(C & P posting to family, friends, other forums...with today's update!!)
So…what happened to throw such a wrench into a perfectly fine weekend? Saturday Jan 29, 2011…
I’d been fighting the flu all week long…fatigued, not eating, on anti nausea meds, difficulty breathing…the whole nine yards. Saturday AM wife Debbie is about to get me to the ER, but I negate that…not out of some misplaced feeling of macho…but I obviously felt it not necessary. Little did I understand I was deep into “ICU Psychosis”…and from that point on for the following two weeks, I have absolutely no memory of my existence…was deep into delirium, …my only memories were hallucinations!
So…seeing as how I’m stubbornly refusing Debbie’s pleas to get aid, she calls our good friend and Pastor, Mike R…who promptly drives over, and directs her to immediately dial 911. I’m told the EMT’s spent twenty minutes stabilizing me (thank you, EMT’s) prior to transport to our local Marathon Hospital…”Fishermen’s” by name. (Thank you ER & ICU staff at Fishermen’s!!)
From several medical sources, I gather the following…I was hit by two different bacterial pneumonias…the second much more virulent that the first. This all happened during my first four days in ICU at Fishermen’s…now get this…along with a MERSA attack …and…meeting the clinical definitions for “Sepsis Shock”…and “Severe Sepsis”.
So, the staff at Fishermen’s decided on Tuesday to air lift me to a larger hospital, more capable of the treatment I required if I were to survive…and it was off to South Miami Hospital by chopper for me…(had a couple nasty hallucinations during that ride…LOL!) Was at South Miami Hospital for a few days… Thanks, Staff…(for saving my life!)
I recall virtually nothing of these two weeks…although had a flood of visitors, cards, flowers, family, friends
… all praying and rooting for me. (Thank YOU folks…you know who you are…and my grown kids, and Debbie and her family all feel the same way!)
Finally, after about ten days, was transferred to HealthSouth…the Sunrise FL rehab hospital, where they made a mighty effort to get me (at least a little) back on my feet (Thanks, gang…especially you PT folks…LOL!!)
Some numbers I’ve been given…Initial Blood Panel:
Body weight…mine = 104 lbs…normal 118 lbs
Protein…mine = 4…normal 11
Blood 02 level…mine = 66 %…normal 94 % (Partially accounts , with total system shock, for memory loss…and hair loss.)
Total time in ICU (two different hospitals) ~eight days…in hospital ~thirty five days
~forty days on PICC line and oral antibiotics
By the way, there’s some interesting reading on Google under: ICU Psychosis; Sepsis; MRSA.
Well, back home now…got a long way to go yet, though…with my doc, tailoring out my future Rx drug regime, getting my weight back to (and maintaining) ~120 lbs, lots of Physical Therapy, (three times a week now) recovering former muscle tone, endurance, and such…(hard to believe how much strength you can lose when you’re flat on your back…LOL!)
But, Debbie and I will be the scourge of the dolphin world soon enough!!
Update 4/15/11 for AW forum...off all PT now...central body workouts messing up my 30 year old left hip...Ortho man says quit the PT...recent blood panels indicate anemia??...on iron pills...also retaining water (edema ankles and feet)...on water pills. But, strength and endurance slowly returning...if all goes well, should be out on the water fishing in 2-4 weeks Family, friends, and neighbors see a remarkable uptick in my color, outdoors time, etc.
So…what happened to throw such a wrench into a perfectly fine weekend? Saturday Jan 29, 2011…
I’d been fighting the flu all week long…fatigued, not eating, on anti nausea meds, difficulty breathing…the whole nine yards. Saturday AM wife Debbie is about to get me to the ER, but I negate that…not out of some misplaced feeling of macho…but I obviously felt it not necessary. Little did I understand I was deep into “ICU Psychosis”…and from that point on for the following two weeks, I have absolutely no memory of my existence…was deep into delirium, …my only memories were hallucinations!
So…seeing as how I’m stubbornly refusing Debbie’s pleas to get aid, she calls our good friend and Pastor, Mike R…who promptly drives over, and directs her to immediately dial 911. I’m told the EMT’s spent twenty minutes stabilizing me (thank you, EMT’s) prior to transport to our local Marathon Hospital…”Fishermen’s” by name. (Thank you ER & ICU staff at Fishermen’s!!)
From several medical sources, I gather the following…I was hit by two different bacterial pneumonias…the second much more virulent that the first. This all happened during my first four days in ICU at Fishermen’s…now get this…along with a MERSA attack …and…meeting the clinical definitions for “Sepsis Shock”…and “Severe Sepsis”.
So, the staff at Fishermen’s decided on Tuesday to air lift me to a larger hospital, more capable of the treatment I required if I were to survive…and it was off to South Miami Hospital by chopper for me…(had a couple nasty hallucinations during that ride…LOL!) Was at South Miami Hospital for a few days… Thanks, Staff…(for saving my life!)
I recall virtually nothing of these two weeks…although had a flood of visitors, cards, flowers, family, friends
… all praying and rooting for me. (Thank YOU folks…you know who you are…and my grown kids, and Debbie and her family all feel the same way!)
Finally, after about ten days, was transferred to HealthSouth…the Sunrise FL rehab hospital, where they made a mighty effort to get me (at least a little) back on my feet (Thanks, gang…especially you PT folks…LOL!!)
Some numbers I’ve been given…Initial Blood Panel:
Body weight…mine = 104 lbs…normal 118 lbs
Protein…mine = 4…normal 11
Blood 02 level…mine = 66 %…normal 94 % (Partially accounts , with total system shock, for memory loss…and hair loss.)
Total time in ICU (two different hospitals) ~eight days…in hospital ~thirty five days
~forty days on PICC line and oral antibiotics
By the way, there’s some interesting reading on Google under: ICU Psychosis; Sepsis; MRSA.
Well, back home now…got a long way to go yet, though…with my doc, tailoring out my future Rx drug regime, getting my weight back to (and maintaining) ~120 lbs, lots of Physical Therapy, (three times a week now) recovering former muscle tone, endurance, and such…(hard to believe how much strength you can lose when you’re flat on your back…LOL!)
But, Debbie and I will be the scourge of the dolphin world soon enough!!
Update 4/15/11 for AW forum...off all PT now...central body workouts messing up my 30 year old left hip...Ortho man says quit the PT...recent blood panels indicate anemia??...on iron pills...also retaining water (edema ankles and feet)...on water pills. But, strength and endurance slowly returning...if all goes well, should be out on the water fishing in 2-4 weeks Family, friends, and neighbors see a remarkable uptick in my color, outdoors time, etc.
irate_12