The Next 7 + Days
So, the next 7 days are a blur to me. I remember very few things. If you don't know anyone that has ever been on a ventilator, they keep you pretty sedated. My mom has informed me I tried to be a Houdini and pull my breathing tube out several times, they had to restrain my wrists. I remember writing Bud a note saying "I'm sorry" and "I love you". I also remember writing his sister Mandy a note. I didn't remember what I wrote, so I asked her later after I was home and she told me that I wrote her that I had to poop. HAHAHA. I understand I had quite a few visitors, I do remember hearing people cry. One other thing I think is interesting that I remembered, that I did ask nurses about later was seeing bright vibrant colors. Bright purple, pink, yellow, green all swirling around. This continued after I had the breathing tube taken out every time I closed my eyes.
During this time many tests were run. I had chest x-rays every day, CT scans, 4 IV's going and multiple lab tests. At one point I had blood in my urine and also in my stool. My whole body was pretty much shutting down. My mom, sister, Dom and Bud were there every day. In fact, my mom would wake my sister up at 2am at the hotel down the street and make her drive her to the hospital so she could sit with me and wait for the doctor. I know I was scared the whole time, but I was sleeping. I can't imagine how it was for my family and friends that saw me like that. I missed Bud's birthday, I was sound asleep. He had text Dom to tell me all he wanted for his birthday was for me to get the "dam tubes out". I was running high temps most of the time and had a fan going on me, making it extremely cold in my room. I had aspiration pneumonia (common with having a breathing tube put in), and had turned septic.
The very early morning of the 8th day, Monday August 19th, my night nurse came in and gently touched my arm and said "today is the day we are going to try and get that tube out, Ann". I can remember that clearly! I think by this time they had started to wean me off the sedation medication so that I was awake enough to breathe on my own once they did get the tube out. I don't remember them doing this procedure very well. In fact, I thought they brought me to a different room and had me looking outside and the doctors were up in a tower and the nurse did everything. HAHAHA. I do remember that it didn't hurt, but they did put a new stylet down in there just incase they needed to re-intubate me and I did gag on that.
All went well, and they were able to get the tube out and I was able to breathe on my own! I did need some supplemental oxygen, which I do think is normal. My mouth felt gross, and I actually lost 1/2 a tooth when they pulled the tube out. I was so tired, even though I just slept for 8 days. I was given some ice chips, and quickly realized I couldn't really move my right arm. Let me remind you, I hadn't moved on my own in 8 days. My family came in to see me after the tube was removed, we were all so happy and excited. They decided to leave for a while so I could try and rest. When the nurse had come in, she had noticed that my right side of my face was "droopy". This, of course, raised concern for a stroke. With everything else that had happened, and no one really knowing where exactly all of this was coming from, I had to have a neurology consult, CT and MRI to rule out a stroke. This was all done, and all tests looked okay, so it was just kind of a wait and see if things got better as time progressed. Now, if any of you have ever heard of anyone in the healthcare field say "if you don't use it, you loose it" this is absolutely true. This is what happened to me. I didn't use any of my body for 8 days. This is why I couldn't use my arm. I couldn't even feed myself. I tried with chocolate pudding, and boy that didn't look pretty...chocolate all over the bed. Bud left early from work to come see me with the tube out. It was the first day he went back to work after being off since I was sick. I will never forget when he walked in my room and had the biggest smile on his face and gave me the longest hug ever. He just held me and it was the most comforting thing ever.
This first night off the breathing tube was terrible for me. I couldn't sleep, not one minute. I couldn't get comfortable. I had IV's and catheters everywhere, my back hurt from being in bed, every time
I closed my eyes I saw those bright colors swirling around, and shit I was scared. We didn't know what happened, how did I know my throat wasn't going to close again? I was alone. I watched the clock. When lab and x-ray started coming in I knew it was getting closer to morning. And, I didn't sleep that whole next day.
The 9th day, two nice nurses helped me get up to a chair in my room! I was supposed to get up that first day, but with the stroke concerns and all the tests we opted not to. It felt so good. It was hard and I didn't really move much except for just turn a little to get in the chair, but when my family came in for the morning and saw me in the chair, I think it was one of the happiest times! I had been put on a full liquid diet as I was having trouble swallowing after I had the tube out. From there on out I would meet with speech therapy daily to re-evaluate my swallowing.
Later this day I graduated out of the Critical Care Unit. What a great feeling. I was then moved up to the 6th floor for the rest of my hospital stay. The CCU staff was AMAZING to say the least. Although I don't remember much of it, all of my family couldn't say enough nice things about the care I received there, and I will be forever grateful.
During this time many tests were run. I had chest x-rays every day, CT scans, 4 IV's going and multiple lab tests. At one point I had blood in my urine and also in my stool. My whole body was pretty much shutting down. My mom, sister, Dom and Bud were there every day. In fact, my mom would wake my sister up at 2am at the hotel down the street and make her drive her to the hospital so she could sit with me and wait for the doctor. I know I was scared the whole time, but I was sleeping. I can't imagine how it was for my family and friends that saw me like that. I missed Bud's birthday, I was sound asleep. He had text Dom to tell me all he wanted for his birthday was for me to get the "dam tubes out". I was running high temps most of the time and had a fan going on me, making it extremely cold in my room. I had aspiration pneumonia (common with having a breathing tube put in), and had turned septic.
The very early morning of the 8th day, Monday August 19th, my night nurse came in and gently touched my arm and said "today is the day we are going to try and get that tube out, Ann". I can remember that clearly! I think by this time they had started to wean me off the sedation medication so that I was awake enough to breathe on my own once they did get the tube out. I don't remember them doing this procedure very well. In fact, I thought they brought me to a different room and had me looking outside and the doctors were up in a tower and the nurse did everything. HAHAHA. I do remember that it didn't hurt, but they did put a new stylet down in there just incase they needed to re-intubate me and I did gag on that.
All went well, and they were able to get the tube out and I was able to breathe on my own! I did need some supplemental oxygen, which I do think is normal. My mouth felt gross, and I actually lost 1/2 a tooth when they pulled the tube out. I was so tired, even though I just slept for 8 days. I was given some ice chips, and quickly realized I couldn't really move my right arm. Let me remind you, I hadn't moved on my own in 8 days. My family came in to see me after the tube was removed, we were all so happy and excited. They decided to leave for a while so I could try and rest. When the nurse had come in, she had noticed that my right side of my face was "droopy". This, of course, raised concern for a stroke. With everything else that had happened, and no one really knowing where exactly all of this was coming from, I had to have a neurology consult, CT and MRI to rule out a stroke. This was all done, and all tests looked okay, so it was just kind of a wait and see if things got better as time progressed. Now, if any of you have ever heard of anyone in the healthcare field say "if you don't use it, you loose it" this is absolutely true. This is what happened to me. I didn't use any of my body for 8 days. This is why I couldn't use my arm. I couldn't even feed myself. I tried with chocolate pudding, and boy that didn't look pretty...chocolate all over the bed. Bud left early from work to come see me with the tube out. It was the first day he went back to work after being off since I was sick. I will never forget when he walked in my room and had the biggest smile on his face and gave me the longest hug ever. He just held me and it was the most comforting thing ever.
This first night off the breathing tube was terrible for me. I couldn't sleep, not one minute. I couldn't get comfortable. I had IV's and catheters everywhere, my back hurt from being in bed, every time
The 9th day, two nice nurses helped me get up to a chair in my room! I was supposed to get up that first day, but with the stroke concerns and all the tests we opted not to. It felt so good. It was hard and I didn't really move much except for just turn a little to get in the chair, but when my family came in for the morning and saw me in the chair, I think it was one of the happiest times! I had been put on a full liquid diet as I was having trouble swallowing after I had the tube out. From there on out I would meet with speech therapy daily to re-evaluate my swallowing.
Later this day I graduated out of the Critical Care Unit. What a great feeling. I was then moved up to the 6th floor for the rest of my hospital stay. The CCU staff was AMAZING to say the least. Although I don't remember much of it, all of my family couldn't say enough nice things about the care I received there, and I will be forever grateful.
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