Home
I signed off here at 1:22 a.m. on July 22nd and two hours later, I was in the ER. My heartbeat was like a trip hammer in my chest (192) and after lying down for 15 minutes with no change, I woke up Brian. An hour and a half later, I asked Brian to take me to the ER, where they had a very difficult time lowering my heartbeat (it was going so fast, you could see it in my neck).
The next thing I remember was a week later, when I woke up in ICU in a different hospital where I was -- drum roll -- restrained by my hands and feet. Turns out I was pretty zoned out and began pulling out all my tubing (lots of it plus transplant boxes on my face) so they had to restrain me. Lots of the nurses who took care of me told me I had kicked them when they went to adjust my restraints
During the course of my hospitalization, poor Brian was told I might need a heart transplant or a double lung transplant. Then the priest came and gave me The Last Rites, which they now call the Sacrament of the Sick -- my poor husband! Turns out I have pulmonary hypertension (PH) -- no fun, for sure, but I'M ALIVE AND I'M BACK!
Came home this past Saturday, August 9, and it was indeed wonderful to walk back into my home! While I was gone, my best friend of 43 years had my house cleaned by her housekeeper, the kind of woman who starts cleaning at the baseboard. It was tidy as a pin AND it even smelled clean! My last day in the hospital, Brian treated me to a lady who washed, cut and blew dry my hair. Am I lucky or what?!
The PH is no fun. We have to mix a complicated medicine every single day of my life and then connect it to a pump which pumps it into my body. Brian is really good at the mixing part and I prefer the pump part so so far we're doing okay. We need to do the transfer from the old pump to the new pump within 5 minutes or the PH will "back up" and my symptoms will worsen by double, which is probably irreversible. Scary, no? Brian took SEVEN DAYS of lessons on how to mix the meds (minus one day off, poor guy) and I listened to all the lessons but actually only took two days of lessons. The vendor RN who handles the meds had to certify that I was knowledgeable enough to release from the hospital (grrrrr!).
Today I'm taking my first road trip -- while Brian goes to the PX to shop, I will be getting my nails done and having a nice relaxing very much needed pedicure! The pump I have to carry is about the size of a VCR tape and I'm not thrilled about that but whatchagonnado?
Talk to you guys later. I've got to go get ready for the medicine mix (I watch him while he mixes to tell him, honey, you just touched your nose [in other words, clean your hands with the sanitizer before proceeding]), and only God knows how long it's going to take me to put makeup on.
See you guys soon. And, BTW, I missed you while I was gone!
The next thing I remember was a week later, when I woke up in ICU in a different hospital where I was -- drum roll -- restrained by my hands and feet. Turns out I was pretty zoned out and began pulling out all my tubing (lots of it plus transplant boxes on my face) so they had to restrain me. Lots of the nurses who took care of me told me I had kicked them when they went to adjust my restraints
During the course of my hospitalization, poor Brian was told I might need a heart transplant or a double lung transplant. Then the priest came and gave me The Last Rites, which they now call the Sacrament of the Sick -- my poor husband! Turns out I have pulmonary hypertension (PH) -- no fun, for sure, but I'M ALIVE AND I'M BACK!
Came home this past Saturday, August 9, and it was indeed wonderful to walk back into my home! While I was gone, my best friend of 43 years had my house cleaned by her housekeeper, the kind of woman who starts cleaning at the baseboard. It was tidy as a pin AND it even smelled clean! My last day in the hospital, Brian treated me to a lady who washed, cut and blew dry my hair. Am I lucky or what?!
The PH is no fun. We have to mix a complicated medicine every single day of my life and then connect it to a pump which pumps it into my body. Brian is really good at the mixing part and I prefer the pump part so so far we're doing okay. We need to do the transfer from the old pump to the new pump within 5 minutes or the PH will "back up" and my symptoms will worsen by double, which is probably irreversible. Scary, no? Brian took SEVEN DAYS of lessons on how to mix the meds (minus one day off, poor guy) and I listened to all the lessons but actually only took two days of lessons. The vendor RN who handles the meds had to certify that I was knowledgeable enough to release from the hospital (grrrrr!).
Today I'm taking my first road trip -- while Brian goes to the PX to shop, I will be getting my nails done and having a nice relaxing very much needed pedicure! The pump I have to carry is about the size of a VCR tape and I'm not thrilled about that but whatchagonnado?
Talk to you guys later. I've got to go get ready for the medicine mix (I watch him while he mixes to tell him, honey, you just touched your nose [in other words, clean your hands with the sanitizer before proceeding]), and only God knows how long it's going to take me to put makeup on.
See you guys soon. And, BTW, I missed you while I was gone!
-- both side effects of the medicine I have to pump into me every day -- so prayers are still welcome! 
