerve but it didn't improve. Jeff walked with me up the stairs so I could go to bed but with each step it grew worse. Every breath was like a knife in my side with radiating pain through my back and up my neck.
Within five minutes we decided to head to the emergency room. Jeff called our friend Ashley to sit at the house so the kids were not alone and I made my way back down the stairs. Before Jeff could gather all my prescription bottles to take with us, Ashley had pulled into the drive.
In the ER I was crying pretty hard and making noises with each breath that I could not control. It's pretty embarrassing thinking about it now but at the time I didn't care who heard me.
Relief finally came when they pushed Dilaudid through my port an hour after the intense pain started. It hit hard and I thought I might black out. It was warm, my ears started to ring, and everyone was in a tunnel. It is how I feel when I'm being knocked out for surgery but warmer in my throat. This was the first time I used my port for something other than chemo and it is pretty amazing how fast you feel it when meds are delivered inches from you heart!
Through the night I had a CT scan, chest x-ray, and a slew of blood tests. The ER doctor thought he would find a chest blood clot but he didn't. When all was said and done I was diagnosed with a low white blood cell count, anemia, and early pneumonia. I was admitted at 3am with no answers as to why I had such terrible chest pain.
Jeff headed home around 3:40am and I waited up until after 4am for the doctor to come around and explain. The nurse told me the ER doc turned me over to the oncologist and she would not be by until morning. I wasn't happy, but was comforted knowing I was in the right place if it happened again. I would not have wanted to go home not knowing.
*********************
This morning Dr Cook came to visit me. She was honest in saying that we may never know why it was so painful, but it was a good thing I came. I have inflammation in my lungs and my blood counts are too low to be out in public. I'll be here in isolation for a few days on IV antibiotics until my body is well enough to continue this fight.
I am very stubborn about going to or even calling the doctor. Headed to the emergency room is unheard of for me. I told Jeff hours before this happened, "something isn't right". I couldn't put my finger on it but my body was telling me it wasn't running on a full take of gas. I was hurting more than normal (back pain) and sleeping a lot. For each hour away from home I needed almost the same length nap to recover.
I just told Jeff this. Not a doctor. It would have take some unbelievable pain to send me to the emergency room. Hummm, do you think maybe "somebody" knows that?
Thank you Lord of stepping in and forcing me to get help when I needed it.
Wow, it is amazing how much can happen in one day. Yesterday at this time I posted a simple blog that said I was tired of telling the same story over and over again. Well, I'll choose my words more carefully next time.
At about 8:30pm I was standing in the kitchen getting a fudge pop and had a small belch. I felt a sharp pain in my left side. It came and went fast and I assumed it was just gas in my chest so I sat on the couch and watched a movie not giving it another thought.
After the movie I pushed the recliner into the upright position and tried to stand up. When I did, the pain in my side was awful. I moved my arm around and twisted, thinking it was a pinched nerve but it didn't improve. Jeff walked with me up the stairs so I could go to bed but with each step it grew worse. Every breath was like a knife in my side with radiating pain through my back and up my neck.
Within five minutes we decided to head to the emergency room. Jeff called our friend Ashley to sit at the house so the kids were not alone and I made my way back down the stairs. Before Jeff could gather all my prescription bottles to take with us, Ashley had pulled into the drive.
In the ER I was crying pretty hard and making noises with each breath that I could not control. It's pretty embarrassing thinking about it now but at the time I didn't care who heard me.
Relief finally came when they pushed Dilaudid through my port an hour after the intense pain started. It hit hard and I thought I might black out. It was warm, my ears started to ring, and everyone was in a tunnel. It is how I feel when I'm being knocked out for surgery but warmer in my throat. This was the first time I used my port for something other than chemo and it is pretty amazing how fast you feel it when meds are delivered inches from you heart!
Through the night I had a CT scan, chest x-ray, and a slew of blood tests. The ER doctor thought he would find a chest blood clot but he didn't. When all was said and done I was diagnosed with a low white blood cell count, anemia, and early pneumonia. I was admitted at 3am with no answers as to why I had such terrible chest pain.
Jeff headed home around 3:40am and I waited up until after 4am for the doctor to come around and explain. The nurse told me the ER doc turned me over to the oncologist and she would not be by until morning. I wasn't happy, but was comforted knowing I was in the right place if it happened again. I would not have wanted to go home not knowing.
*********************
This morning Dr Cook came to visit me. She was honest in saying that we may never know why it was so painful, but it was a good thing I came. I have inflammation in my lungs and my blood counts are too low to be out in public. I'll be here in isolation for a few days on IV antibiotics until my body is well enough to continue this fight.
I am very stubborn about going to or even calling the doctor. Headed to the emergency room is unheard of for me. I told Jeff hours before this happened, "something isn't right". I couldn't put my finger on it but my body was telling me it wasn't running on a full take of gas. I was hurting more than normal (back pain) and sleeping a lot. For each hour away from home I needed almost the same length nap to recover.
I just told Jeff this. Not a doctor. It would have take some unbelievable pain to send me to the emergency room. Hummm, do you think maybe "somebody" knows that?
Thank you Lord of stepping in and forcing me to get help when I needed it.
Love you very much. Glad your safe and resting. I will be praying for you!!!!!
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