The Collapse like no other
Two years ago, ten days after I had my ICD put in I collapsed. My recovery had been going great. Then I woke up the day I needed my staples removed seeing double, or triple, and very confused and wobbly. I had an appointment that afternoon, so refused to be taken to ER.
I couldn't even go on my own from the van to the doctors office. Myles had to borrow a walker to take me. I fell. I was out of it. The receptionist kicked someone else out of an exam room and put me right in one. I was instructed to lay down. I said no way would I be able to climb onto exam bed. I refused to lay on floor because it was dirty. Lol. I also said I wouldn't be able to get back up.
Dr. E. Took my pulse and blood pressure and called the paramedics and ambulance. I wasn't even allowed to go the 1/2 block to ER with Myles. I remember being very pissed at this. I hated that my young son was in the room witnessing it. An IV was immediately started.
Out of the entire 4 month hospital stay, SCAs, STARS air ambulance, 3 ICDs, the only cost to me was this 1/2 block ambulance ride.
My blood pressure bottomed out. I almost died that night in ER. Very little is remembered by me. A few things really stand out. Why are you here tonight? I'm here to get my staples out. I had no clue why I was there or how serious it was. Later on why are you here today? To get my staples out. They are already out. No they aren't. Panic huge panic. A mirror was produced to prove yes the staples are out.
The blood pressure machine freaked me out with both numbers being very low. And kept dropping. They finally turned it away from me so I couldn't see it.
I remember nurses standing and squeezing the IV. A pressure thing applied to the IVs.
Then do you have to pee? No, I went just before I came. You should need to pee. We should give you a cath. No, panic, huge panic. I just went. How? You've been here six hours. No, panic huge panic. I'd had multiple IVs dumped in me and the fluid needed to go somewhere and it wasn't coming out. I learned later this is a sign of kidney failure.
Being moved once to ICU and something happened and I was rushed back to ER.
I was taken to a different area. This dickwad had my wrists and kept sticking needles, huge needles into my wrists. I told him he couldn't draw blood there. He told me he was checking oxygen levels. It hurt. It was the only part of my body I felt and it hurt. I wanted him to stop. He kept jabbing needles in my wrists. I'd try to pull away, and my arms were like limp spaghetti. Then finally he quit. No, he just moved sides. Again I begged him to stop. I cried, then I screamed. He just kept going. To this day I still have scars on my wrists from whatever the dickwad was doing.
Then again being in ICU. My vice principals wife was a nurse. I was adamant that the kids not ever know I was sick. I begged her not to tell them. Begged, cried, then panic huge panic that the kids would know I was sick.
Myles was finally able to see me. It was nearly twelve hours later. I wanted a picture of the Christmas tree over my bed. It was so pretty. There is no tree it's august. Yes there is, panic, anger, insistence. He took a picture of it and showed me. The beautiful pretty thing with twinkling lights and pretty baubles on his phone was some kind of IV pole??? I kept insisting he wasn't taking the picture of the tree. Today I have no idea what I was seeing.
I spent days being stabilized in ICU. Moved to a ward. Then transferred to Calgary by ground ambulance.
I couldn't even go on my own from the van to the doctors office. Myles had to borrow a walker to take me. I fell. I was out of it. The receptionist kicked someone else out of an exam room and put me right in one. I was instructed to lay down. I said no way would I be able to climb onto exam bed. I refused to lay on floor because it was dirty. Lol. I also said I wouldn't be able to get back up.
Dr. E. Took my pulse and blood pressure and called the paramedics and ambulance. I wasn't even allowed to go the 1/2 block to ER with Myles. I remember being very pissed at this. I hated that my young son was in the room witnessing it. An IV was immediately started.
Out of the entire 4 month hospital stay, SCAs, STARS air ambulance, 3 ICDs, the only cost to me was this 1/2 block ambulance ride.
My blood pressure bottomed out. I almost died that night in ER. Very little is remembered by me. A few things really stand out. Why are you here tonight? I'm here to get my staples out. I had no clue why I was there or how serious it was. Later on why are you here today? To get my staples out. They are already out. No they aren't. Panic huge panic. A mirror was produced to prove yes the staples are out.
The blood pressure machine freaked me out with both numbers being very low. And kept dropping. They finally turned it away from me so I couldn't see it.
I remember nurses standing and squeezing the IV. A pressure thing applied to the IVs.
Then do you have to pee? No, I went just before I came. You should need to pee. We should give you a cath. No, panic, huge panic. I just went. How? You've been here six hours. No, panic huge panic. I'd had multiple IVs dumped in me and the fluid needed to go somewhere and it wasn't coming out. I learned later this is a sign of kidney failure.
Being moved once to ICU and something happened and I was rushed back to ER.
I was taken to a different area. This dickwad had my wrists and kept sticking needles, huge needles into my wrists. I told him he couldn't draw blood there. He told me he was checking oxygen levels. It hurt. It was the only part of my body I felt and it hurt. I wanted him to stop. He kept jabbing needles in my wrists. I'd try to pull away, and my arms were like limp spaghetti. Then finally he quit. No, he just moved sides. Again I begged him to stop. I cried, then I screamed. He just kept going. To this day I still have scars on my wrists from whatever the dickwad was doing.
Then again being in ICU. My vice principals wife was a nurse. I was adamant that the kids not ever know I was sick. I begged her not to tell them. Begged, cried, then panic huge panic that the kids would know I was sick.
Myles was finally able to see me. It was nearly twelve hours later. I wanted a picture of the Christmas tree over my bed. It was so pretty. There is no tree it's august. Yes there is, panic, anger, insistence. He took a picture of it and showed me. The beautiful pretty thing with twinkling lights and pretty baubles on his phone was some kind of IV pole??? I kept insisting he wasn't taking the picture of the tree. Today I have no idea what I was seeing.
I spent days being stabilized in ICU. Moved to a ward. Then transferred to Calgary by ground ambulance.
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