NikonGear'23
Images => Life, the Universe & Everything Else => Topic started by: Ann on December 10, 2017, 00:59:14
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Timeline as follows:
Wednesday: Wake up feeling lousy and barely get out of bed all day.
Thursday (Thanksgiving):
Still feeling weak and ill and that I probably should not be driving. Grand-daughter drives up from Stamford to Brewster (45 minutes each way) to pick me up.
Get to Thanksgiving Party, can’t face food so I retire upstairs to bed while everyone else feasts downstairs
Friday, Saturday and Sunday:
Try to pull myself together but still can’t look at food .
Monday:
I have arranged to take a friend to Rhinebeck (about two hours north) to meet up with her old School friend and have lunch at a splendid 18th Century inn. Friend does the driving and I manage to swallow about six spoonfuls of soup and three of Creme Brulée and I then drive the hour-and-a-half trip back to Brewster.
Get home and can’t stop shivering and shaking uncontrollably so drag myself upstairs to bed with the electric blanket on “High” and fall asleep.
Daughter phones at 9:00 pm (I am now roasting like a lobster!) and does not like what she is hearing and decides to drive through the night with the intention of taking me back to to her house. She arrives to find that I am too weak to get down the stairs and she can’t feel a pulse so she called for an ambulance.
The ambulance team take Blood Pressure and it has dropped so low that it is off the scale and there barely is any.
Next stop: The Emergency Room and then into the Intensive Care Unit where they stabilise me but keep me for the next four days.
Tests reveal an intense infection of e-Coli which has already got into my bloodstream.
(I learn later that I had literally been at Death’s Door and, if my daughter had not acted when she did, I would not have made it through to morning.)
I was allowed to leave the Hospital last Saturday and am now recovering in Stamford but have to return next week for the removal of a massive kidney stone of which existence I hadn’t a clue having never experienced any pain.
While I was in the hospital, they kept me permanently fixed intravenously to Saline and Antibiotic drips with the horrifying result that I have blown-up like a Blimp by four dress-sizes even though I ate no solid food for two weeks!
All this when I am supposed to be in Costa Rica on 5th January!!!
What complicated the clerical side of all this considerably was that I have no “Referring Physician” because I have never had any "check-ups" and don’t take pills of any sort — except for Malarone when I go Africa!
The Hospital were somewhat thrown by that revelation which is a situation which they seldom (if ever?) encounter!
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One week later:
Everything is almost back to normal.
Actually eating, last Thursday, the first solid food that I have eaten in the past two weeks (I have been living on water!) has made a miraculous difference. What a surprise?!
We have just been out to a shoe shop to get me some new Trainers/Hiking Shoes so that I can start getting fit for the 10-day Costa Rican expedition.
I had never realised just how dangerous e-coli can be; and how really quickly fatal septicaemia can set in.
Frightening!
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Follow-up:
In this area, the Health Authorities send a visiting Nurse to check-up on recent hospital patients.
This rather serious woman came yesterday and then telephoned my daughter after her visit to report that I was in excellent condition physically — but she was concerned about my mental capacity.
My daughter was distinctly puzzled by this.
It seems that the Nurse thought I must be Delusional because I had explained that the idea of sending a Physiotherapist to visit me was a great idea because there was considerable work to be done to get me fit for a ten-day trek in the Costa Rican Rain-forest at the beginning of January.
My daughter was able to assure her that Costa Rica was no "hallucination" but was entirely real; and the trip was fully booked and confirmed!
We are all still giggling uncontrollably over the Nurse's assessment!
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Dear Ann, what a terrible time you have had.
I am so glad that you are better, and I look forward to your photos of Costa Rica!
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Wow, Anne, that's terrifying. I would have guessed a bad case of the flu not a deadly bacterial infection. I'm glad you're doing much better now and still headed to Costa Rica!
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Ann, I had been a bit worried about your rather abrupt absence here and was seriously concerned to read this post...until I proceeded to this section:
We have just been out to a shoe shop to get me some new Trainers/Hiking Shoes so that I can start getting fit for the 10-day Costa Rican expedition.
This rather serious woman came yesterday and then telephoned my daughter after her visit to report that I was in excellent condition physically — but she was concerned about my mental capacity.
My daughter was distinctly puzzled by this.
It seems that the Nurse thought I must be Delusional because I had explained that the idea of sending a Physiotherapist to visit me was a great idea because there was considerable work to be done to get me fit for a ten-day trek in the Costa Rican Rain-forest at the beginning of January.
My daughter was able to assure her that Costa Rica was no "hallucination" but was entirely real; and the trip was fully booked and confirmed!
We are all still giggling uncontrollably over the Nurse's assessment!
...which made me burst into laughter! ;D I'm quite sure that you ARE RECOVERED! Welcome back to this side of the world!
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Ann,
My heart was in my mouth reading your story ......I am so glad, and relieved, all is well with you now.
As ever you are an inspiration to me, and I can not wait to see your Costa Rica images.
Best wishes
Bez
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I guess it is time to send flowers to your daughter...
Glad it turned all good.
Welcome back to the world!
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Ann,
I'm glad you came through this. Systemic infections can be deadly. I had to drill the lock out if a friend's back door once to get her to medical care. I hope you are strong enough for your trip.
Best,
Dave Hartman
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Glad to hear of your full recovery. As another one who stays away from the medical industry as much as possible, I think I might acquire an inexpensive blood pressure measuring device just in case.
Please report on Costa Rica when you have the chance!
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I'm glad you are getting better, I had been wondering where were you
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I'm glad your well now and ready for your next adventure. Eagerly waiting for your photos in Costa Rica
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Pfff.. what a story.
Glad to hear everything is getting better.
You have still a few weeks to recover before your trip to Costa Rica.
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What an awful experience to go through. Glad you are on the mend now.
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i am so sorry to hear of your troubles.. thank god you had a speedy recovery...
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God bless you, Ann. You have a fighting spirit which has served you well and will continue to do so.
Have a blast in Costa Rica!
John
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Thank you all for your most kind and encouraging messages.
Here we have a beautiful sunny day with a brilliant blue sky and six inches of sparkling white fresh new snow.
Me?
Highly frustrated because my camera is stuck a 90 minute round-trip north of here!
I guess I must be almost back to normal?!
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I guess it is time to send flowers to your daughter...
Glad it turned all good.
Welcome back to the world!
Being a highly practical lass, my daughter would prefer a load of cut, split and dried fireplace logs!
I am arranging a delivery of same!
:)
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Sorry you had to go through all that, but glad you are through it!!
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The main things is that you're on the mend, and not letting the ordeal ruin other things.
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glad to hear you still know how to savour the important things like shoes and travel and have things like survival be served as a side dish if necessary. Gosh. A great sense of humor in your messages.
Are you going to Guancaste National Park, co created by American Biologist Daniel Janzen?
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Frank:
I am not entirely sure exactly where we are going but we will have ten days in Costa Rica and will be in a number of different locations so I imagine that Guancaste National Park may be one of them.
The expedition is being led by Juan Vindas who is a brilliant photographer and who knows his country really well.
You might enjoy his web site:
http://www.juancarlosvindasphoto.com
A couple of friends of mine (we have shot together in the Everglades as guests of one of the NG members; and they later came on one of the NG Safaris to Sabi Sabi in South Africa) are coming plus a couple of other people I believe. It should be a very exciting adventure.
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Just done my first work-out ever on a treadmill . . . in my splendid new hiking boots.
Just five minutes to start with but I intend to do many sessions, of extending length, each day so all is now definitely on-track for Costa Rica!!!
Yeah!!!!
:) :)
Treadmills are both fun and invigourating: I really should have tried using them long before this.