Things that may have contributed to this issue. I have been using an air dyne type of bicycle for years, this seems to physically help keep me regular. However, with a broken arm, I couldn’t see how I would do this. So I have been taking a break from it, which, if I’m honest, probably not a good choice. I have been letting myself eat a bit more than I should, especially meat wise, which would also be problematic, and not eating my salad lunch, but instead having meat and cheese. I had also been skipping fiber supplements, since I was in the care of physicians here and there. My normal walking activity is hard, as I still have bruises on my feet (especially my right one, from the fall/tiger fight that broke my arm), so I’ve been avoiding wearing shoes and wearing my sandals instead.
Sunday:
Things were fine. We went to a show, I did the shopping, and generally things were going OK.
Monday:
I felt a bit constipated. Usually this just means that I’m off balance and it’ll make me take a bit of time to recover. Eat more fiber heavy items. I usually don’t try to fix things without medicine or adding more non-natural resources (drugs to “fix” things) as these set you off balance in the other way. so I took it as a warning and started my normal pathway of recovery. By the evening I knew this would be a challenging one as it because bit uncomfortable.
Tuesday:
As the day progressed, I felt more and more pain in my stomach, until such a point where I was asking Shannon to go to the Cheese Shop for me. As this is a regular Tuesday activity, she then insisted that I go to urgent care. I booked a time shortly after a meeting that I had to attend, and after that meeting was over I went upstairs, bent over a bit, cause it was more comfortable that way. After a bit of a waiting I got put into a room and they started to run some tests to figure out what was going on. This included a blood draw, x-ray, urine test. The staff scheduled me for a CT scan the next day, as it was late enough in the day they were no longer taking appointments for that day. So thinking this was something probably less important, I relaxed a bit.
I saw that my white blood cell count had spiked, due to the portal reporting results to me.
However, after the radiologist read the results and the doctor confirmed, She told me to head off to the emergency department to get a CT scan as soon as possible.
While waiting for final checkout items, I was able to re-schedule my OT, or at least I thought so, and post surgical checkup related to my arm.
After paying off the rest of my balance from this visit and the broken arm visit for the emergency department, I headed over, stooped a bit more, to get that CT scan. I drove myself over, and getting in and out of the car was painful and definitely worse than when I had driven down there.
So as far as I knew I was getting a CT scan to clarify the air (or other gas) pocket they found during the x-ray. In texts back and forth with Shannon I speculated that it could be an infected diverticula, appendix or something else. While we were chatting my phone got down to 30%, so we chatted less. It went down o just updates rather than chatting on speculation. This was not a planned leave, so I wouldn’t normally leave the house with less than 80%.
I was taken into triage, and re-described my symptoms, referenced the urgent care, told them what I was told I needed and after that back to waiting for time in the CT and contrast dye person. Shortly after this, Shannon was done for the day, and joined me in the ED.
After a bit more waiting we were roomed.
After an initial checkup by the ED doctor, he did a check for drug seeking behavior (eye dilation) and initially I was offended, but frankly it makes sense. Non specific pain (lower abdomen), recently broken bone and recent prescription for opioids. So I get it. I refused painkillers.
After the CT scan, we got the previously partially guessed, perforated infected diverticula.
This is where the transition from ED to Hospital began. Surgery as a possibility was mentioned.
We were moved, and ended up in a room with a shockingly good view. I think we were facing a bit to the east of north. After watching the view for a bit, Shannon went off to get me the various things I need to survive (chargers, CPAP, clothes) and I was hooked up for the run of IV fluids and IV antibiotics. After settling into the room with my phone on low power mode getting setup I started to relax a bit more and was able to allow myself the idea that I should be a bit more comfortable. After a request, I was put on nerve pain medication and other than a spasm on my abdomen here and there, and getting up and down, things settled down quite a bit. I was able to find a sort of sweet spot where I was able to feel ok.
I was expected to pay attention to what came out of me, as they tracked what went into me. I would need some help here and there getting up as I still have to treat my left arm as if it is healing, because it is healing, and my right arm had the IV into it, making not fully useful either.
Eventually Shanon headed home with directions on what to bring back the next day.
In the overnight I had help getting up at one of the check ins, but then remembered how I got out of bed before, by using the bed itself to get me as close to sitting as I could stand, before pulling myself to get my legs down to the floor and using those to stand up.
After some fitful sleeping, though with less general noise then where I stayed last year, I was up again to no food, no water, and having most things lifted out of my control. Which in this case may have been for the best.
The routine started on Wednesday. I’ll be woken up at some point in the morning (3-5 am) for a blood draw. Then, if wasn’t already away, 6-8 a for fever control and pain killer, Then my normal pills from 8-10. Shannon would come around 8. Eventually as the pain died down, we’d take walks around the hospital floor. Shannon would head to lunch a bit early to beat the cafeteria rush or out somewhere to run required errands (like picking up the whiskey I ordered online). They checked my vitals at regular intervals. Swapped between fluids and antibiotics (more than one type) with fluids for my IV. Occasionally placing and IV bag with additional nutrients that I was lacking. I did my stretches and exercises for my arm. We’d watch news and shows on my iPad.
For the first part, I was tired, in pain and a bit bored. As I got better I was just bored and a bit antsy. Even though I was down a bit of red blood cells, laying around and doing nothing makes you think you have an abundance of energy even when you only have a little.
Full Liquids, then food was introduced, and was as disappointing as expected. I suppose unlike last time where I hadn’t eaten anything in so long everything was good, this time I remembered.
There were several jokes with the staff, where I suspect some were probably just polite laughs, but there were some nuggets of truth in there. One was when the day nurse was getting my pills and going down the long list, and I stated, that was the one that turned me from an angry spiteful person I was to the generally pleasant person I was supposed to be (or something like that) and she stated that she’d not forget that one.
On Wednesday, Brandon stopped on his way to work to drive my car home as to avoid a tow and free up parking around the hospital. I got balloons and a very cute cow from Shannon.
Thursday, I got some balloons from my co-workers.
Somewhere in there I had a pretty in-depth conversation about medical record interfaces with one of my supervising doctors (which I related back to my leadership), which included the amount of testing that was involved in the variability.
On Friday the talk about me leaving increased, and I had dodged the surgical option, it appeared. Unlike last time, I learned to ask about the time frame, so we packed and cleaned up getting ready to go back home.
We were released, and to create a bit of joy I took a picture simulating the dog outside the window for my oldest sister, when I announced I was going to get free.
After we got home I was able to run off to get bread and pie that I had previously ordered. I picked up follow up antibiotics (waiting for them to be filled so I didn’t miss a dose). I felt useful.
One antibiotic is a “do not drink alcohol” while you are taking this, which was fine since I’ve been taking a break since I broke my arm. The other I got mixed messages on what I could eat. Pharmacist said no dairy, but the summary with the drug made no mention of this. Online, since search is getting trashier, gave me diametrically opposed statements (no, to it’s fine). I skimmed a research paper about the drug and with that decided that it was probably better to not eat dairy, then to use it.
Brandon came over again on Saturday, and mowed my lawn, much faster then I can, and also better then the professional I paid last year (though I did tell the professional I didn’t really care), even trimming spots nice and clean.
However, it was clear I was still recovering when I left the grocery store to leave Shannon to check out as I was really tired. And this has been continuing off and on during the week depending on how mentally challenge work is and how much sleep I get. Monday I took a short nap around 4, Tuesday, no nap, Wednesday hard long nap, Thursday no nap, and Friday Nap. My red blood cell count is recovering without much help.
Generally I feel a lot better, I’ve got a few days left of antibiotics, have had a few follow up appointments and have one more next week. Like the arm, I think I squeezed through the path of since it happened, this was probably the best outcome.
