Aug. 7th, 2007 I was just finishing a day at work, I wasn't working at a salon at this time (in between, I did hair at home though) I did software tech support for a certain company, I actually did enjoy it since it was kinda challenging at times and only four hours a day, no sat//sun or holidays! I got my own little cubicle and computer. I really wish I knew about blogging then because I had a lot of free time at work at the beginning I was able to bring my cross-stitch but then they said no it looked like we weren't busy but that is what I love to do, multi-task, the long phone calls weren't bad if I had cross-stitching to do, anyways we had to 'look' like we were busy and so we could surf the internet whatever but we had to stay on the internet.
Sorry off track already-I started to walk down to my car and suddenly my body froze 'oh no' my mind yelled 'not again!' I ran back the other way to the bathroom, ran into a stall and there proceeded to cough up a lot of blood. I have to make a side note here: I have massive hemoptyis (coughing up blood) my bronchial arteries will bleed therefore forcing me to cough up blood. It finally stopped but this was a big one and not the first of the week, I went straight to this house my husband had been working on for a neighbor (who the wife happened to have a brain tumor removed at the end of June and suffered a rare complication where the brain doesn't return to normal right away so she has had to relearn everything! And she still is struggling after more than a year!) I walked inside and told him we have to go to the hospital, he dropped what he was doing, grabbed his tools and we went home to pack a tiny bit.
By now it was late evening we knew we would have to go to the E.R. we have been down this path so many times that I have a letter from my dr. to speed up the ER experience and get to ICU. We get into the ER, show anyone and everyone the letter and within the hour we were up in ICU, I could feel like I was still bleeding and so I told them I felt I needed to be intubated (put on a ventilator) and the docs would probably decide surgery. I have been intubated for an extended amount of time 4 other times and this would be my 12th Embolization (they go in and clot off the bronchial arteries they think are bleeding) usually I am only intubated for a few days to control the bleeding, until it stops.
I'm not afraid of being intubated, at least I wasn't up until that time, you see this time was different, I ended up being intubated for a week and then in ICU for an additional week, making two in all and I only remember about 4 days of it! My wonderful sister came up and brought my nephew but I don't remember seeing my nephew! I remember just waking up and my sister was there! I wasn't shocked (which I should have been, I mean when I got there my sister wasn't there and she had no plans on coming!) but I think that's because she had been there for 4 days already! and she was leaving in two! She was wonderful, she painted my toenails a beautiful bright pink, I've never painted my toes a bright pink before but you know I liked them! It's nice to have good looking toes when you stare at them a lot during the day! She also just kept me company, I couldn't talk I was on the bi-pap, she brought me water though, I told her I wanted a cherry limeade from Sonic but they weren't letting me eat or drink yet.
I didn't know until months later just how bad I was....my dear sweet husband actually told me that I had fought a good fight and if I couldn't fight anymore it was okay!!! I was on the vent so long because they couldn't stop the bleeding and if it didn't stop soon I wouldn't live much longer. Since I was on the ventilator for a week so many bugs were able to grow and make a nice breeding ground in there so I was on antibiotics a four drug combination, two of which are given through IV and continuous! So I carry this big fanny pack around with me wherever I go!
I think I'm getting ahead of the story, I think that's all for now, I was on a ventilator for a week, we will pick-up from there tomorrow. Let us end with some cute pictures of my dogs.
3 comments:
I'm on pins and needles to here more of your story. My heart goes out ot you. I'm a friend of Wendi. I also teach the Mia Maids great lesson ideas. Fun girls.
Whoah, what a story! Sounds like you and your husband have been through a lot together.
I'm glad you're able to write this down and account your experiences. I can't even imagine the fear and pain you have been through to go through what you went through so matter-of-factly. Your husband and sister seem like great people to have around.
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