I'm back!!!...sorta....Over Christmas I had been diagnosed with Bronchitis, by Dr. H., but not given any drugs except for a puffer to help ease the breathing. Of course, my condition worsened and I ended up in the ER with a fever. Dr. B. then told me that I had pneumonia and gave me some antibiotics that would stay in my system for 10 extra days and that I'd be feeling better within a couple of days. I felt good for two days after the meds were done...then I started to feel worse. Mid-week I was coughing so much that I pulled a muscle in my side...It hurt so bad and popped so hard that I thought that I had dislocated a rib! We went to the ER again and after some x-rays and bloodwork, Dr. H. gave me a nebulizer for my breathing and more antibiotics for the pneumonia...he also made me cry by pressing too hard on the swollen muscle so he also gave me a shot of something for the pain. Wooo I went home shaking from all the meds! Two days later I could barely breathe and the pain in my side was unbearable so back to the ER we went. I ended up with a third doctor, Dr. P., who had looked at my x-rays prior to seeing me and didn't believe that I had pneumonia until he listened to my breathing. He then gave me a nebulizer, a non narcotic shot for my pain, and set me up for antibiotics via IV for the weekend. Every morning I had to go in for my IV meds and nebulizers (they left the IV in my hand over the weekend...of course it was my right hand so I was totally useless at home)....Finally after mondays IV they removed it and he felt that I was well enough to go onto pill form antibiotic and a special puffer. Hopefully that will do it because sleeping sitting up on the couch doesn't work very well! I finally went back to work yesterday too...very tiring and sore but my boss gave me a short shift so it was bearable!
They gave me a sleeve to help protect the IV from being ripped out at home.
Aweful tape all over my hand and gross blood backing up the tube. Is that normal?
Getting my IV treatment and nebulizer at the same time.
You can't see it but the nebulizer is "smoking". Basically you smoke your meds...The oxygen and meds are misted while you breathe so it enters fully into your lungs...more effective than a puffer.
On saturday when I went in for my IV, I had a nasty roommate! I walked in and sat down on my bed and she was like, "Are you supposed to be here?!" Ah YEAH. Then she buzzed the nurse all pissed, "Uh I just had an enema and there's some people in my room!"...LOL...suck it up lady it's not a private room...the nurse just came in and closed the curtain totally ignoring her. Wooo bitchy.
On monday there was an old lady who was slowly losing her mind. She kept harrassing the nurses at the desk...determined to call her son...she was also determined to leave and kept setting off the buzzers as she had a monitor on. At one point she came up to some of us and told us that there would be parade in the hospital that night....and that if they let the man bleed to death that would be on our heads....lol weird...poor old lady! Poor nurses it had been busy in the ER that day too.
