I went without my oxygen this morning for a while, paid a bill online, and am now writing this as if I were a regular person! This is a big step for me. It still doesn’t take much to knock me flat, but I’m gaining on things.
What I wanted to stress today was how important you are. Yes. YOU.
I have always valued you, and spent quite a while each day collecting things that I think are wonderful to share with you. But I wanted you know know that since my husband and I got sick in February and our world was turned on its ear, the ‘valuing’ has become much more personal.
I thank you for the comments and messages. The welcome-backs. The honest concern. For checking on me. These are all priceless.
I hope that I will be able to write TWO posts tomorrow, and soon be back to holding myself to 4 blog posts a day one day soon. :0)
I am still among the land of the living and am finally feeling strong enough to try to get one blog post written this morning.
There are lots and lots of changes going on around here, due to the sudden events of the past 2 weeks or so. I appreciate your bearing with me on things I’m having to do differently as I adapt.
To summarize the events of February, my husband and I both were diagnosed with Flu A (husband flu plus pneumonia. Me flu plus bronchitis.) at our walk-in clinic on the 6th. The doc there strongly suggested I go to the ER due to low blood oxygen. We went home and I called a friend, who drove me to the ER. I was admitted there, transferred to the ICU, had two operations in three days due to my heart stopping beating, one for a temporary pace maker and the other for a permanent one. I was released on the 12th.
I asked our son to come home from across the world from us. He dropped everything and traveled 24 hours to get here. He has handled all the cooking, cleaning, medications, animals, taking care of us beautifully. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without him.
We are both improving very slowly. I am on oxygen, but am trying to wean myself off of it as I can.
Yesterday our new bed came and the fridge guy came to look at the ice maker in the new fridge. The bed will be fine, though we both need to do some adaptation. The tech ordered a part for the fridge, so that will be handled eventually, too.
The most impactful thing from all of this is that my husband and I have always planned carefully for future scenarios, not wanting to be caught flat footed. We honestly hadn’t thought about the fact that I could croak first. This has upended everything. We also never planned for both of us to be sick at the same time, and that upended anything that was left. I have to admit I am rocked down to my core on this one. I could handle being the survivor, but I seriously worry about my husband’s ability to function by himself.
This will take a lot of thinking and replanning, and possible scenarios we never even considered before.
Again, thank you for taking the time to read all of this. I hope to be able to get back to the regular blog posts starting tomorrow. I’m trying to give myself some slack, though, since I tend to give out at the slightest effort, and will need to work to build my stamina again.
Meanwhile you’ve been on my mind and I hope you’re doing well.
Good afternoon. Just one message to you today – if you’re reading this, thank you!
My life since the 6th has been a scary one – dignosis of both my husband and I at the walk in clinic in Greenwood of (Flu A with pneumonia with my husband and with Flu A with bronchitis for me.) My blood oxygen level was so low at the clinic the doc there insisted I go to the ER in Ft. Smith. My friend Carla took me because my husband was way too sick. From the ER, I was admitted to the hospital because of my labs and symptoms. 3 days later I woke up with a group of nurses around my bed, asking if I was “all right.” They told me then that I had techically died several times that night, my heart simply stopping for several seconds each time. They arranged a transfer to ICU, where in the middle of the night I received a temporary pacemaker. 3 days after that I received a permanent pacemaker. I was released home on the 12th.
My husband is home, too, and is making good progress after a 14 day course of antibiotics.
When our son asked if we wanted him to come home from across the world from us, I selfishly said, “yes.” He has been here, taking wonderful care of us for a few days now.
I am on antibiotics, steroids, stopped several of my regular meds until further notice.
Yesterday at my follow up primary doc’s office, I simply collapsed trying to stand long enough for a chest x-ray. As of yesterday afternoon, I am on oxygen. I can now breathe for the first time since being released, (maybe a slight exxageration) and I slept for the first time. Breathing should not be underrated. I enjoy doing it a lot, but prefer it not to hurt and to get enough not being afraid I’ll faint. )It was fabulous last night to be able to lie back and really relax, getting the air I need, shut my eyes without nausea and then panic panting trying to catch my breath over and over all night long.
I am definitely in celebration mode here. Happy and relieved that my husband is a bit stronger each day. Relieved and grateful to Carla who dropped everything to get me where I needed to go. Delighted our son is here, taking good care of us, and able to concentrate on being happy I am alive to type.
Quick note. I am in here until further notice. I have FlA, bronchitis, shortness of breath, low blood oxygen. I went to the emergency room yesterday and they admitted me to the w. I have no clue what the plan is. They are giving me breathing treatments. I ate last night for the first time since last Thursday I will try to send messages
We are still a mess. We spent most of the day coughing, trying to sleep, coughing…. I also had waves of a cough, then getting really short of breath. We dug out some Theraflu, since we seem to be past the sore throat stage now and into the just coughing one. We managed to make and eat some soup this afternoon, and that was it for the day. Hopefully, the antibiotics will bring us back to life a little at a time. Meanwhile, we’ve made a pact that we won’t ever both be sick at the same time.
We’re home from the doc. I have Flu A plus bronchitis. My husband has Flu A plus pneumonia. He will have another chest x-ray in two weeks. We are both on antibiotics now. We feel awful and will sleep as much as we can until further notice. I’m rescheduling things as much as possible. Will be back when I can.
We weren’t able to get help Saturday. We’re still a mess. We’re planning to try to be at the walk in clinic at our regular doc’s office at 7:30 tomorrow.
Thursday I woke up with a cough an aches. Friday my husband did the same. Today the two of us together are not worth shooting.
We drove to an urgent care in Ft. Smith at 7 this morning, only to find out that there was only one doctor, there would be at least a two hour wait, and that they would probably want chest x-rays and were not set up for that. The man at the counter told us about another urgent care that was also open at 8, so we headed there. To indicate how bad my husband felt, he asked ME to drive.
We got to the second place only to find that they would’t be open for another hour. That was my husband’s breaking point. He demanded we go home. We both fell into our recliners and are just now waking up again.
I will try to fix us some soup. Just wanted to let you know what was happening around here.
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