What A Trip !!

This is a bit ironic, but as I sat watching Grey's Anatomy on TV last Thursday evening I started having a terrible pain in my chest. I'm use to pain because I live with it every day. I have so many odd ailments. You name it, I've got it. Anyway this pain was pretty severe so I called my son. Since he lives next door he and my daughter-in-law were here in a couple of minutes. He gave me an aspirin and the pain subside. After an hour I was pain free and they went home and I dressed for bed. I got into bed and that terrible pain came back to see me. I immediately called my son again and told him that the pain was back. That's when the trip started.

I slipped on my slippers and grabbed my robe and we headed for the emergency room at the local hospital which is about fifteen minutes from where we live. The staff there gave me meds to make the pain go away and started immediately on the journey to find out what was causing my problem. After being in emergency it seemed like hours it was decided that I stay in the hospital. All this time they were running tests.

Now it is Friday morning, my primary care doctor is not on duty this week-end so his associate came in to see me. He said he was concerned with the blood test and he suggested I see a cardiologist. He called one in to see me. I had just seen my cardiologist one month prior and he had said I had a strong heart and the little blips on the EKG was nothing to worry about. How wrong he was!  I'll never have enough Thank yous for Dr Yue and Dr Figuroa. Dr Yue was the cardiologist that inserted the balloon pump into my vein to keep my heart working until I could get to a bigger hospital and to a specialist at Ochners in New Orleans. I did not go to NO until next day. In the meantime anything but fun.

I had to lay flat on my back with my right leg stretch flat down. Everybody kept saying"don't move your leg". I have stenosis in my lower back so you can imagine the misery. On top of the back problem I had a episode of colitis. What a beautiful picture, but thanks to the sweet ER nurse I made it through the night.

Now it's Saturday and arrangements have been made for me to fly to New Orleans for further surgery. Ochners hospital sent a plane far me and it arrived near noon. I was strapped to bed and was on my way. First I was put in an ambulance and we headed for the little airport of  this small town. We boarded this small medics plane from Ochners and away we flew. I bet none of you have taken a plane ride like this dressed only in a hospital gown and a blanket wrapped around. The plane ride wasn't bad, just terribly cold. I asked for another blanket, but there wasn't one. I still couldn't lift or bend my right leg. We landed in NO and was transported to the hospital in another ambulance. In different circumstances this might have been exciting.

I was met with a full medical team. They swarmed my room. Everyone was busy checking me over. It was decided I would have further surgery Sunday morning. This meant I still had to lay flat and don't move that leg. I was wired up to so many machines that if I moved I got tangled up. I prayed for morning to hurry. I wasn't afraid, but I was miserable. The team was working hard to save my life so I didn't complain. My surgery occurred soon after nine o'clock. Dr Ramee and his team were great. He is a teaching doctor. I was awake during this surgery. I listened all the way. He put two stents in, one in each vein. One vein was over 90 percent blockage. I came home on Monday and feeling fine. Now if some body could do magic on all these other odd things that happen to this little ole lady. I'm so glad to be back in my little ole house and my big king size bed. 

Thanks to my beautiful family and to both hospitals and doctors and staff. I will always be grateful.