Med-evac'ed again...

[azdesertrat]

Its been another 'interesting' 2 weeks here on the Ol' Rancho. On 5/28 Becky was in WI visiting her family. I was home, holding down the fort. Everything was fine & dandy until around 0830 on the morning of the 28th. I woke with the worst cramps & abdominal pain I've ever experienced. I laid around in misery until around 3PM. Things weren't getting any better, only worse. I called a buddy to take me to the hospital but he was out of town for the day. Finally, in desperation, I dialed 911. An ambulance & paramedics showed up to truck me off to the local ER. My Mom showed up & things were getting real crazy. The ER doctor was a moron who knew ZERO about CF. She started telling my Mom she was going to have to do surgery on me to see what was wrong. Uh-uh... Mom was having none of that crap. She demanded they put me on a helicopter & get me to the transplant center at UMC in Tucson. Thanks God for that. When I got there, I was out like a light. I don't remember much from around 3PM on the 28th until probably noon on the 2nd of June. Becky got an emergency flight home & was by my side as soon as she could get there. The doctors at UMC determined I had an intestinal infection, C-Diff. They started treating me with huge amounts of IV antibiotics & around 5 antibiotic enemas a day. Absolute misery. My veins are all blown out from previous stints in the hospital. They needed 6 lines to me so I demanded someone put in a PIC or a port because I wasn't being stuck anymore! Thank God they did as I asked. Long story short, I'm home now. I'm recuperating slowly but feeling better every day. I feel like CF is going to take me; sooner rather than later. I'm not afraid of dying, I'm just afraid of all the pain I'll have to endure to do it. I thank God, the air-ambulance pilot & crew, my doctors & once again, my lovely Wife for always being there & pulling my butt outta the BB-Q yet again. I'm getting very tired & fed up with this crap. Its very hard to not succumb to depression in this circumstance. I'm praying for God to give me the strength I need to endure whatever it is I have to endure.

 

[triples15]

GAH! Pat! I'm sorry!

This story sucks, but I gotta say how awesome it is that your mom is still there advocating tooth and nail for you!!? SOOO glad you got the lift to Tucson. ER docs, in my opinion, are FRIGHTENING. 95% of the time they know nothing about CF and don't seem to care that they don't know. Just my personal experience, sorry if that offends anyone. Thank goodness you got to the docs that knew how to treat you appropriately!

Sorry you were so sick again and the wife had to cut her trip short. Such a bummer. I hope you are feeling better and these crises can stay away for long while!!

Take Care,

Autumn

 

[azdesertrat]

Thank you Autumn- I hope you know how much I appreciate the well-wishes I get from you all the time. I appreciate all the help we can get. Thank God I'm recuperating, albeit slowly. It seems like its getting harder & harder to bounce back after every little medical drama. This crap is really getting old. We could sure do with a lot less drama around here. The bills are mounting & I have no idea how we're going to deal with that. Becky & I were never 'officially' married, just so she would never be stuck with my bills. I just don't think its fair for her to bust her butt all day in the AZ heat trying to support my miserable carcass. Lord knows she deserves much better. I thank God daily for her love, devotion & loyalty. I never could have found someone else that would stick out all that we have been through. Once again, she slept right in my room & made sure I received the best care possible. UMC has done some tremendous improvements in its nursing, food quality & doctors. I'm real happy about that. UMC used to be second on my list of preferred medical institutions; but with all the improvements I don't care if I have to go to Good Samaritan in PHX or UMC-Tucson. Anyway, thank you again for your support & well-wishes. That means a lot to me. I hope all's well with you & yours & you will have a fantastic week. May God bless & be with all of us in this CF community...