I'm Back.

I 'm back. It has been a while since I last posted to my blog. I had some more health problems and took a break from blogging. My last two posts (Hospital, A Shocking Visit to the ER) were about my heart problems, and since then the health problems continued.

Last November 23rd, after days of feeling ill and having persistent high fevers, my doctor suggested I go to the emergency room. I am never thrilled to go to the hospital, but I knew that this was necessary. This had been going on too long and it needed to be taken care of.

I decided to go to UCSD/Thornton Hospital in La Jolla. Usually I go to Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, which is the nearest hospital. But since I had been at the ER in Thornton Hospital earlier in the month for my heart troubles, I thought it would be good to go there.

My nurse, Ernie, drove me down to the ER. At the ER, they did blood work, which usually requires quite a few needle pokes to get blood from me, took a chest x-ray, and started an IV. The x-ray showed pneumonia in my left lung. They started me on a series of strong antibiotics.

But, the pneumonia was just part of my troubles. While in the ER my heart started to act up. I had rapid heart rate and atrial-fibrillation. A few times it converted to a normal rhythm by itself, but a few times they had to use a drug through the IV to convert the heart. They managed to get it under control for a while.

After hours of waiting, I was finally moved to a room in the ICU. I was transferred from the gurney to the much more comfortable hospital bed. The gurneys in hospitals are like concrete slabs. I wonder what sadist invented them. When the respiratory therapist suctioned my trach, my heart started acting up again, and it did it again when the nurses turned me. Through the evening I kept having heart problems. The next two evenings were no different. Finally, after trial and error they found the right heart medication, Fleccanide. and for the rest of my hospital stay, my heart stayed in a normal rhythm. It was a relief to go days without my heart acting up. Now, my only concern was beating the pneumonia. As a person with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy I understand how serious pneumonia can be if it is not under control. It has the potential to be deadly for people like me. In addition, they found fluid around my heart. The only treatment was to let it go away by itself.

Lucky for me, my hospital stay was only five days. Unfortunately I was there for Thanksgiving. It was strange not being home to celebrate with my family. This was the first time I had ever missed a holiday at home. I was feeling down that day. As I was lying in bed, bored and in need of cheer, a women brought a therapy dog into my room. The dog was a friendly golden retriever. The dog jumped up on a chair next to my bed and proceeded to lick my arm. It was like she was telling me that everything would be all right. That simple act made my day and lifted my spirits.

The next evening, my brother Bill surprised me by flying down from San Francisco and showing up at the hospital. That was a nice surprise.

During my stay at hospital , my mom, dad, brother, and sister took turns during the day being with me, and Ernie was there overnight. It is always nice to have someone there because the nurses are busy and can't always be there. Also, I am unable to push the buzzer if I need assistance. The nurses are very appreciative of the extra hands. I found the staff at Thornton Hospital to be pleasant and most had a great bed side manner.

On Monday, November 28, I was discharged. They sent me home on antibiotics. They thought the pneumonia was under control. I went home with the hope that they were correct. But, the fevers continued to plague me. One morning, while Ernie was trach suctioning me, he had trouble clearing the trach, and I was having trouble breathing. Since the ventilator wasn't giving me sufficient breaths, Ernie had to use the ambu bag to force breaths into my lungs. He had my mom call 911. The paramedics arrived and drove me to the ER at Thornton Hospital. They had to bag me the whole way. At the ER they took blood work, chest x-rays and started an IV. They diagnosed pneumonia and started me on IV antibiotics. I would have to be admitted. They had no room at Thornton, so they were going to send me to UCSD Medical Center which is farther away. Instead of going farther south, I decided to be transferred to Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, which is much closer to home. Scripps is a very good hospital and I have been there many times over the years. I was taken by ambulance up to Scripps Hospital. Once I arrived I had to do more waiting for a room to be made ready for me. After waiting hours there, I was finally taken to a room in the ICU. It's always a relief to get off the gurney.

The last time I was here was in 2006. It was a like a reunion, since many of the same nurses and respiratory therapists that treated me back then were there. I received very good care while I was there, as I did the other times I was there in the past.

I was in the hospital for five days. As usual, my mom. dad, and sister took turns spending time with me during the day, and Ernie stayed the nights. They treated me with IV antibiotics and had to wait and see. I responded well and it seemed like the pneumonia was again under control. On December 23, I was discharged and sent home on antibiotics. It was an early Christmas gift to be home in time to celebrate Christmas with my family.

It seemed like the pneumonia was gone. But, after I had finished ten days of the antibiotics, the fevers returned. I went back to spend two more days in Scripps Hospital and received more antibiotics. They sent me home without antibiotics. At the end of January the fevers returned. I saw the doctor, and he put me on antibiotics for ten days. This last regimen got rid of the last traces of infection and I have been in great health since.

Hospital

On Tuesday, October 5, I went to UCSD Medical Center for my routine bronchoscopy and trach change, which I have done every two months, by Dr. Harrel in the pulmonary department. I have a bronchoscopy whenever I have a trach change because I have had problems with scar tissue in my trachea blocking the tip of my trach, and blocking air flow. The bronchoscopy allows the doctor to see where the scar tissue is so the trach can be placed away from it. The procedure usually goes like clockwork, and I am in and out of there in no time. But, not this time.

Before the doctor starts the procedure, the nurse squirts Tetracaine, a numbing agent, down my trach. It looked like she used more than usual. I usually get a litle light-headed and get a slight buzz, and it doesn't take long for the effects to wear off. But, during the procedure this time. the room started to whirl around, the voices of the doctor and nurses seemed distant and were fading in and out. It was like a bad trip. When I closed my eyes, I still felt I was spinning around. I also felt nauseous and drowsy. After the procedure, which went well--except for the bad trip--I was so out of it. I was still dizzy and had to keep closing my eyes, and was incapable of driving my wheelchair out of the room. Ernie, my nurse, had to use the attendant control on my wheelchair to drive me to the waiting room/recovery room, where I had to wait for the drug to wear off.

While waiting for the effects of the Tetracaine to wear off, my heart started to flip out. My heart rate shot up to 188, and my heart went into atrial fibrilation. This is when the atria, the two upper chambers of the heart, beat irregulary and out of coordination with the ventricles, the tw0 lower chambers of the heart. My heart was beating so fast, it felt like it would come out of my chest. After what seemed a long time, my heart returned to a more normal beat. It was a scary experience, especially since I didn't know what was going on. Dr. Yung, the ER doctor who was summoned when my heart acted up, said that they would have had to shock my heart back into rhythm if it hadn't settled down by itself. Yikes!

As a precaution, Doctor Yung, and Dr. Harrel, my pulmonologist, decided to admit me to the ICU overnight for observation. Not what I wanted to hear, but I knew it was probably for the best. After waiting for a few hours, they finally were able to move me to the ICU. I was transferred to a gurney and wheeled up to the ICU on the tenth floor. Being on a ventilator means that I always end up the ICU whenever I am hospitalized.

While in the ICU, they had to take the dreaded blood work. Whenever I need blood, I am usually subjected to numerous needle pokes until a decent vein can be located. I always end up feeling like a human pin cushion. This time was no diffrerent. After much poking, and the attempts of three different people, a vein was found in my wrist and thtey got the blood.

The results of the blood work showed very low potassium levels. Low potassium is dangerous for the heart. I was given potassium to boost my levels. The next day they had to take more blood. The vein in my wrist had collapsed, so they had to do more searching and poking. Finally they found a good vein on my foot. The results showed that my potassium levels were now too high. I could not be sent home until my potassium levels were normal. That meant one more night in the hospital, and more blood draws. Lucky for me, the vein in my foot was so good they were able to use it for all additional blood draws.

The next morning, I found out that my potassium levels were back to normal and I was given the green light to go home. I was glad to get out of there.

My stay was not too bad, though it was boring. All I did was sleep, and watch television. The good thing was that the selection of television channels was decent. During the day my mother sat with me, and Ernie, my nurse stayed the nights. My sister spent a few hours with me my last evening there. I always need someone with me when in the hospital because I can't press the call button, and the nurses are too busy with other patients to be there all the time. The nurses appreciate the extra help. The nurses were pleasant and professional. They were attentive, and turned me often to prevent bed sores. Even the respiratory therapists and doctors were friendly. They all had a good bedside manner. My night nurse for both nights, Fidel, was especially friendly and tried to make my stay as pleasant as possible.

I was glad that my hospital stay was short, and that I was in for something that turned out to not be life-threatening. But anything concerning the heart is scary,especially when you don't know what is happening at first. It is humbling to think that the beats of that fist-sized organ in my chest is all that is between me and oblivion. It is highly likely that my heart episode was brought on by the Tetracaine, and not due to some worsening heart condition . For that, I breathe a big sigh of relief.