This is the post I have been rather reticent to make, because of the personal nature of it but I figure this is part of me and so here goes.
To begin, over my own life, I have not taken as good care of myself as I should and as I have gotten older, the medical problems have become more a part of my life then I would have wished. To paraphrase Mickey Mantle, if I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself. A quick summary of medical conditions – diabetes, renal issues due to it, atrial fibrilllation, CHF (congestive heart failure), below knee amputation, Charcot Syndrome (deformities of the foot related to arch and circulation issues of diabetes)and obesity. I take enough pills and medication to keep CVS viable. I use a wheelchair much of the time to take pressure off my good foot as the Charcot has left me susceptible to foot ulcers which if infected can cause significant problems (see my other leg, BK amputation). So I have 3 doctors I see regularly – podiatrist/foot specialist, GP and cardiologist along with a prosthetist. Again, enough to keep a small hospital viable. Any consideration of moving to NM included discussions of checking out the medical services available there. Little did I suspect I would be checking them out first hand.
Just after Father’s Day I missed a day of work with flu like symptoms and although I went to work the rest of the week never felt much better. My blood sugars were a bit elevated but not terribly so and it was not until that Saturday following that I felt terrible enough to start to get worried. When I awoke Sunday morning my blood sugars were very, very high and Mrsfabp encouraged, no insisted, I go to the local ER to get checked out. I was there for several hours, they did plenty of blood test and determined I had a mild infection of unknown origin and was very dehydrated. My GP told me to allow a week to rehydrate and redo the blood work which was back to baseline. Two days later we flew to Las Cruces for our vacation.
But, I never really felt much better, still had occasional fevers and was getting more and more tired as the week progressed rather than feeling revitalized by the vacation. By that Saturday, I was feeling worse, had a rash starting on my chest, developed a cough and was feeling terrible. When I spent most of that evening with a fever we decided to again go to the ER, this time in Las Cruces to see if we could get someone to figure out what was going on. There I was again subjected to lots of blood work which revealed that I was again dehydrated, had a mild infection of unknown origin and was in renal failure. One doctor told me I was going to need immediate dialysis. Later the hospitalist clarified things, stating the kidney issues were probably related to the dehydration, and admitting me. I was treated with fluids, 3 different antibiotics because they could not find the infection source. When I was discharged, I was feeling better but it took about a week to feel like I was back to my old self.
But I am not back to my old self. I have issues that I need to address, more specifically obesity. When I have lost weight in the past, I have felt better and I know that the strain on my health is tremendous. Mrsfabp and I had a big sit down about this, complete with yelling and denial and tears and we continue to try to work it through. I have committed to eating healthier in the past but my weight gain has been paved with good intentions. This recent situation scared me however, how a simple thing, dehydration or a flu or a mild infection caused a domino effect that ended with me in the hospital. This is just not acceptable any more. The motivation is here. The support of a loving wife and family is here. Reinforcement is here. It is time for me to be here and get along with my life. Hopefully by writing about it, by seeing it in black and white, I will continue to find motivation and strength in this long over due process. Since my hospitalization I have lost 32 pounds but there is a long, long way to go. I am just starting to realize that this journey is necessary and beneficial.
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