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Faunsdale, AL | Was hospitalized after an accident, had surgery and about a week later had been transferred out of ICU and on the “step down” level of care. I had a day when I was just on edge, irritable, felt like I was about ready to jump out of my skin. Had been doing well for several days before and they were scheduling transferring me to rehab facility in next few days as normal process of finally discharging me home in wheel chair.
Next day I found out I had a rupture in colon leaking. Found out because I could feel intestinal gas bubbling up through the surgical site instead of farting out normally. Not something one would wonder what was going on. It was cut and dried as far as I was concerned, but had to convince the doctors. Surgeon’s PA was making rounds with the residents and flatly told me I was imagining what I was describing.
Thankfully I had an attending doctor from trauma service that believed it was worth ordering up some imaging studies to confirm or deny it was leaking. I was at the point of checking myself out and going to another hospital if she hadn’t believed me. I knew how that was going to end up and I didn’t want to go there!
So, I wound up with a colostomy and two additional “wash out” surgeries as I think of them and back into ICU on vancomycin and other antibiotics IV, CBC every 6 hours etc. Quickly ran out of accessible veins even though I have huge ones and have always been an “easy stick” for any novice nurse to gain confidence on. First they would call in the “expert” to draw blood or change catheter and then the expert started bringing the ultrasound so they could access deep veins. I guess it’s Karma. As many blood samples as I have drawn from thousands of cows,I guess I was due for a little bit of the same treatment!
The attending doctor told me one day she had run a special test that was supposed to give a prognosis for my survival. Of course I had to ask how it came out, but she said it was equivocal! Neither good or bad! She said it wasn’t really regarded as all that accurate anyway but she was curious.
Obviously, I survived, but I sure had a bad week in there before I finally was able to go to rehab and then back home. | |
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Thoughts on Busch passing from Sepsis.
