As all of you know, we had a tremendous scare this week. Near death experience? Maybe... you be the judge.
I began having trouble last Saturday while I was at work. I began urinating about every 20 minutes. Not a lot but it felt as if I'd voided enough. Well, this continued through the night up every hour or so in between trying to sleep. Sunday I awoke with a fever and back to the 20 minute routine. BTW, as an aside, I'm watching the Red Green Show. Life is good again. By Monday morning the temperature was still about a 100 degrees. By 11:30 I was shaking uncontrollably with a 103 degree temperature. At this point, I pretty much lost it. I don't remember anything from this point until they got my temperature down in urgent care. Tammy loaded me up in the car and headed off to Beaver urgent care in highland. In retrospect this was probably not the best idea. First, I opened up the car door to get out on the freeway. Then I began to disrobe in the waiting room. They wanted us to go to Banning. When Tammy got really nasty with the staff there, they decided they'd prove that she must be lying. The wonderful triage nurse didn't believe her own thermometer so, after the third different thermometer, she decided I was in critical condition with a temperature of 105.8 and blood pressure was about 70/32.
Now I'm not saying the nurses there are incompetent but, they never were able to get an IV in. After trying 3 times to shove a catheter up my winkie, they gave up, packed me up and shipped me off to the ER at Redlands Community Hospital. One thing they did right was to pack me in ice. Thankfully, the trip to the ER was uneventful. The wait outsidee was a relatively short 40 minutes then they wheeled me in and tossed me into a bed where I remained in the ER for 24 hours. The quality of the nursing staff at the ER was exemplary. They treated me professionally, and with good humor. Something I greatly appreciate. The ER nurse I had the first night was able to put the IV and the catheter in right the first time. When they moved me up to my new home for the rest of the week, things got a lot quieter. Have you ever tried to sleep with a tube in your arm and another in your private parts? Well I'm sure some of you have. Not very pleasant is it? I feel like a human pin cushion, pumped full of drugs etc... Remember the fallacy of dignity? It's like that song, blowing in the wind. LOL, I no longer have any. To make a long story short, I know I know, too late for that. Over time my prostate had enlarged enough to cut off the flow of urine causing a "Urinary Tract Infection" or UTI for short. It's common with women but uncommon with men. The DR. said I had developed septicemia which is f corse very dangerous.
Tammy as always has been a tremendous blessing to me in more ways than I can number. She tirelessly stayed by my side through the worst of the ordeal. Thanks to my Dad and my friend Jason, they came by and visited me... what a nice thing to do. Jason even came by and played dominoes with me one night... fun.
Well, thanks to my doctor and the great nursing staff at RCH, especially Judy and Amber I am on the road to recovery. Near death experience? I suppose if Tammy had taken me to Banning as the people in Highland had suggested, I would no longer be in my current semi-normal condition. You know what though? I have had a great life and I am ready to meet my Savior at any time. I'm not saying I'm ready to throw in the towel, I have a lot of life left to go. I want to see all my grandkids born. To see them grow up would be an even greater blessing. My point is, try to live life as if every day could be your last one. You never know when it could be.
Until next time, I am humbly yours...
ARRRRRRRRRRRR me Hearties!!!!
OLD GUYS RULE!!!!!
