I am in the emergency room with wires stuck to me. I'm not having a heart attack. I'm having trouble breathing. It's probably bronchitis or pneumonia, but they're trying to rule out a blood clot to my lungs. My poor boy was scared for me. Poor kid is still sick himself and needs to be home in bed. They gave me an X-ray, then a breathing treatment. I feel like a wuss. My boy's oxygen saturation frequently gets down to 91 percent before we pack for the ER. He has handled that so well. Mine was 94 percent and I panicked. So, here we are. They gave me Vicodin before I had the CAT scan so I'm not sure I followed the breathing directions the way I should have. I did the Chatty Cathy thing and told the technician about the dirty jokes I told my doctor just before they put me out for surgery. I'll tell you that story some other time. Maybe I should start keeping a list of stories I've promised you.
So my husband and my boy have gone to the car to see if they can get some sleep. Our Prius is pretty comfortable and there are still a couple of blankets in there from the winter.
I'm dressed in ugly black stirrup pants that I still wear around the house like pajamas. How embarrassing is that? Plus, I'm in a hospital gown that is untied. I have a blood-pressure cuff on my left arm and the oxygen/ heart rate monitor on my right finger. I can't tie my gown on.
Did I tell you they gave me pain meds? Narcotics. I don't like them, but how do you say 'No' when they come in with it and tell you that you need it? My oxygen saturation is still only 95 percent, but my breathing feels much easier.
The worst thing is this itchy paper mask I have to wear because I'm possibly infectious. It feels like I can't breathe through it and it keeps pushing up into my lower eyelashes. When you feel panicked that you can't breathe, the mask definitely doesn't help.
The blood-pressure cuff is really squeezing my arm and for a minute, my fingers felt fat and turned red as if they were holding their breath.
Did I tell you that my doctor is cute? Don't tell my sweet husband I said that. I'm getting old enough that my doctors are starting to look like big kids. My doctor is being really cautious with all this clot stuff, but I guess I'm starting to be old enough for it. That stinks. My grandpa had a clot and it killed him. Two other of my grandparents died of heart issues and my brother had a double bypass and needs another. I guess the history is there. I'm just getting tired now that I feel like I can breathe and I'd like to get an antibiotic for my cough and go home, cute doctor or not.
So, while I'm waiting for my results and my boys are hopefully sleeping, I'm sitting here typing on my iPhone. Did I tell you that I love my iPhone. I wish I had a Placker flosser, but I asked my husband to bring my purse with him, so I'm stuck blowing old lady breath all over the cute doctor. Bummer. I probably have a bad case of bed hair too, now that I think about it. I'm really not trying to impress the cute doctor, but it would be nice if I knew my breath wasn't gross. It isn't worth asking my husband and my boy to come up for that though, especially if they're sleeping.
I'm starting to feel like an idiot. It's going to be a bad case of bronchitis and panic. And for that, I've kept my family up well past midnight and paid a hundred fifty dollar copay.
Guess I really didn't feel well though. It was a little like the time my brother held me under water just a little too long.
I still feel a little jittery and the lights are bright or I might try to sleep. My heart rate was 107 a minute ago, but it's in the nineties now.
Did I tell you I don't like pain meds? So I feel like I can breathe easier, but I feel a little sick to my stomach.
Cute doctor just came in and smiled me to death. I have pneumonia. No clot, thank God. I'm getting IV antibiotics and prescriptions for more at home along with cough syrup with codeine for sleeping and the go-ahead to use my boy's Xopenex when I need it. I should be home by 2:15am. I guess I won't be volunteering at school tomorrow.
They just came in to set up my IV. That nurse really thought I needed the television. Why do people assume that? I kept telling her I was okay without it. I could read blogs on my iPhone with my ear buds in and my music on. I guess TV will be okay instead.
I just forgot what I was going to write. Must be done then.
Thank you for listening, jb
So my husband and my boy have gone to the car to see if they can get some sleep. Our Prius is pretty comfortable and there are still a couple of blankets in there from the winter.
I'm dressed in ugly black stirrup pants that I still wear around the house like pajamas. How embarrassing is that? Plus, I'm in a hospital gown that is untied. I have a blood-pressure cuff on my left arm and the oxygen/ heart rate monitor on my right finger. I can't tie my gown on.
Did I tell you they gave me pain meds? Narcotics. I don't like them, but how do you say 'No' when they come in with it and tell you that you need it? My oxygen saturation is still only 95 percent, but my breathing feels much easier.
The worst thing is this itchy paper mask I have to wear because I'm possibly infectious. It feels like I can't breathe through it and it keeps pushing up into my lower eyelashes. When you feel panicked that you can't breathe, the mask definitely doesn't help.
The blood-pressure cuff is really squeezing my arm and for a minute, my fingers felt fat and turned red as if they were holding their breath.
Did I tell you that my doctor is cute? Don't tell my sweet husband I said that. I'm getting old enough that my doctors are starting to look like big kids. My doctor is being really cautious with all this clot stuff, but I guess I'm starting to be old enough for it. That stinks. My grandpa had a clot and it killed him. Two other of my grandparents died of heart issues and my brother had a double bypass and needs another. I guess the history is there. I'm just getting tired now that I feel like I can breathe and I'd like to get an antibiotic for my cough and go home, cute doctor or not.
So, while I'm waiting for my results and my boys are hopefully sleeping, I'm sitting here typing on my iPhone. Did I tell you that I love my iPhone. I wish I had a Placker flosser, but I asked my husband to bring my purse with him, so I'm stuck blowing old lady breath all over the cute doctor. Bummer. I probably have a bad case of bed hair too, now that I think about it. I'm really not trying to impress the cute doctor, but it would be nice if I knew my breath wasn't gross. It isn't worth asking my husband and my boy to come up for that though, especially if they're sleeping.
I'm starting to feel like an idiot. It's going to be a bad case of bronchitis and panic. And for that, I've kept my family up well past midnight and paid a hundred fifty dollar copay.
Guess I really didn't feel well though. It was a little like the time my brother held me under water just a little too long.
I still feel a little jittery and the lights are bright or I might try to sleep. My heart rate was 107 a minute ago, but it's in the nineties now.
Did I tell you I don't like pain meds? So I feel like I can breathe easier, but I feel a little sick to my stomach.
Cute doctor just came in and smiled me to death. I have pneumonia. No clot, thank God. I'm getting IV antibiotics and prescriptions for more at home along with cough syrup with codeine for sleeping and the go-ahead to use my boy's Xopenex when I need it. I should be home by 2:15am. I guess I won't be volunteering at school tomorrow.
They just came in to set up my IV. That nurse really thought I needed the television. Why do people assume that? I kept telling her I was okay without it. I could read blogs on my iPhone with my ear buds in and my music on. I guess TV will be okay instead.
I just forgot what I was going to write. Must be done then.
Thank you for listening, jb
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