Life as it is Lived, at Least for Me

 Back in December, I visited my gastroenterologist and he was optimistic about my future and felt there was no need to change any of my protocols.  HA!  I showed him.  I didn't want to show him, it really wasn't on my radar, but it happened anyway.  

Last week, I was starting to have black stools and in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, I had a bright purple mess that had lots of blood in it.  I got to the sink, washed my hands, and passed out onto the bathroom floor.  Kevin helped me get up and back to bed.  A bit later, I asked him how alert he was and could he drive to Wenatchee--an hour away.  So we got dressed, he pulled the car to the patio door so I wouldn't have to walk very far, and off we went.  I got to the ER about 7:00 AM and by the stroke of providence, I was the only one in the waiting area.  I was quickly taken back and it just so happened that my gastroenterologist was in the hospital, because he was the one on call.  

After multiple tests, including a CT scan to see if I had a brain 😆, it was determined that I would have an endoscopy, a paracentesis, and a TIPS procedure, as well as a bypass of some blood vessels to the stomach.  The endoscopy showed that the varices in my stomach had hemorrhaged, the paracentesis removed 4.5 liters of fluid, and then the repair work began.  In all of this, there are no surgical incisions, just punctures for tiny instruments to feed through. 

Afterwards, when I was in recovery, my nurse was a girl I had watched grow up, her sister and my daughter were very good friends.  So I got to catch up on how her family was doing.  I was taken from recovery to the Progressive Care Unit--a step down from ICU, but not quite the normal floor.  The nursing care for the five days I was there was fantastic.  During the daytime, I had an RN, an LPN, and a CNA.  At night, just an RN and CNA.  

The lab techs (aka vampires) came by about twice a day to draw blood for labs.  One of them came at 4:00 am and took particular glee in turning on ALL of the lights in the room to draw my blood.  

There are people and places that will always make an indelible mark on your soul, and some of the staff at Central Washington Hospital did that.  I am so appreciative of the care we received through all of them, but some of them went above and beyond.  

My hospitalist was one of a kind.  She answered every question and even went so far as to call my daughter and talk to her to answer her questions, as well.  The day before she discharged me, she came to tell me that she was going home for maternity leave, and she had to go on bedrest.  The day I was released, she came to tell me that she was checking in as soon as she took care of her four remaining patients. 

I got home Sunday and I've been doing as ordered, but I have to tell you that sleeping in my own bed is worth its weight in gold.  Tomorrow is my first of many follow-ups.  Stay tuned, peeps, there's more to come!