Love the stories. Thanks guys.
COPD exascerbation
So yeah, normally I'm a healthy guy. But last June I got some lung bug that we treated with azithromycin. Seemed to clear out most of it, but something lingered all summer. I treated it with Vicks cold and flu capsules. Then it got worse in October. Another round of azithromycin. Another partial fix. More Vicks OTC. I had an appointment next week with the doc. But, the problem decided it wanted to up it's game earlier than that.
So, Thursday morning 2am, go take a pee, and on the walk back I suddenly couldn't breathe. Nothing. Chest was nailed shut. I'm trying my best to keep my shit together while I find a place to sit down and try to get through this calmly. A bit at a time I can get a tiny amount in and out. I had an inhaler nearby. It came with the second round of antibiotic. I pushed some of that in and let it set.
One little breath after another with intervals of the inhaler to help clear the crap out. Staying concious. Staying focused. I sat in that chair until 4am getting more and more breath before I attempted to find Mrs. She had gotten up earlier and went to another room to watch without bothering me, or having to listen to me snore. But, she usually falls asleep in the chair with a cat in her lap. There was no rousing her across the house by banging the table. I couldn't yell. And I could not get up to walk far either. My legs were feeble like rubber bands. No balance. So, I stayed put another hour. The phone was out of reach. There was nothing I could do but wait, and stay calm.
Mrs got really cranky when I kept motioning her to come over to the chair. She's trying to say good morning, and I'm giving her wierd hand signals. When she finally crossed the rooms and got to my chair, I was able to whisper "I can't breathe". She just about fell through the floor. She's not all that well herself. And now I'm asking her to get me to a hospital. That was quite a trip. She was shaking, and I wasn't certain could keep the car in the lane. But, she swatted my hand back when I tried to help. We got there.
And Kaiser was great. Elapsed time from arrival to first ED was 15 seconds. First doctor in a about two minutes. Respiratory therapist in six. Getting me flattened out in less than a half hour. A scadillion blood draws. Ultrasounds. Poking. IV. Drugs. The crew were on me like flies.
It was an hour before Mrs and I got to catch up. I wasn't about to tell her what happened while we drove. She couldn't hear me anyways. She went through anger, fear, shame, guilt, and all of it in ten seconds. We both cried for a bit glad to still be together. It wasn't supposed to happen this way, though nobody plans their death. You shouldn't choke out coming back from the bathroom in the middle of the night. We both agreed - that's not how it's done. You either die in your sleep, or you go out with some big flames in a grand moment of glory.
Because I had been (past tense) so healthy in the last year, I recovered pretty quickly. The drugs and the regimen seemed to be working perfectly for me. Lungs were clear. I could walk the hall. I could eat. I could go to the bathroom unassisted. And because Portland is so overloaded with covid, flu, and RSV cases, they were super glad to check me out late Friday afternoon to get the bed back. Apria was waiting at our door with an oxygen machine. KP pharmacy sent the drugs over. Nurses gave us follow up calls into the evening.
Barring the initial cause, it was a wonderful experience. Cathartic.
I ain't dead yet!!
classic, Reddog!
