Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Sometimes, the Bear Eats You


And wants seconds too, asshole.

That's how yesterday went after I noted some heat and weakness in my left hand and then felt the veins at one of the I/V sites become quite hard and chord-like.

I'll admit to panic setting in fast and I got on the phone with P asking him to call the doc to see if I should be worrying or if there was anything at home I could do to alleviate the pain and/or actually help what was seemingly goin' on in there.  Started a warm compress and will do that again soon, methinks.

All my brain could scream was, infection!

So he sends me a cab and off I go to my GP who upon inspection, sends me back to the very ER that changed my whole life last month.

After a mere 8 unbelievable hours--hours filled with a DEAD cel phone, as I hadn't noticed it was at only 14% when I left in the morning--and with only an apple to tide my newly continously ravenous self over for the whole damned day, I was so glad to have at least had my BP meds with me as it was screamin' high when they finally called me in for the assessment--only to return to the waiting room again for some hours.

WHY does it seem that the vending machines in hospitals only sell salty chips and sugary bars?

Anywho, it was finally ascertained via ultrasound, that yes, there is a superficial phlebitis in there and it's blocking some blood flow to the hand.  I'm to put anti-inflammatory pomade sparingly on it for a week which should hopefully fix it's lil blood red wagon.  

Looks like a puppy.   Imagine if it looked like a bear?

 I remember well the day that vein got it back in the hospital, too; the nurses musta been rammin' around in there trying to make the new I/V location work for 10 minutes straight.  Poor lil vein...

Oh and I had the prescribed pomade in question at home already.    *rimshot*

Needless to type I came home just KNACKERED, spirit smacked down by the medical man, wolf-hungry and in no shape for anything except restoration and blessed sleep.  

K, and a hot bubble bath.  

After many hugs from P, a snurggle from Tony and another sleeping pill, I was pleased to finally find myself calming down at last and then quite grateful to one very special nurse at that place named Gayle.  

Gaaaaaaaayle... She practically lead me by my trembling Predded-up hands more than once during that endless germ-riddled disgusting day and I shall always be grateful to her and her big heart.  AND SHE SPOKE ENGLISH, making every opportunity to translate when she was around.  Wonder if I'll see her again?

There are some special people in this wild world and I'll never forget this one's angel-face so THANK YOU GALE, I'm home now and I gotta say, that at not even what appears to be  25ish years old yet,  yer already one HELLUVA nurse.

As for YOU, bear, next time, it's MY TURN, dammit.

; J

EDIT:  I Netted-out the head of the nursing dept at the ER and wrote her today, asking to pass the email on to the wonderful, ever-professional, blessed Nurse Gayle.  Fingers crossed that I hear back!

EDIT TOO:  After meeting with my doc on Feb 21st, he was appalled to find that the ER doc prescribed the ONE type of med that a Prednisone taker should avoid like the plague, NSAIDS, pomade or otherwise.  And she was well aware of my condition too.  Now I know for next time, if there is one, that a compress of alcohol is the order of the day.  Glad I didn't do any serious damage with all that pomading.  Least I don't think I did.

LIVING and LEARNIG every damDED day!

7 comments:

Fullmoondolphin said...

I'm sorry you had to go through that, but thankful that it wasn't too serious. I've sent a special prayer, and a big thank you, to Gayle for being such a wonderful help to you, and bringing a ray of sunshine (or should that be Gayle-shine?) into your stressful day. And of course a special prayer has gone out for you and your poor vein! That bear had better watch out - next time he'll be in serious trouble! :)

Pascal said...

Wasn't that dead phone a nice touch or what? BWAA-HAHAHA-HAAARRR!!!
- BigBadBear

; )

Darling, no more going-outs if it ain't with a fully-charged phone, ya hear?! : )

XOXO
P


Juanita Grande said...

Merci beaucoup, mon amie. Your particular vibes are always extra-appreciated.

Have a sweet day,

: J

Juanita Grande said...

It was on the classic side, non?!? Youuuuuuu!

Now, methinks it's time to hit apple and order a charger solely for my purse at all times.

; J

Unknown said...

Hey Nita, this is the note I tried posting yesterday... trying again today:

Oh Juanita! I'm so sorry to hear you're sick! I just got home from a 10-day trip to Mexico, the tail end of which dealt me a nasty stomach bug, and I'm home now recuperating.

I hear your anguish. I spent a week in the hospital a few years back, and I was surprised at how little attention I received from some close friends, although the local few did visit my bedside a time or two. I've had really good friends in the hospital as well with some seriously life-threatening conditions, and while I of course did visit, it was hard to motivate myself to do so. I guess it's a combination of fear of hospitals and western medicine in general, the knowledge that I can't help, and this nagging worry that because I'm not family, I will somehow be intruding. Maybe that's part of the hesitation your friends were experiencing also. It's hard to say. People I guess just get stuck in their own lives and mostly avoid dealing with sick people. It takes a special person to be a nurse, and I think those special people are few and far between, but they are the same people who will be reliably visiting you in the hospital. My own sister is a nurse and she did not leave my bedside while I was stuck there.

Anyway, I'm anxious for you. I haven't seen you in many years, but I really did come to adore you during the "period of the dinner parties" at Krissie's and Dana's houses in Edmonton. That was a fun period, and you were often the life of the party.

I know the feeling of being sick and the doctors being unable to help. It's a miserable, scary thing. I hear the French medical system is much better than the Canadian though, so I do hope you're in good hands.

I'll be tuning in...

Love
Kelsey

Juanita Grande said...

"The period of the dinner parties"! MAN those WERE some sweet eves and I recall them with a wide smile too, Kelsey!

It's so great to be back in touch with you and the next time I'm in Van, let's go out for some sexeh vegetarian, k?

So glad you're better now.

(((hugs))),

: J

Juanita Grande said...

Meaning a meal of sexeh vegetarian, not a man, not that there's anything wrong with that!

Seinfeld