My Own Bed vs. A Hospital Bed...easy choice

What a crazy few days we've had.  I'm exhausted, Jake's exhausted and Lizzie...well she's her normal happy go lucky self.  I love that stress and worry don't seem to phase her the least bit.  She's so care free.

I've had so many friends and family members praying for me that I feel like I need to explain what exactly you were praying for and express my heatfelt thanks and gratitude.  I truly did feel those prayers in my heart, at exactly the right time.

Over Thanksgiving I caught a cold...manageable right?  It cleared up pretty quick but left behind a nasty cough and asthma problems.  Still, I thought it was manageable and worst case scenario I would go to the doctor on Monday.  My asthma got worse and worse on Saturday, to the point where I was overdosing on my inhaler and it was not helping in the least.  I got no sleep that night and decided to go to the Walgreens clinic first thing in the morning to get a breathing treatment.  Jake got ready quickly and we got Elizabeth out of bed but left her in her PJs.  I was thinking we'd be gone a couple of hours max, so I packed some milk and food for her and we left.  I was in serious distress and could not even catch a breath.  We got to Walgreens and tried to check in but were turned away..the girl could hear how bad I was and told me I needed to go the Urgent Care.  I begged for just a breathing treatment but they said no.  So I left in tears and Jake took me to Urgent Care.  Crying really didn't help the whole asthma attack issue so I tried to calm down.  We checked in, paid our $$ and waited and waited and waited.  They called me back, I explained my issue and the nurse froze.  She turned me away as well saying I needed to go to the ER and have my heart rate and breathing monitored.  Again, I begged her for just a breathing treatment...I would go to the ER but I seriously could not breathe.  No.  I was breaking down at that point so I just walked out and left Jake there to wrap things up and get our money back. 

We drove straight to Memorial Hermann since I've been hospitalized there twice before.  The ER took us right back, set me up with the doctor and he started assigning treatments.  I went to the bathroom before they gave me my first breathing treatment and when I got back to the room the respiratory therapist was waiting for me.  Imagine my surprise when I realized it was the mom of one of my students.  Such a blessing and tender mercy...I knew Heavenly Father was looking out for me at that point and that I was in good hands.

Side Note...We still had Elizabeth with us at this point and didn't know who to call since we didn't know how long we'd be there.  Sonya, the RT I just mentioned, so graciously took Elizabeth into her home with her family and watched her until Jake's mom could get here that night.  We were SO grateful for her!!

I won't bore you with hour by hour details....but basically, I started breathing treatments every 3 hours and took some steroid medication.  The doctor was concerned with how awful my lungs sounded and on top of that my heart rate was sky high...in the 140s-150s.  My breathing was not getting better nor was my heart rate so he started running tests to make sure there was nothing more menacing going on.  I had chest xrays and a CT along with some blood work. Everything came back mostly normal but I was still seriously ill.  My ER doctor told me he just couldn't send me home with the way my body was not responding to the treatments so they admitted me. 

I continued breathing treatments, fluids, steroid medication and antibiotics through my IV and concentrated on getting my heart rate down.  The regular floor didn't want to take me from the ER unless my heart rate was under 140...and no matter what I couldn't get it there...so they wanted to send me to ICU.   Now I knew I was sick, but not ICU sick.  The nurses and doctors fought for me and got the 6th floor to take me and not focus on that high heart rate. 

Throughout the night Sunday and all day Monday I continued treatments.  I was feeling better but not even close to 100%.  I saw a cardiologist for my heart rate and he was stumped as well.  I saw a pulmonay doctor who was also concerned with my lungs and heart and their inability to work the sickness out of my system.  I had a heart ultrasound to check for peri-partum cardio myopathy but that was negative.  The cardio dr said I could go home but my other two doctors said no, one more night.  I fell into a bit of a depression at that point because I really was counting on going home.  That's when I really felt the prayers and love of those who knew about my situation and had been praying for me.  I realized that I was where I needed to be and would be there as long as I needed...the doctors and nurses were excellent and would take good care of me.

My heart rate finally fell into the 100-110 range and I got all 3 doctors to agree to let me go home late in the day on Tuesday.  I left with a long list of medications and a few restrictions but was more than okay with that because it meant I could go home to my daughter...and my own bed! 

We're home now and I finally feel like I can breathe...literally and figuratively.  I'm relaxed now and letting the medication do its job.  We're still not sure why it took so long for my breathing to get under control or why my heart rate was so extremely high and wouldn't come down.  There are lots of different factors that probably contributed to all of that.  I know I scared my family and friends with my hospital stay and I'm sorry for that!  I don't think I was ever scared until now when I'm thinking back on how sick I was.  I've had asthma my whole life and just kept thinking the breathing treatments would kick in and I could breathe again.  I didn't have the normal issues people have with such a high heart rate so that wasn't really bothering me too much.  Remembering now all of the tests, doctors, nurses, medications, worried looks, etc...I should have been a bit more worried.  But I know that somebody upstairs was looking out for me, keeping me calm so I didn't have an even higher heart rate than I already did!

I'm home now and so grateful.  What I thought would be a 2 hour trip away from home turned into 3 days....and a lot of bills!  Merry Christmas to us... :)  But I'm better now and am feeling very blessed for that.  Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers you sent my way.  I feel blessed to have such wonderful, loving and supporting friends and family.

Love,

Hillary