You may have noticed my absence the past few weeks. I didn’t decide to give up my blog or find something better to do. The truth is I spent a great deal of that time fighting for my life at our local hospital.
It started as a dizzy spell. I was fine over Labor Day and worked the day afterward. I got up that Wednesday morning, showered, did my makeup, and the usual. When I went into the kitchen for some breakfast, I was overcome with dizziness and had to sit in the floor for a while before I could get up. Thinking I probably picked up a touch of food poisoning with all the running around we’d done, I called in sick and went back to bed.
I was no better the next morning. My husband swore it had to be COVID-19, so my step-daughter, a nurse, brought over a home test and tested me. That wasn’t it. I went to the clinic the next day. I tested positive for strep throat, but they weren’t interested in testing me further. The nurse practionitioner gave me a prescription for antibiotics and Prednisone, and sent me on my way. That’s where things got dicey.
I’m diabetic and shouldn’t take Prednisone. It threw me into Diabetic Keto Acidosis. I knew something was wrong, so I had my husband drive me to the nearest clinic, the one where my doctor works. I didn’t get to see my doctor, but I was loaded into the back of an ambulance and rushed to the hospital where I spent the next several days in ICU.
Things escalated. I ended up with strep throat, two strains of pneumonia, severe kidney injuries, and a whole team of medical staff trying to bring my vitals under control. The morning after I’d had staff working on me all night, the doctor paid me a visit. He told me I was lucky to be alive, and that he didn’t think I’d been going to make it.
Never before in my life have I had a doctor tell me he didn’t think I would make it. Shock had my head spinning, but I then I realized the important point – I had made it.
I’ve been home for a few days. I have thirty pounds of extra fluid built up in my legs and feet, a terrible cough, and some serious fatigue.
My kidney function has nearly returned to 100%, my other numbers are slowly returning to normal, and my medication has been adjusted so my legs will soon return to normal. Even though I’m still fighting pneumonia, I’m much better than I was. Healing will be slow, but I’m surrounded by people who love me, which will make all the difference in my recovery.
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