Tag Archives: thick blood

Once More, With Feeling

26 Jun

When I came downstairs Tuesday morning (was it only yesterday?) I found the bathroom totally ripped apart and The Squire asleep in the recliner. He’d had a bout of projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea and had taken the time and effort to remove the worst of the evidence before he’d collapsed.

What with one thing and another I ended up taking him to the ER around 10, as he had all of the symptoms of the “thick blood” problem he’d had back in 2015. I stayed with him until 1:00, came home, fed the dog and myself and did a bit around the house – not that you can tell. He called around dinner time to tell me they were keeping him for the night (no surprise there!) and he was going up to a room. I showered and dressed and went back to the hospital, but he was still in the ER, as they were waiting for a bed. Kissed him goodnight, came home and collapsed into bed myself.

When his blood thickens up – and they don’t know why – he can’t get enough oxygen. He gets short of breath, confused, and very, very weak. He’s still on IVs and he thinks they put some blood thinner in the mix. They told him it was to prevent clots.

He called this morning at 7:30 to let me know he was still alive – barely. He hadn’t gotten upstairs until 1AM and it was pushing 3 before people stopped asking him questions and let him rest. He sounded dreadful, but I think that is pure exhaustion. I keep saying hospitals are no place for sick people!

I made bread, went up to do the wash, and stopped at KFC for lunch. Just keeping up tradition, and it was easier than trying to fix something for myself. Hung up half the clothes, tossed the rest into the dryer, and went back down to visit my poor husband. He did get a bit of sleep last night and was dozing when I arrived. He’d had a good dinner – chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy, fresh string beans, and ice cream for dessert. He requested a salad for supper. I’m not the only one keeping tradition!  I took two along small loaves of the bread I’d made this morning – no harm in bribing the staff!

He complained yesterday that the nurses didn’t put in a port, but stick him anew every times they draw blood. Early this morning one nurse stuck him four times and never did find a vein. A second nurse came in and got four vials right off the bat. The first woman had left the room, and the second one muttered “That’s the difference between twenty years experience and twenty weeks.” Everybody has to be new once, but, oh! my goodness!

I’ve completely lost track of days and times. I have one errand to run right now and then I am going to come back home and try to get some rest myself. No point in both of us being down.

 

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Still Here – or There

15 Mar
     I came home last night, typed up my blog, fed all the critters, and fell into bed.  When I went upstairs, our bed was made, but the guest room bed was open, as that was where The Squire had started to sleep. I was too tired to turn down our bed, so just flopped there. Slept straight through until 8:30,  when both the cat and Blazer came in to inquire after my health, “and by the way, we’re starving”.
     I had every intention of going to early church, which starts at 8:00, so that took care of that. I ate some breakfast and ran a few errands, and went on down to the hospital. The Squire was drifting in and out of sleep, so I just sat and knitted, like Mme. What’s-her-name during the French Revolution.
     The doctors seem to be giving this everything they have. They are keeping The Squire hydrated, which is the big thing at this point, as he has had liquid diarrhea to go along with all the other stuff. Diarrhea alone can kill you, so that’s a big deal. When I was there last night, they had put a “pot” into the toilet, and the tech came in to get two different fecal specimens for testing. They have ruled out c. difficile (?) and food poisoning, which I had pretty much eliminated anyway, as we had both eaten the same thing for dinner. Other than Imodium, I.V. potassium, and the I.V. fluids, I don’t think they’ve given him any sort of medicine. He has, at least stopped vomiting, which is a big help. They say his blood is “compacted” – too thick from all the loss of fluids.  His blood chemistry is all out of whack, and the staff is just trying to keep ahead of the symptoms.  Every once in a while he will get a searing headache and spike a fever, which nobody has been able to explain.  I did ask for the doctor to call me, as a) my husband is hard of hearing, b) he is so sleep deprived he admits he doesn’t always know – or remember -what he’s told, and c) I have a medical background and can get a better handle on what’s being said.
     He had gone to his urologist on Wednesday and that doctor had told him the blood tests showed his blood was “too thick” and recommended he see our GP about it. We think this crud was already working on him then, although he doesn’t remember any symptoms.
     Everybody has been wonderful.  The I.V. technician came by to make some changes to his line, and I told her he had just drifted off to sleep. “No problem. I’ll come back later.” I know the woman had five patients to see just on this floor, so that was really kind of her.
     At the moment, The Squire understands that there is a good chance they may release him tomorrow after lunch. He did have chicken parmesan and peach cobbler for supper – the first solid meal he’s had since Friday lunch. He wanted to walk around the unit for a bit, so I helped him get a gown on to cover his back, and then he brushed his teeth. By then he was exhausted, so he never did get his walk.
     We only have one bathroom, and that is on the ground floor, so I will open the sofa bed so he can sleep downstairs.

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