QOTD:
Oh a false
clock tries to tick out my time
To disgrace, distract, and bother me
And the dirt of gossip blows into my face
And the dust of rumors covers me
But if the arrow is straight
And the point is slick
It can pierce through dust no matter how thick
So I’ll make my stand
And remain as I am
And bid farewell and not give a damn
To disgrace, distract, and bother me
And the dirt of gossip blows into my face
And the dust of rumors covers me
But if the arrow is straight
And the point is slick
It can pierce through dust no matter how thick
So I’ll make my stand
And remain as I am
And bid farewell and not give a damn
{HAH: for you
skimmers, you have to scroll down to the bottom of this post to find out what happens, and YOU know who you are!)
BIG NEWS (no, not the diagnosis, you have skip to
the bottom of this posting to find out what happened on that front): K&E
are the high-bidders on the first house they bid on, and if they can finalize
the deal, they will be living in Danville, less than 30 minutes from E-ville in
non-commute hours. DAMN, inside of 13 months and both daughters will be among
the landed gentry.
Book Review: The Last Man in
Russia: The Struggle to Save a Dying Nation, Oliver Bullough. Using a priest
whose life spanned pretty much the existence of the Soviet Union, the author
illustrates the fate awaiting those who cannot liberate themselves from
totalitarian governments: the obvious issue being that disenfranchisement means shorter life spans and lower
birth rates (quite a topic for THB while in the hospital)
Department of Clarification #1: Along
with Nexcium and Xanax, Maeve also ruled out mint, tomatoes, citrus, alcohol
and coffee; is that any way to live? THB thinks not….
Department of Clarfication #2: Along with all those other spots, THB also ate at State Bird Provision with R & H (nice of them to include us!)
Where was THB?
Oh yeah, he was in Doc Wulff’s office, along with DB, who is listening and
watching acutely while THB is thinking that he is lightheaded and a failure.
First thing the doc does: puts a nitroglycerin pill under THB’s tongue. Then he
takes the history (THB will spare the repetition here, though he forgot to
leave out one pertinent family story: his maternal uncle had a stent put in,
immediately after having lunch with THB at the Zuni…how did THB forget that? He
never forgets a meal!), and sez: you can either go to the emergency room right
now and have angioplasty next day or you can go to emergency room right now and
have an angiogram the next day. Angioplasty gives about an 85% chance of
finding root cause, angiogram almost sure to say what is causing the problem (for
those of you extra sharp readers, heartburn and indigestion have been ruled
out, THB has a heart problem), and the outcomes can range from still not sure
to triple bypass to (about 1 in 2000...true?) something worse (death?). THB is not really listening with
full attention anymore, and DB is doing her job and ultra-analyzing what we’re
hearing.
THB is no
longer in control of his own destiny (he is still in his running shorts, though,
and thinking he could make a break for it). And, since he is going to be
admitted to the hospital, the doc is obligated to call the EMTs and get THB to
the ER in an ambulance (THB would’ve walked, he was in his running shorts!).
Wow, this is THB’s first ever ride in an ambulance!! Amazing, and since the
hospital ER is across the Doc’s parking lot (true!), the buckling of THB onto
the gurney takes longer than the ride. Oh, and the EMTs give THB another
nitroglycerin under the tongue, and four baby aspirin. Finally, the mountain of
pain has gone away.
We hit the ER
around 5 or so, meet a doc who does a decent job of explaining what’s going to
happen, and a rookie (it had to be her first patient) tries to get a needle into
one of THB’s veins for blood samples. Fortunately, Nurse Mike takes over. It’s
a good thing, because it turns out blood work is a huge indicator of problems,
and THB finds out later he does have problems: 1.78 treponin (sp?) levels vs
norm of .6. At this point, THB also gets to switch from running shorts to a
hospital gown. And, at this point, THB also remembers to introduce his lovely wife, DB, to everyone who appears (this is many a soul, THB meets many care-givers
in the ensuing hours).
Also, so starts
the crush of paperwork sign-offs (THB should’ve brought a stamp). It is also
where THB learns his mantra: 2-2-49. The only real confirmation they want to
hear is your b’day. By the end of the stay (some time in your distant reading
future), THB is starting the conversations with people he’s never met with
2-2-49 (and sure enough, the very last person to show up to take blood, nearing
the end of his stay, says, Oh, that’s not right and leaves). THB also gets a
beta-blocker (which THB and DB are trying to keep track of the drugs THB is
getting, and miss this one, if it was given, the “real” name…it turns out to be
something like methoprol or lo-pressor, maybe).
Nurse Wendy is
in charge of THB in the ER. KB shows up with pizza and salad, LB shows up for
additional moral support, and we all get to listen to first a drug addict loudly bemoan his pain and
then a guy with pneumonia loudly bemoan his fate. Around 8, the admitting doc
(after reviewing history one more time) gives more of the same info as to what
will happen (oh, and admits THB), and around 9:15 or so KB and LB depart, DB
leaves around 9:45, and at 10pm THB is wheeled upstairs (and gurney guy manages
to leave THB’s paperwork in the ER) and THB is in bed around 10:30, having been
weighed twice (once in bed, once standing, both say 185), attached to an IV,
attached to a heart monitor, and put to bed.
Several times
during the night, THB is awoken: one time for shot in the stomach and two
different medications (lovenox? Blood thinner?) and Lipitor (cholesterol) and Plavix (??), sometimes to check vital
signs, multiple times to take blood, sometimes to…to….THB lost track. THB’s fave
visit: the blood guy who said he wasn’t sick, he was allergic to what they use
to wash the floors in the wee hours of the morning AND would THB mind taking
off the bandaids from prior blood tests (THB was surprised the guy didn’t have
him put the needle in the vein also). Oh, and in morning, THB now weighs 183,
so IV diet seems to be working. He also gets his levoxyl (thyroid) meds just
like at home, very nice!
Quick note: the
on duty night staff (May, Sam and Eleanor) all uniformly patient, cheerful and
informative (if they know something, they share; if not, they say they don’t
know and will find out). They generally work a 7-7 shift.
My lovely wife, DB, re-appears, her sleep was about as bad as THB’s, and Doc Wulff
arrives with the details: the blood don’t lie, it’s an angiogram at around noon
at a sister John Muir facility that specializes in cardiology. He tells us that
all those analyzed blood samples confirm (actually more accurately show) what
the Stress Test showed: THB has a real
problem (even if it is atypical, with only the one symptom: GIANT chest pain).
Hey, THB is atypical…who could’ve guessed that!
Just about a
half hour before departure time, a very strange thing happens. A 50-ish
dark-haired woman purells herself just outside THB’s room, walks in and says
“I’m the chaplain, would you like to talk” in a very gentle voice. THB is
actually in shock!! First, THB is about as non-religious as you can get, so
non-religious that he would be categorized as anti-religious. Second, THB is
struck by the timing. Sort of like: are you here to administer the last rites?
I’m due in surgery soon, damn soon. THB isn’t really mad at the chaplain, THB
is mad that on all the forms pushed in front of him, none had a box that you
could check that said: NO religious contact.
Another
thriller: THB gets his second ambulance ride in two days!! This one lasts about
20 minutes or so, from Walnut Creek to Concord. THB is plunked down in the
Operating Room prep area where he is stripped and shaved (let us just say that
THB no longer needs to go to the dermatologist to get those annoying little
tags removed from his chest or groin), has his monitor buttons ripped off and
replaced with new non-metallic monitor buttons, and at 11:30 is rushed to the
OR so fast that both THB and DB realize independently that they didn’t get that
last I LOVE YOU in before surgery (it, after all, could be the last time THB
can effectively communicate such without using eyeball twitches).
Sample of heart monitor |
A team of 3 (or
is it 4) finish getting THB in position, including wrapping a gigantic ace
bandage around him and the operating table twice, pinning his arms to his sides
(a good thing, nobody has asked about his essential tremors!! Can’t you just
see Doc Wulff saying: is he having a problem or just waving at me???). At noon,
THB does his usual “I’m stuck here, may as well close my eyes and relax”
routine, they start poking at his groin and talking about what THB thinks is something
to do with the hospital cafeteria, and at 12:30 (or so), THB is told he’s good
to go (well, first they have to unwrap his giant ace bandage and move to him to
another gurney) and is whisked back into the OR waiting area.
According to
the accounts of others (Doc Wulff talked to DB, KB, and LB), the operation went
well: THB had one artery that was handling smaller volume that the other two (those
other two arteries were poster boy specimens for lifelong workouts) and thus
needed a stent put in place. My lovely wife, DB, thinks of it as a three lane
road narrowing into a one lane road. Hmmmmm…90% blockage, which seems more like
what a 5 lane highway looks like after New Jersey gets done narrowing the
traffic onto some insignificant bridge leading into Manhattan.
The hole in the groin cover-up |
For the next
six hours, THB has to keep his right leg straight (the right groin was the
entry point) and his neck straight (to avoid doing any “sit-up” like motions).
He starts getting a slight pain in his back (from the awkward position) and
notices a slight concern when taking an extra large deep breath. On the
positive side, THB can now enjoy the sandwiches and cookies brought by LB. He
is feeling much, much better.
At around 8, DB
heads home. The night nurse takes off THB’s monitors (and thus THB can start
typing again), gives THB a slight sleeping pill and beta blocker, and off to
never-never land THB goes. A shout out to Brenda Sue and especially Jen, the nurses that nursed THB from hole in the groin to E-ville.
Skimmers: we’re near the end, you can pick up here.
My lovely wife, DB, appears with Arizmendi pastry and coffee (now back on the
“you can eat it list”), and a nursing assistant for Doc Wullf appears and THB
gets the scoop (and a copy of the report) from her. What’s up next: cardiology
therapy for 12 weeks and lots of drugs. A generic for Lipitor, Metorprolol (a
beta blocker), baby aspirin forever, and Brilantia (a new drug for keeping the
stent from failing, for one year).
The new drug regime |
From stress test
to home with a new stent: 43 hours. Oh, and since THB turned 6-5 after all this
started up, it looks like that between Medicare and Anthem Blue Cross
supplement, THB’s out of pocket will be just one hole in his groin.
And, THB's big revelation: at the beginning of this saga, he should have got off his bike, called 911, then called DB. For men of a certain age, pain like that is not to be ignored, even if it turns out to be "just" heartburn or indigestion. And, then, THB should have listened to DB when he arrived and said, No, I am not okay. It was too late then, THB had made up his mind, he was going to move on, not ask for help. WRONG!
And, THB's big revelation: at the beginning of this saga, he should have got off his bike, called 911, then called DB. For men of a certain age, pain like that is not to be ignored, even if it turns out to be "just" heartburn or indigestion. And, then, THB should have listened to DB when he arrived and said, No, I am not okay. It was too late then, THB had made up his mind, he was going to move on, not ask for help. WRONG!
As always, thanks again to my lovely wife who did all the right things, asked all the right questions, and realized that the last kiss may really be the last kiss
Dear Dad,
ReplyDeleteThis is both incredibly sweet, a little gross and way too much information for everyone else.
Also, everyone else, while it may be too much information, all I can say is be glad he spared you the (many) feet pictures!!!
-lb
I lied. I must have somehow blocked out the foot picture.
ReplyDeletewhew, welcome home to E-ville!
ReplyDeleteDo you realize how disconnected you were to your body and how you should have listened to your symptoms earlier?
ReplyDeleteYou could have ended up on the roadside like so many others with chest pain early in the game, and no one to help.I am so happy that it all worked out well and you finally got treatment. "Words of wisdom from the dr's wife"
OMG, Ralph. Thanks for sharing the experience and for the free advice of not hesitating to ask for help when you're in pain. Also, negotiating the process together. You and DB make a great team ! Hope all is well from here on out.
ReplyDeleteRalph, This is an incredible tail. Don't know how you managed to get it all written down (must be the years of practice), but glad you did. Hilarious, since I deduced at once (no skimming) that outcome must be ok since 1) you were writing it and 2) sense of humor and alertness still present. I was in ideal position to relate to Hospital Details, after my foot op. I'd at least had a chance to do some pre-op on-line research, so for example was aware of newly developing hospital checklists to avoid errors: items like each care-giver getting patient's name and DOB. Great pics, too. Guess we're getting to where we need to watch what we wear when we go out, lest we get admitted in them as the saying goes. Rooting for your having a great recovery - and think having a first heart episode that gets you treatment is very fortunate - tho of course not as good as not having one at all. Take care, Sharry
ReplyDeleteRalph,
ReplyDeleteWow, what a tail (with several twists in it and foodie diversions!) So glad to be able to read it -like Sharry I quickly realised that the final outcome was OK. We are all reaching the stage of wondering what each new ache and pain means and thinking that when we were young we just ignored them all because they always went away -now we know that maybe they won't. Good luck and get yourself back on track. Love to you both -David and Margaret
thanks to all for your kind words and best wishes. most likely will post one more time with some additional reflections and some details for the medical dictionary fanatics...thb
ReplyDelete