Well, this sucks 12/23-25/2017
Two doctors just paraded through. Dr. Alexi who is the Infectious Disease doctor; Mikki said he saved her mom wants from sepsis. The other guy was the hospitalist Dr. Nath. Nath gives me the great news that I will be here for 3 days till the cultures come back. One way or another Santa is getting out of here on Christmas.
Last night they started a vancomycin drip. Today they switched to doses of zosyn and doxycycline at least a couple times and a shot of neupogen to boost my white blood cell count. Fever went up a degree, so the little guys are fighting back. Back to normal a few hours later. BP has been all over the map. One time 197/88 another 127/76 and everything between. Wtf... Heart, make up your mind.
Dozed off and woke at 2pm smelling food. I stuck my head out the door and knew that they were picking up the trays. I caught nurse Christina going by and ask her if they still had my lunch. Then she noticed that neither me nor the other isolation room had gotten their lunch. The good part is they ordered fresh lunch and at least it was hot when I got here.
Mikki and Andrew came by after shopping and brought some yogurt, a banana, a pint of Cherry Garcia and the book I was reading, Mark Twain's "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson." Woohoo!
Nurse Christina cleaned up my nephrostomy tube site and put on a bio patch. That eats the bugs on the skin surface. Resolved that pain in short order. Note to self: Buy a box of those things. She was pissed that when I got the tube I had gotten no wound care instruction. Especially since it was on this wing of the hospital.
Nurse Lauren remembered me from last November. Sbe was taking my vitals and my O2 level was 95. She says,"You can do better than that, take some deep breaths." I do and it goes 94..93..92.and we both start laughing. Just then, 93..94..95..96..97..98..99. I told her, "You're going to have to tickle me for the last one." She didn't.
Later, talking to Lisa and Rabbi at 11 pm, the process is to take the samples and send them to a lab. Lab cultures them at the right temperature for 5 days. After 2 days, they apply the antibiotics to the samples to see how many bugs get killed off. If any are left after trying everything that has been administered to me, they try what they haven't to decide on the next course of treatment. I guess on day 4 and 5 they observe all the sample growth or lack thereof. After that they sell them to Budweiser.
Rabbi raided The Doctors Lounge and brought me a Milky Way ice cream bar. And Lisa snagged some cookies and a granola bar. ...Score. RHIP.
Family decided that Christmas will be on the 26th this year. Hope I'm out before then.
5 a.m. on the 24th
I'm up already. Between frequent trips to the bathroom because of the constant 1L IV drip on a pole I call my dance partner, and the hospital bed with its Mattress by Mengele (Josef). If I had a yoga mat I'd sleep on the floor. Been more comfortable in a sleeping bag in a mud puddle.
Nurse Tara just came in and gave me the preliminary 24 hr lab results. Here they are in her own words:
Listen to Nurse Tara delivers prelim lab results 122417 by John #np on #SoundCloud
So some possibility that I never had an infection and will get out of here today.
7:30 am
When you're a frequent flyer you get a room with a view.
And what do you know, they do have hot water here. Must have been turned off for the weekend.
1:00 pm
Both docs came by and told me what I already knew, but they had to collect their checks. Said as long as cultures are the same tomorrow, I'll be out of here. I'll have to consult with my concierge doctor:
2 pm lunch late but who cares!
Eat your hearts out. Popcorn shrimp, some amazing sauce, peas and carrots, brown rice, coffee, cranberry juice, a roll and the big finale, carrot cake.
Mikki said I'll be calling the doctor, "Doc, I got a fever" and using the old radiator trick.
6:00 pm
Dinner was great. Tried to get Andrew to notice my RN Faith - smart, cute, single, new in town, from ND, been an RN for 3 years (so likely 25-26) and not doing anything tomorrow.
Don't know how much more intell I can give him. I even introduced her to him and Mikki.
Mikki was impressed with her too. All he got out was, "Hi."
Mikki and Andrew left at 6:15 to meet Lisa, Rabbi and Ellie at BJs and will come back here after. We will see if Ellie can hang in that late.
Some of the other nurses who took care of me today were Tamika, Selina, and Roz.
8 pm
The whole gang came back and Ellie told me about her picture of Santa while exfoliating my arm with EKG contacts.
OMG found another button to inflate the bed. Looks like a panel on the right side is busted and the one on the left actually works. The bed is completely inflated and is actually comfortable. Hopefully I get a nice night's sleep tonight.
11 pm
Sound asleep and Malika accidently knocks on my door by mistake and turns on the foyer light. End of sleep. Then it seems every 40 minutes I need a bathroom break.
December 25, 2017
Other side of midnight and plotting my escape.
5 am
Checked with Roz. No 48 hr prelim report yet. Been up more than every hour for bathroom runs, vitals checks, IV bag refills and pills.
Just came to the realization that if I found the make and model of this bed, I probably could have found an operators guide. Also shouldn't have asked Mikki to take the book home. Could have used it to prop up one leg so I wouldnt have to fight a tilted bed all night. Still, at least it stayed inflated.
However; in the middle of the night it suddenly exhales and inhales. I'm just waiting for that disembodied voice to utter, "https://youtu.be/dRrtq9e-lvQ."
Weakness in right leg coming back. Would ask for a Tylenol, but its probably an extra $50 for one. I'll just have Andrew bring them later.
6:45 am
Still no lab report but RN Roz thinks they will discharge me with or without it as they really want to get patients out. I'd like to believe that, bug I think she's full of crap.
Can't wait for that French toast and sausage.
8:30 am
OMG that French toast was perfect.
RN Sue took over and said the 48 hr lab report was done on time. I bet RN Roz never looked it up. She is getting lignite coal today, not even the good anthracite.
RN Sue has been here 17 years. Very thorough, and you can picture the type of nurse she is--outgoing, surly, witty, no-nonsense, take charge and efficient. Like Loretta Swit on M.A.S.H. Sue is usually on the Cardiac Progressive Care Unit. These other nurses are assigned the ordinary sick people unit station 5 West 2.
The Piparacillin and Tazobactam have to be mixed and shaken and put into a IV bag with saline. All the other nurses stand here and shake it. RN Sue got it started and then said, "Screw this, I have other stuff to do. I'll mix it as I work and will come back." That's old school work ethic boys and girls. She even put in an engineering work order to fix the bed.
Overall the staff here are great; conversant, responsive, friendly, funny and attentive.
BP has been coming in with more consistent low numbers finally. CNA Salina said she is stealing my joke to use on people with HBP I used when I was an EMT. I'd tell them they were too excited to see me. I'd take their BP 5 mins later and most times it would drop 10-30 pts.
9:35 am
Dr. Alexis just came and gave his ok to release me. One down one to go. Waiting on Dr. Nath and then I'm a free man after 3 hrs of paperwork and BS.
11:30 am
👍from Hospitalist 2 down. Likely >3 hours to go.
1:05 pm
Lunch was great and RN Sue is escalating my paperwork. What a pro!
I won't bore you with the rest of the details unless something funny happens.
Santa made it out just in time.
https://youtu.be/TW1USQcd6fM
Next: You vill follow zee rules and you vill like it
