Dear
friends,
I
wanted to tell all of you what has happened to me.
I
entered the hospital on May 29th (2018) to have my bariatric
surgery. My surgery lasted 8 hours instead of the usual 2 or so, because the
doctor found adhesions in my bowels. Also, instead of using scopes and probes,
I had to be opened up. The doctor followed the line of my hysterectomy scar.
Instead of staying a day or two to recuperate, I was in the hospital for a
week. I left the hospital on June 5th.
Each
day I was at home, I felt worse and worse. Finally, on June 8th,
Katie called 911, and I was transported by ambulance back to the hospital where
my surgery was performed. My doctor was called, and I was rushed into surgery.
What
had happened was my remnant stomach had so much stuff in it that it ruptured my
“new” stomach pouch. I had sepsis. I went into ICU for 14 days. I was close to
death. The staff couldn’t get my body to regulate its temperature or blood
pressure. I was in a drug-induced coma and on a respirator. I was a bit
combative, too. I wanted to pull all of the tubes off of me, so they had to put
mitts on my hands.
Once
I had stabilized, I went to the step-down unit where I could still be monitored
closely.
I
need to tell you that these were stories that were told to me by Katie. I don’t
remember most of my hospitalization. She told me the stories usually at night
when we were laying in bed together. I would have time to think, and I would
ask her how certain things came about and who visited when. It was amazing to
have my stories told to me!
I
think, after I left the step-down unit, I went to a regular room with a regular
nursing and aide staff. I had been given a certain medication for my bipolar
depression that worked the opposite from what it should have. It made me
paranoid, and I thought people were going to eat me. I told Katie not to listen
to them, but Katie insisted that they were there to help. This might have been
a time when I had vivid dreams about the staff. I didn’t trust some of them at
all. The dreams felt so real.
Eventually,
I didn’t take that drug any more, but then I was presented with a new problem.
I was sleeping all day and awake with anxiety at night. Katie would come to
visit during the day, but I couldn’t stay awake to interact with her.
Eventually, she brought stuff to do just so she could be there with me even
though I wasn’t talking to her. At night, I would constantly ring for an aide
or ask for a nurse. I didn’t want to be alone. They didn’t have orders to give
me anything to sleep, so I just stayed up. Also, I wasn’t making a lot of sense
when asking for something. The words for things and concepts eluded me. The
staff about had it with me.
After
I spoke with a psychiatrist, he put my medications into an order where I took
certain ones in the evening and others in the morning. It took a little while,
but I was finally able to stay awake during the day and sleep at night.
I
received IV nutrition from the time I was in ICU until I was close to leaving,
and then I was fed through a G-tube. I could not consume anything by mouth
during this time. The G-tube went to my remnant stomach. This went on until the
very last 2 days I was there. I still had to use the G-tube, but I could
finally have juice and broth by mouth. Fast forward to today: I’ve stopped
using the G-tube for nutrition and am getting all of my nutrition by mouth. The
G-tube came out on December 7th. Yay!
I
had to learn to walk again. I’m not very good at it, so I was using a walker
with a seat. I put it away right after we got home from our visit to Columbus
for Thanksgiving. I started walking the halls at the hospital with a walker
about 3 weeks before I was discharged.
In
order for my “new” stomach to work correctly, the tear had to be repaired. I
kept going to radiology for tests. I had to drink black licorice-flavored
contrast, so they could see if the tear was repaired. I had several EGDs where
the doctor placed patches in my “new” stomach. They never worked. I just healed
by myself eventually.
Since
several of my body systems were out of whack, including my kidney function, I
also had to have hemodialysis. This required about 4 hours in a cold room
hooked up to the machine. I also required several blood transfusions.
I
was very lucky to have people visit me, even when I didn’t know they were with
me. Katie’s dad, Katie’s sister Meg, and my daughter Jawnna came when I was in
ICU and totally unaware. Once on the
step-down unit (7th floor), my sister Crystal, and Katie’s niece
nurse Margo visited. Our sister-in-law Tracey (Andy’s wife), my brother Aaron
and Katie’s sister Elizabeth visited when I was aware. Elizabeth spent days
with me talking, taking me down by the fountain in front of the hospital and
watching some British baking show. We had fun. My brother Aaron helped Katie
around the house and visited me. He rode his motorcycle from central Ohio to
southeastern North Carolina. Katie’s brother Andy visited after I’d been home
for a little while. He helped fix the ride-on lawn mower and planted a tree
with Katie.
I
spent my birthday in the hospital. I spent Hurricane Florence in the hospital. I
spent Katie’s birthday in the hospital. Hell…I spent the whole summer in the
hospital…the exact summer that Katie took off so we could do stuff together!
Rats! She’s taking next summer off, too. We’ll try again! I was finally
discharged from the hospital on September 25th – after a total of
108 days in the second hospital stay.
I
am quite thankful to be alive.
If there are any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
