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. 

Most Embarrassing Moments~

We have had all of our MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENTS! After thinking, writing and rewriting I decided to let it all out. Also, a friend shared her story and I have to admit hers was worse. But let me talk about mine.

DISCLAIMER: This may contain  graphic and strong language.

It happened when I was in the hospital with an awful virus two weeks ago. Come here to catch up.

When I was in the ER and many times that day I was questioned if I had diarrhea and my response was always 'no'. I thought a couple of times, "Why do they keep asking me?" I never had to go the bathroom and never felt anything seep out of any of my orifices.

Lethargic with IV fluids pumped into my tiny body I laid in the comfy bed listening to my mom and MyLove chat. All of a sudden..I started farting.

My mom, the lovely compassionate Mother she is encouraged, "Let it out." She knows how awful my gas smells when I am sick. I mean farts never smell good but when I am sick, its the way my sickness leaves my body. We used to kid something crawled up inside and died.

Fast forward to around 12:30 AM the next morning, the nurse came in as the IV machine  was beeping. They had inserted  the IV in my inner elbow. making it positional.If I didn't hold my arm straight as a board,  it would stop the flow and the machine would beep. The nurse asked me to turn onto my side so she could get the tubing I was evidently laying on. My mom being awaken by the beep was standing on my other side. She lifted the blankets and exclaimed, "Oh My God!"

Horrified, I yelled, "WHAT?"

She proclaimed, "You have shit all over!"

The nurse glanced and immediately turned around and said she was going get the aide.While we waited, Mom was looking and said, "We are going to have to change everything. You have POOP from your neck to your toes!"

I wanted to cry and kept saying, "I didn't know! How did I not feel that? This is so embarrassing?"

She concluded, "It is just watery poop. Evidently every time you farted, you pooped."

The aide, Melinda  walked in with a stack of bed linens and gown. I apologized frantically.  She was a doll being professional but compassionate. She encouraged, "You're not the first one to do this nor the last."

Melinda was so sweet, professional and comforting as she bathed me and changed my bed. I heard my mom talking to Melinda as I wished I could be anywhere but there in my own poop.

I had never felt such degradation or helplessness!. Every time I moved, I continued to dry heave so I could not do anything to help except follow Melinda's gentle orders.. I hoped that when I was nursing I respected every patient there was as I cleaned them in the same fashion as Melinda was doing for me. I would never have wanted to put the patient in any more emotional turmoil that was necessary!

After I was cleaned I fell back to sleep. However, I woke up around 4:30 AM  and before I could do  or say anything, it happened again. I had a 'wet fart' as MyLove puts it.  It just came with no warning so the poop flowed. It wasn't so bad this time.  Melinda finished cleaning me up for the second time.

I ordered Mom, "Give me the bedpan."

She inquired, "WHY?"

I proclaimed, " I am not going to be embarrassed like this again.  It is degrading."  The bedpan became my "Throne". Of course after I got on it and was all set, the diarrhea had ceased. Go figure!

Later on a nurse came in and had to uncover me for an injection she asked, "You're using the bedpan?"

"No", I replied, "I just didn't want to poop all over again."

She contested, "Oh no, hun! You can't do that! You'll get bed sores from the bedpan." She  ordered me to roll over to take the bedpan. I was not happy.

My mom looked and said, "Look, ring around the butt!" She hadn't even realized how funny it came out but I chuckled.

So there you have it! My Most Embarrassing Moment ever.












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Day 2-4-Hospitalization--OWWW

Gee Whiz, I reread Day 1- Hospitalization-ER visit and noticed the many  misspellings, grammar errors, etc! I am so sorry.  I DID read over it several times before I posted!

Anyway, here's the continuation of my hospital visit. I will try to keep it simple.

The staff was just outstanding in every department I encountered. They were professional but compassionate.

 As Burly  transported me upstairs he joshed with me as I continued to dry heave. He assured me it would get better, and the room he was bringing me to would be more comfortable. He was true to his word!  I was able to defrost, there was a BIGGER bed and actually a PILLOW

 It was a typical hospital stay with much of the hospital staff not letting me sleep and vampires collecting blood in early mornings  The Sounds of machines beeping was heard and voices as they passed by my door.

The first two days were needles sticking my arms, fingers and stomach! Fluids making me use the bedpan every few minutes. Big x-ray machines coming to my room to take pics as well as ultrasounds. (I hate when they turn the screen so I can't look!)

I was downright miserable for the first few days.

The first night they finally gave me enough IV fluids and sugar to alleviate the nausea. I ached  all over..Oh..and when they did my vital signs the first time on the floor, my temperature was 103.5. I normally do not run fever even if I am sick. NEVER SAY NEVER!

I began a mantra to mom, "I just wanna curl up and die! Someone just needs to shoot me and get it over with."

At first the patient Mom she is, shushed me waving her hand in the air sorta dismissing me.

I continued my self pity mantra and still trying to be the patient person she is made an attempt to  encourage me, "We've been through worse We'll get through this too. Just rest. GO to sleep."

I sarcastically responded, "Yea! Right! We're in the hospital MOM." She shushed me once again.

A few minutes later,  I restarted my self pity, God just take me mantra again. But she was closer to me and SLAPPED me on the arm. It wasn't hard. She demanded, "STOP IT!"

Needless to say, I continued my prayers and wishes silently  thereafter.

As I am writing this I do recall in the ER when I would half wake up I saw her with her rosary in her hand pacing up and down our Storage Room.

We called our ER room the storage room because it seemed someone knocked and walked in to get something like blankets, IV poles, etc every few minutes.

I will stop here because I do not want this to be a drawn out post...Stay tuned to Meeting the Doctor(s)