My Life The Past Two Days

I hope everyone had a nice safe New Year's Eve and day.

New Year's Eve we were in bed by 10:30. There were fireworks that sounded and felt like cannonballs. It was irritating as they popped them from 7 pm through 1 AM. Midnight was like we were attacked by bombs and grenades. Thankfully, I was sleeping and it woke me. However, after I figured it was fireworks I turned over and went back to dreamland.

New Year's Day we made it to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's home. We had the traditional black eye peas, rice, coleslaw and pork chops. It was delicious. We watched the Rose Bowl Game.

AND the LSU TIGERS won the ROSE BOWL Game! That was exciting although nerve wrecking. It seems our Louisiana teams want their fans to be nervous wrecks. But it is still fun!

My doctor's NURSE PRACTITIONER called me to let me know my gall bladder ultrasound was normal. I continue to be nauseous now and then. I've been aching like a big mac truck hit me. I just feel like crappola. She told me I had to wait a month to see if the Prilosec is going to work.  If I am not better, I need to call for a follow-up appointment. I don't know with who. Haven't seen the doctor except for the few minutes before he did my endoscopy. I am not keen to seeing the Nurse Practitioner  again because she has been no benefit to me.

Anyway, today I had lunch with my BABYGIRL. It was cold and windy but it is going to get worse. Dipping into the 20-30s the next week. I know all of you people up north think it is nothing but it is COLD here. 

I hate the cold. I wish winter was over!!

I told Babygirl we better have lunch before I go into the hibernation mode.  She offered and I allowed her to pay since she received many gift cards at one of our favorite places, Subway! We had a nice lunch and chat.

I was hardly able to eat much of my sandwich. The bout of nausea washed over me as I made my way home. I had to prevent myself from vomiting. Sorry if this is gross to some of you. It's my life. I get home, threw down my purse, ripped off my jacket, shoes and hat and flopped into bed.

I took deep breaths as one of my doctors told me to do when I am nauseous years ago. I fell asleep for a short nap. I woke up gratefully without the nausea.  Appetite is gone but I will try soup tonight.

2014 has not started like I would want..but it could be worse.

I hope every one has a healthy safe 2014!

Hospitalization: Reason for Disappearance

Hey Everyone! Yep! It's littlecajunme!

It has been one hellish week. I saw a lot of comments to be published and a lot of blog posts. I am so sorry I have been unresponsive to these as well as private messages, emails, etc. I don't know when I will be able to catch up so I can't promise a certain day but do know that I will eventually. I love every one of you and don't want anyone to feel ignored. After you hear my explanation I am hopeful that you will understand. Thank you!

For the past few weeks my tummy has been bothering me, but it came and went. I had planned to make an appointment with my GI doctor. 

Last Saturday and Sunday I was feeling drained and my tummy had some dull cramping. 

Sunday, Hubby and I ate pizza while watching the Saints game. It did not stay in my tummy, if you know what I mean. I will not give details. I started dry heaving thereafter.

Monday morning I called my GI doctor. He has an office in Lafayette, nearest me (about 30 minutes one way) and one in New Iberia, where most of my other doctors are (55 minutes one way depending on traffic.). Of course, the earliest appointment in the Lafayette office would be Dec 18th. The earliest in New Iberia would be the Wednesday so I grabbed it.

I was weak, my tummy was hurting and I just didn't feel good. I dry heaved almost nonstop. Literally! I have a history of dehydration after nausea and vomiting. All I was keeping down was water which I considered good because it would continue to hydrate me, or so I thought.

On that day and the next day, we were trying everything to maintain my strength. I was in bed the whole time except to potty. MyHubby was really concerned. (He even told me later that he had tears seeing me this way. I feel so bad for that. UGH!) I was concerned about myself but shhhhh..I'll never admit it.

He bought me Popsicles and it came right back up after consumption. He cooked mashed potatoes which sometimes calm my stomach. It didn't come back up but I was only able to eat 1/4 cup. I  continued to dry heave until I got to the doctor. 

Hubby took off work for my appointment. He had to literally pick me up (He didn't bother trying to change me out of my jammies) and put me on the back seat of the car. On the way, he suggested we should just go to the ER. I told him we're going to the GI doctor, who could figure it out. Against his better judgment he brought me to the doctor's office.

He carried me into the office and sat me down. The receptionist saw me and must've told his Assistant. They called me right away while there was a room full of patients waiting. The Assistant told us to go to the ER. She said I was very dehydrated and malnourished. There was nothing they could do there. I would need fluids and tests. "SIGH!!"

Yes, later on I put my big girl panties on and told MyHubby he was right.

MyHubby picked me up, carried me to the car, laid me back onto the back seat and drove around to the hospital that was next door. He drove to the ER door, got me out of the car and carried me into ER where the ER personnel took over.

Thank God I don't weigh much and he is a strong man!

I was a little incoherent. And the rest of the day was blurry. The people MyHubby said arrived in ER  to see about me is like they were in a dream. I don't remember what neither one of us said. I wasn't even sure if it was real. 

Nurses inserted an IV with anti nausea med and fluids and the dry heaving FINALLY stopped. They poked and prodded me. My blood sugar was very low among my electrolytes.

I was admitted and bedridden with IV, cardiac monitor and urine catheter.

The following days were full of pokes, and prods, beepers, people walking in and out. Some were like vampires taking vials of my blood. I slept in-between everything. I remember thinking I just want to sleep!

By Thursday I was doing pretty good and was being discharged. Someone made a boo boo  and ordered a regular diet. I ate a portion of it and it came up again. Discharge was postponed until Friday night.

There is a lot in between I want to share with you in those days but will do at a later date. I am pooped.

The cause of it all is a mystery. The diagnosis kept coming up as "maybe gastritis," dehydration and malnourished. As MyHubby said the only thing that was take care of were the symptoms. There was never a definitive diagnosis.

I do feel better somewhat. I am keeping soft foods and Ensure down. It's progress.

I was not walking for several days. When I was finally out of the bed it was like learning to walk all over again. It felt like 2 lead weights on my legs. It's hard for me to get from Point A to Point B with LESS then the little balance I already have. So FREAKING FRUSTRATING!

Add weakness, aches and pains from the whole ordeal and you get one sickly half-grumpy little person 

I keep the grumpiness to myself with the exception of a discussion with an insurance representative who won't approve my anti nausea medicine. In the end I can't get that med because doctor is ER doctor and they need a fax to get prior authorization. Yes that is right. I have to get prior authorization for a prescription a DOCTOR who wrote it! I told her they better hope I don't get nauseous because if I do, I will be coming after them when I recover like a bat out of hell! I enforced it with "Don't think this is a threat, it is a freaking promise!"

I have a follow-up with my GI doctor on Monday and a follow-up with Family Doctor Wednesday. 

Such Joy! Not! But I continue on trudging.

Anyway, I hope this is a sufficient explanation of my disappearance. 

ER Visit

It's been NIGHTMARISH since Friday. I worsened. I couldn't eat or drink anything! I knew I was dehydrating. I was becoming very weak and struggled for my appointment with my GI doctor yesterday.. However, I started caving in Saturday. The room started spinning every time I LIFTED my HEAD. You know after drinking alot, how your head feels the next morning? Well consider that 10x worse! I remember asking MyLove Saturday night if he would take me to the ER in The Berry 20 miles away Sunday since ALL my doctors are there. He was concerned and said he'll do anything I needed. He is such a sweetheart.

Sunday I woke up and I could hardly go the bathroom. I dry heaved and I was so weak not to mention the SWIRLING room. So I asked him to bring me to the ER. He had to hold me to walk to the car. I was drifting rapidly. I could just feel myself fading. I laid on the backseat and took deep breaths in and deep breaths out. I was miserable.

This was funny though. When I went got in the car. I didn't just crawl in, once I saw the seat, I TURNED AND PLOPPED!  I was NOT moving anymore! It just wore me out from going to my bedroom to the car.  MyLove was trying to push me more inside so he could close the door. He grabbed my BUTT CHEEKS and pushed me in. Thinking about it, it is hilarious. At that moment I didn't care.

He got me to the ER safely. My mom had already made it as we called her before we left. She only lives 10 minutes away from ER. It was amazing the way things went.

My mom went into the ER and asked for a wheelchair. Two men dressed in scrubs came and I vaguely remember shifting into the chair. They spun me to TRIAGE and the two nice compassionate fellows took my vital signs and got a little background information. My blood pressure was high they said, probably from the days of nausea.  They probably didn't want me to throw up on them as I was dry heaving big time, they sent me to a room by a nurse.

I laid on the table and the Dr came in. His name was Dr. Darbonne. I'll just call him Dr. D-Bone. Dr.  D-Bone asked how long I had been nauseous. After my response of since Easter, he asked me why I didn't call my doctor? I told him I did make an appointment with the GI doctor for the following week.but really never thought of calling my doctor for nausea medicine. That's how much I was focused during the week. He asked me that question 3 times during our short conversation. He impressed me very little but he was all I had at the time. So he looks at my long history and list of medications. He said he would order bloodwork, pump in IV fluids (And he was not kidding!) and give me some nausea medicine by IV to try to cut out the nausea.

A nurse soon entered and put my IV in my hand and started the liquids. They pumped 1000 ccs of fluids into me in 45 minutes. During the infusion, lab came and took 5 tubes of my blood. The nurse came in and did a blood sugar prick on my finger. The prick was foreceful I jumped. My Blood sugar was 27 folks. The nurse was awed because she never saw a coherent person with a blood sugar of 27. (Normal Blood sugar is  between 70 and 150), The lab ran it and it was lower! 22!  Shet  also gave me a dose of  Zofran via IV to relieve my nausea.  Doc popped in to reconfirm  I never had diabetes or troubles with my blood sugars. By that time I had to PEE!

So the nurse comes in with this big syringe of "SUGAR".  I told her my problem. She asked if I could wait a few minutes because she didn't want me to fall down with the low blood sugar so I held it. She slowly pumped the sugar in. It had been about 1/2 hour and the Zofran didn't work so she gave me another dose.

As I waited for the Zofran and "SUGAR' to work an aide walked in to get something in the drawer. I was squirming so she brought me to the bathroom. Such a relief.

About 1/2 hour to 45 minutles later the doc pops in and is astonished that my nausea hadn't ceased. The nurse came soon after with a dose of Phenergan IV. That did the trick for the nausea. She took my blood sugar again and it was 155! Sigh of relief.

My IV fluids were finished way before then so the doctor came in and said he'll give me a prescription for nausea. I asked him what he thought was causing it. He just shrugged and said my blood work was normal and to call my family doctor or wait to see my GI doctor.

I was feeling a helluva lot better than when I went in I assure you. I was wiped and felt I'll live at least another three days.

My sister agreed with me that Dr. D-Bone could have used more bedside manner and informative. My mom and MyLove argue he was just being professional.

Stay tuned for the GI doctor visit..and beyond. Thanks for reading!