Adventures in Smithtown: February 2012

"Reunited and it feels so good..."

So, I know what everyone has been thinking... Are they making up all of this medical drama? Has Whitney been watching too much Grey's Anatomy? Is she desperate for some attention? The truth is that I don't think anyone could make up the wackiness that we have experienced over the last 9 weeks and particularly this last and scariest medical event.

The wound-vac and hyperbaric oxygen treatments were moving along and my (still-open) wound was healing and getting smaller, but the four hour long appointments were not that fun. I went in on a Monday and things were still fine and looking "good". I woke up Tuesday morning not feeling well at all. It was like the flu but worse. I was still a good girl and I made myself get up and go to my hyperbaric "dive". I made it through, went home, and continued to feel worse as the day went on. Later that afternoon, I noticed that I had what appeared to be blood blisters on my hands and then this rash like bruising started showing up all over my legs. I went to my appointment Wednesday morning at the wound clinic and they were very concerned about the "rash" and how my wound looked. They made an appointment with a dermatologist that afternoon up at University Hospital.

The adventure took a real turn at that appointment. Shortly after being taken back to the room and examined there were then 8 doctors and at least 4 nurses taking vitals, talking to me, taking skin biopsies, looking at my wound and letting me know that I was really sick. I tried to convince them that I was fine and that I just needed some vitamins, and maybe some antibiotics and that they could send me home. Who gets admitted to the hospital from a dermatology appointment? I mean, right?! So that began my 11 day ICU fun hospital adventure. This included (no exaggeration) 6 different teams of doctors and specialties. (Can't wait for this bill). Obviously for me the worst part was being away from Bailey. Trevor was nice enough to have three pictures of her enlarged and put them up in my room - which helped. Turned out that I didn't have the flu, but Sepsis which was causing renal failure and breathing complications. What someone shouldn't do is then google "sepsis," which is what Trevor did. I think it was probably for the best that I never knew how sick I was. That was actually the funny part (if there can be a funny part). No one thought I matched my lab results or chart. I was much too lucid, engaging and in relatively high spirits to be as sick as I was. I only really know how to be upbeat and I think that is also what helps me get through all this "fun".

So I have now been home just over a week and home is so much better. I had great nurses at the hospital, but I do prefer Trevor, my mom, and my sister-in-law Janette (who came this week to give my mom a few days off). I am still on oxygen at home and have the drainage tubes from the fourth and hopefully final surgery, but things are great. I am getting stronger everyday and so happy to be home with my family. Thank you to everyone's prayers and well wishes... They worked! Hopefully we will just have normal, but funny, posts from here on out even though I can rock a hospital gown better then most.