Thank God for Air Ambulance, again.

[azdesertrat]

Hey!
Well, I had a real good time in Idaho visiting my Mom & family. I was there for a bit over a month; Jan 3rd until February 11th.
I had started thinking about pointing my truck south when I got horribly sick.
It all started on a Wednesday night, Thursday morning. I woke up around 1 AM because my surgical scars were hurting beyond any pain I'd felt in quite awhile.
I gutted it out until I couldn't take any more. I woke my Mom up to tell her we needed to go to the local hospital, and NOW. We got dressed & warmed up the truck, it was around -5 that morning, brr!
It took quite a bit up IV pain killers to get the pain under control.
The doctor did some blood work & sent me home around noon.
We ate supper like normal & I went to bed early. The doctor called Mom's house around 5 AM on Friday to tell her she needed to get me to the hospital ASAP so they could fly me out.
It seems I had 3 different types of bacteria in my blood. We went back to the hospital.
The staff prepped me for the 40 minute flight to Boise St. Lukes Hospital.
I had suffered renal failure & was in severe pain again.
The helicopter had to fly up from Boise to get me so it was around 9 AM by the time they got me aboard the helicopter & ready to fly.
Since I have an extensive backround in aviation, especiallt rotary-wing aviation, the crew gave me a headset so I could communicate with the pilot & Flight Nurse.
The ship was a Bell 429, a twin engine helicopter. It was a nice ship!
It was kind of cool this time; I was awake for the whole ride & even got to enjoy some of the beautiful State of Idaho from the air!
When they got me to St. Lukes I was pleasantly surprised; there is a CF team on staff, along with several doctors with transplant experience.
The staff at St. Lukes was fantastic. I was amazed.
You wouldn't think that a small city like Boise would have a hospital that good.
The doctors are all very competent & the nursing staff are some of the finest I've ever dealt with.
I'm eternally grateful to the staff at the Cascade Clinic, St. Lukes LifeFlight & St. Lukes hospital.
If you ever find yourself in Idaho & you get sick, don't worry; St. Lukes has your back.
Because of their expertise, I'm alive & getting stronger every day.
A heartfelt 'THANK YOU' to all involved.

 

[triples15]

Wow Pat, how scary!! I'm so glad you are on the mend and thankful for the excellent care that you received! It's always so scary to go to a different hospital, so it's awesome to hear you had a good experience with them.

How cool about the flight there and them letting you wear a headset. At least that helped make the situation a little more bearable!!

Take care of yourself, I hope you keep getting stronger!

Autumn 32 w/CF

PS... How did you end up with a blood infection? Any idea?

 

[azdesertrat]

Hi Autumn! Thank you for your well-wishes, I appreciate that.
Yea, the flight was really the only part of the whole drama that Isomewhat enjoyed.
It was beautiful flying over the mountains of Central Idaho. There is a window in the rear doors of the Bell 429 (the helicopter we flew in is a Bell 429, sort of a HUGE Jet Ranger) and I was able to see quite a bit. I also could turn my head to the left & look out the side window.
I love flying; just not so much under this circumstance.
Yes, we do know how the infection started.
I had had another episode of 'CF Gut' during the 2 days prior. Somehow, the bacteria transitioned from the colon into my bloodstream.
I guess its a fairly common occurence. I never did find out exactly what the types of bacteria got in my blood but it was the type that made me pretty damn sick!
And yes, it is good to know that if I get sick next time I go to Idaho, there is a very competent staff of doctors & nurses who know how to deal with CF & transplant patients.
It gives me additional confidence.
So far, my home medical staff has NOT banned me from future travel , I fully intend to go back!