So, Im going to get back into writing again soon. You would think my name was Lemony Snicket the way things have been going every time I try to stay consistent here.
So since the last post some things have happened. That prayer in the last one must have went up priority mail because it went down in the week or two right after. LONG POST WARNING!
So, this started in September when I revealed my secret. Then, I was still undiagnosed/misdiagnosed. Today, I believe that I am correctly diagnosed. It’s been a real life episode of “House”. I won’t know 100% until later in 2015 when I am stable enough to undergo more testing. Me and the hospital are getting rather acquainted. I have spent a month in the hospital total this year and will have to spend a day or two there before December is up. 2015 will see me for a stay as well, likely! Keep me lifted. The best thing about the hospital is endless ice water, jello, and Italian ice. That is really all I ate because there are limited options when you do not eat beef or pork and when they send steak as a substitute or put ham in your mac and cheese.
So in October, I had planned my move for mid month. I was going to a stair-less heaven where my lungs wouldn’t be burdened. When I tell you I dreaded leaving and coming home daily, I MEAN IT. I didn’t even realize how bad the dread was until I no longer had that feeling daily.
Unfortunately, as October came in, my body gave out. The very first week, i felt like crap. Being the person I am, i pushed through. I know my body very well and I knew I was trying it but not necessarily (but it was possible i know now) kill myself over do it. Because I know my body, when bad went to worse, I knew I needed help. Old habits die hard though. I taught a 3 hr class the morning I went to urgent care. Don’t JUDGE me! I went in to urgent care and had them consult with one of my doctors. I went home to follow up with my Doc. The next day (Monday). Tuesday morning, I called my doctors cell because life was NOT right and went to the ER. I was still hoping to not be admitted. #sillyrabbit
I was admitted. I actually had a bronchoscopy that day and almost had a heart attack during because my oxygen level and blood pressure crashed. Fun times. Therefore, they left me on the ventilator and put me in ICU. Kudos to my doctor and his foresight. I checked into ICU before the procedure just in case so I would have a room ready. #smallmiracles
#bigmiracles I was to stay on the ventilator and be transferred to a better hospital that i had also been going to so that the specialist teams could work with me. I didn’t get transferred overnight (on the ventilator) as expected. At 6:30am, my body had enough. I LITERALLY coughed up the ventilator tube. COUGHED IT UP. Not only that, after I coughed it up I was STABLE as heck! Just sitting up talking and looking around! WONT HE DO IT! I didn’t need to be on it longer and my body and my God knew it and handled it like it needed to be. Let me tell you all the nurses were shocked. The doctors stay looking at me like “you don’t know how to act” but they all love me.
That night, I was transferred. I sat around a day because they fed me. #donotfeedthebears so I couldn’t get another bronch and biopsy because of that. By the day of the bronch and biopsy (Friday), my symptoms were popping up again. They got me into the test stat. I was pretty unstable but this is a better hospital with better accouterments so I was fine. I couldn’t get the biopsy because I was unstable so they scheduled it for the next day possible…Monday! I went to intermediate care which is between ICU and hell…i mean the general floors. I was in general for a day and almost left AMA because #nope.
I sat over the weekend twiddling thumbs and stuff. At least the tv was free (and yes…tv does cost at some hospitals and no not like added to your bill to insurance costs…you need to buy a “tv card” for like $10/day to watch the stories lawd) and I never go to the doctor without my chargers, bonnet, and external charger now so i was SET. #CanIHaveSomeIceWater
Monday…no procedure…but the docs come by like ummm “i cannot see I’m legally blind” in other words we don’t know if we wanna do this. Its dangerous. I’m like well you think you can do it. “BARELY”
Lol jk. My doc is great. He could and will do it. He just didn’t think it was necessary then and did not want to risk it if unnecessary since I was unstable. I thank him for that.
So he went off to meet with a group of doctors about me. Another group had already met before I even ended up at the ER. Let me tell you the timing of all this was crazy. They came back with a diagnosis and a treatment plan (i will do a separate post on the diagnosis).
So, then it’s a waiting game again. They start me on the treatment on Wednesday. They wanted me to stay to make sure that I did OK on it and was starting to improve. I was still having my RING THE ALARM symptom but it was getting better (i will save the details for the diagnostic post). So I was discharged that Saturday the 18th.
Oh…Saturday the 18th…YES my move day! Luckily my friends are more than awesome and had packed me and moved me with the movers I hired. I’m very thankful to them all because that could have been a mess. The stress was crazy y’all Trying to coordinate from afar while laying in the hospital. Lawd! My rental company was also fantastic! Let me tell you, they worked with me to the extreme. They let friends pick up my keys, got my new lease done electronically, checked in to make sure the apt was fine…BLESSED!
But BACK TO THE DISCHARGE… my girl picked me up (and a million thanks to her) and got me home into my new apartment. It was only a slight struggle…but we made it!
Since then, i have been recovering and getting an action plan in place for treatment which I will share in the next post.
Pretty much now I’m puffy from meds, hungry from meds, retaining water from meds, and slightly nervous from because. But I’m also alive and feeling better. Ill take the puffiness for being alive!
Whew that was a lot! Who even read all that? You? Hey you there! Thanks! http://www.gofundme.com/e4d29w
