Hello everyone! I hope this post sees you in good health. I am going to “skip” over a few posts and tell you about my recent health scare. I know a few of you have been asking about why I was in the hospital last week and I believe my blog would be a good platform to tell everyone.
Life was going good, healthwise, for a change. I had even managed to gain a few pounds. The week before the 18th of May, I had developed a low-grade fever in which I contributed to my Crohn’s Disease. I thought NO BIGGIE, I’ll get over it soon. This was the only hiccup I had and didn’t think much of it. Saturday, the 18th at 5:00am, I hooked myself up to a bag of saline because I felt a little dehydrated. It runs for 4 hours so at 9:00am I could unhook myself and have the rest of the day IV free. Throughout the day, I had a pain in between my shoulder blades on my back and the fever was rising higher throughout the day. I told both my husband and my daughter what was going on and in the back of my mind I thought this pain felt like a PE blood clot that I’ve had in the past.
Around 3am Sunday morning, I turned on the bedroom light and told Mark that we needed to go to the ER. There is a hospital about 5 miles down the road and I chose that one instead of going all the way to St. Louis that morning. I told the ER what my symptoms were and we had a seat. Before you know it, I was being processed and placed in an ER bed. I was given an EKG, X-ray, CT scan and blood tests. While I was waiting for the tests to come back, I started having a lot of pain in my upper left side of my chest. I honestly thought I was having a heart attack!
When the results came back, the doctor told my husband right where I said that I hurt (between shoulder blades and left side of chest) is where pneumonia was found. I had pneumonia in both my lungs. They also told me the left side of my chest showed a spot where my lung looked like “mush.” Now, I don’t know about you, but if someone told me a spot on my lung looked like mush, I’m going to slightly panic, and I did! They also sent off a sample of my blood/spit to another lab. So, off I go to the ICU for 3 days.
While I was in the ICU the doctors literally pumped me full of every kind of antibiotic known to man! Even the antibiotics that were on my “allergic” list were pumped in me. This is the time where I thanked God that I had a PICC line. I got all my antibiotics through this line and didn’t have to worry about any IV’s. The doctors came in my room Tuesday morning and told me the sample they sent off came back Legionnaires Disease. This disease isn’t contracted person to person but it is contracted through infected water droplets that I somehow/somewhere inhaled that had this bacteria in it. Anyplace where there is water sitting or had sit for a long time such as drainage pipes, garden hoses, bird baths, shower heads, sprayers, air conditioning in large places, veggie mists at the grocery store, etc…I have no idea where I had gotten it from because a lot of these places I go or do without even thinking about it. With my immune system being comprised due to Crohn’s Disease and the medication I take, I can literally look at something and become sick.
With good pain meds and a plethora of antibiotics, I was out of the ICU Tuesday afternoon. The doctors discontinued the fluids because I looked like the Stay Puff Marshmellow man and I had to deal with the all over puffiness. One good thing, I got to eat a normal diet while I was in the hospital this time because it had nothing to do with my Crohn’s (somewhat) for a change! The doctors kept me full of antibiotics throughout Wednesday and Wednesday night, one doctor told me that I could possibly leave tomorrow (Thursday)! I needed to hear something positive for a change. I was getting cabin fever and a little depression crept on me during this time. During the whole stay at the hospital, I had been walking the halls so that my pneumonia wouldn’t get worse and my legs get not too weak.
Thursday came around and one doctor came in early and told me I could leave that day. I still had 2 more doctors to go because they all have to agree. Late morining rolls around and both doctors that were left told me they were going to release me around noon. The nurses came in to go over my new medication list. It had changed drastically! Thank Heavens my daughter was off work that day so that she could pick me up. By noon I was packed and ready to go!
I get back home and was so happy to be there! That day, everything went off without a hitch and I felt great! I believe I was on a high from actually being home. That night, I slept on the recliner, straight up because I was afraid that I would lay down and be in the same boat again. That next morning, Mark was gone and Isabella had to go to work. I was left there by myself, coming off some of the medication that was given to me previously. I honestly felt sooo jittery, dizzy and nervous that I was afraid to get up and around too much. Isabella came home to check on me during her lunch break and I was so mentally challenged by then, she was afraid to leave me, but I reassured her I would be okay. I hurt so bad, words cannot describe, yet the doctor wouldn’t give me any pain meds after I came home. When I’m in pain, I don’t want to talk to anyone because I am trying to concentrate on something other than being in pain. I noticed that every bodily fluid that came out of my body was an olive green color. It all looked the same, no matter what the fluid was. I also couldn’t sleep because of all the jitterness that going on. If I had the opportunity to slow my heart rate down, I would sleep maybe 20-30 minutes at a time. That was throughout the day and night. Saturday was the same, Mark was gone, Isabella had to work, I was left alone again. I honestly thought I may have to go back to the hospital, but I fought it hard. Mark called to tell me he was going to bring home some porksteaks to cook out, so that gave me something to look forward to. I felt the same jittery, dizzy and nervous person that day also.
I forgot to mention that sometime during the day on Friday, I get a call from the St. Clair County Health Department because the hospital had to report my disease. The lady literally asked me 50 questions about where I had been and what have I been doing the past two weeks. I answered as I remembered. She told me that they have to document the places in case someone else in that area or same place came down with the same disease.
Things started changing for the better Sunday. The nervousness had subsided a little and I was better mentally. I sat on my patio for as long as I could until the storms came along. By Monday, I was feeling even better. I actually went to Home Depot and grocery shopping with Mark that day. I’m not telling you it was an easy thing to do, but it felt like I was getting back to my normal. During the time I was in the hospital, the flowers and plants that I had ordered had came in (imagine that!). Both Mark and Isabella helped me get them planted (with a mask on of course) that day. We had a great day at home. My happy place is the patio. I could sit there on a beautiful day all day if I could. I love to check on all my plants/flowers and sit in my favorite rocking lawn chair with a little music in the background.
I believe each day now, I am getting better and better. I sit on the patio in the morning and read my book, I am watering my flowers and doing a little housework around the house with some rest in between activities. I am getting back to my norm, but I am very watchful of what I do outside, especially around water or soil. I do not know where I picked this up, but I do know I am going to be more cautious of my surroundings to make sure I do not get this horrible, painful disease again, even if I have to wear a mask. Remember to take Crohn’s Disease one day at a time, this has helped me in recovering from the Legionnaires Disease also. I have to stop what I am doing, take in a deep breath, get refocused and move on. It’s hard sometimes, I know. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask!
On another note: I have a cousin that has been in and out of the hospital for some time now. We did actually connect to each other while we were both in the hospital. As he put it, “we certainly aren’t the poster children for good health from the bootheel (of Missouri)” Although I was in the hospital for a week, he has it much worse. He is receiving a bone marrow transplant today, please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Chow for now!
Kelly