Friday, July 23

Back From The Dead

Let us pray....

By now most of you got the gist of what happened to me last week. I am one lucky woman to still be alive and writing this blog to tell you about it. To tell you the truth, I think it's finally sinking into my fevered brain just how gone I was before they got me back. Here's what happened in two weeks and why I disappeared without a word.

The week before last I wasn't feeling well. I was tired, wasn't hungry, didn't have much of an interest in anything and it was so unlike me. I just figured I was depressed since it felt so much like depression. I wasn't getting enough sleep. I kept wondering why I wasn't so happy with my move and why I felt so bad. Nothing stuck out that I could put my finger on but I was having some fluid retention in my my feet and hands. I gained 10 pounds before I knew it even though I eat healthy foods and watch my weight. I keep my weight around 138 and it soared upwards in a half a week. Still, I thought it would pass and didn't have a clue.

Last week I got up on the 12th , it was just like any other day but I was tired. I decided to go back to bed. James (my roommate) was getting ready for work. That's the last thing I remember!

I woke up in the hospital with tubes coming out of every opening and then some. Two days had gone by already. When I came to there was a tube down my throat and they had to remove it quickly because I was chocking on it. I didn't remember anything and this is what I was told by the hospital staff as they explained things to me.

They said I had been found in my bed by James. He had come into the bedroom to get his shoes for work. I was lucky that he did! I had puked and was choking on it. I was gurgling in the throat. My left lung was filled with it and I was having a seizure. I had bit my tongue and it was bleeding. My eyes were opened and rolled up in my head.

James dialed 911 and they got there within minutes. They bagged me and couldn't get the ambulance into our little parking lot so they ran out with me on a bed sheet. I was dying on the way to the hospital.

They induced coma to treat and save me. I had gotten pneumonia and my organs were failing. I was brought back from the dead in Intensive Care while in the coma. I was there a day.

After that they moved me to the Pulmonary Care Unit where they dealt with my organs malfunctioning. They had put a tube down my lung to take out the fluid and while in there I woke up. I was shocked to find myself in the hospital and that it was 2 days later! I was really freaked out when they told me what had transcribed. All very sobering!

I'm Alive!

Kaiser Permanente had saved my life! They were excellent and very professional the whole time I was there. All the personal were very nice and went out of their way to make my stay comfortable. They took good care of me when I was in the Coma.

I was taken out of Intensive Care and moved to a room in the hospital proper with another woman where I stayed for two more days. Then only 4 days later they released me to come home. I was never so happy to go home! I felt like the Bride Of Frankenstein, brought back to life.

I have to have an MRI next week and take it to Neurology but I was very lucky that they haven't found anything wrong with me as of yet. Still, I don't have a history of seizures like they thought originally so I don't know what is better. To have them find a reason for this, or not have them find a reason at all! LOL! Nice to alive and kicking indeed!

While there I was treated for:

♦Severe Sepsis W Acute Organ Dysfunction, Septicemia, Final ID Pending

Elevated lactate may be related to infection (left infiltrate) or possibly as a consequence of seizure earlier today.

♦Aspiration Pneumonia

♦Priority 1,HIGHEST Extensive left sided infiltrate associated with seizure and emesis in the ED. Major concern is for aspiration.

♦Seizure

Etiology not clear. Per report, there is a possible history of seizures, so this may be recurrence. No lesions on head CT. Would proceed with LP to r/o CNS infection.

♦Chronic Pain

What a lucky break for me to be home and relatively okay.

I'm glad to be back home and online. Thanx again for all your best wishes! I am doing really well now so no worries. See you around very soon!

Keep On Bloggin'!