What a Long Strange Trip It Is: The Lost Year

One Saturday in March, I was supposed to meet up with my brothers and friends. However, I was feeling a little off so I called and said I’ll be a little late. Moving slowly helped. As the day wore on, things did not get better I even laid down on my brother’s couch to try to catch my bearings before heading home. I took it easy for the rest of the day.

Well, Monday rolled around and I still felt off. I thought that I must have covid so off to Target for a covid test kit and a work from home day or two. Though tests were negative, I warned everyone of possible exposure and prepared for a week of working from home.

Unfortunately, on Thursday, I more or less collapsed on my hallway floor. I had tunnel vision and could barely think. I couldn’t do anything. It was pretty scary. With what little brain power that I had left, I called my dear friend Dixie who lives in the neighborhood. I hoped that she could take me to the emergency room and as time rolled on, the paramedics seemed like a better choice. She wasted no time and called 911 anyway.

Within minutes the doorbell ring and I buzzed them in. In under a minute they were pounding on the door, “Fire Department!” By that time I couldn’t even open the door to which they informed me that they were going to break the door down if I didn’t open it. With what little energy I had left, I said “Break it down.”

I tried to get out of the way as much as possible and with that, a couple of hits and the door exploded into pieces. Well they asked me a few questions and loaded me on the stretcher/cart and wheeled me to Ambulance 56 which was waiting downstairs. After a brief discussion as to which hospital they were going to take me (I live about halfway between 2), we were off to Endeavor Swedish Hospital.

God Bless Dixie Ost

God bless Dixie Ost! She found my brothers and good friend Brad to let them know what had happened. When they got to the ER, my brother said that he saw them wheel an old woman with gray complexion somewhere. Well that turned out to be me!

The Hits Kept Coming

Well as the tests and diagnoses rolled in, I learned that I was very sick. First off, I had recently had a series of mini strokes that I wasn’t aware of. Next, after a transfusion of a pint or two of blood, my hemoglobin was up to 6.9 from 3 when I entered the hospital. Anything lower than 7 is dangerously low and normal is 13. The news didn’t stop there. I had a salmonella infection. Then I learned that I had an aortic aneurysm. After that wonderful news, I was informed that my PSA level was an unheard of 2,000 plus change and that prostate cancer metastasized in my bones.

The Love of Family and Friends

Well now it was time to recover for a week in the hospital and at least enough so I can recuperate at home. It took a little over a week to get my vitals up to where it was actually safe to be on my own and “on my own” is relative. Whenever I mentioned that I lived by myself, it was met by skepticism by my caregivers at the hospital. My brother and sister-in-law generously opened their hearts and home to me so I can take the next step toward healing. There were going to be many trips to the hospital, doctor’s office and infusion center, not to mention the time, space and help with navigating the treatments and day to day existence. I could not do this on my own and I learned very quickly about the importance of Family and gratitude and love of Family. I definitely needed help and would never be able to repay their kindness. I have always been more of a private individual and not one for asking for help. I really have learned a lot. Thinking about this brings me to tears.

Anyway, the first month or so was dedicated to follow-up appointments with the devoted healthcare professionals at Endeavor to assess the damage and develop treatment plans moving forward as well as daily trips to the infusion center for antibiotics to kill the salmonella virus. That had to be done before any real treatment of anything.

Next it was time to meet with the oncologist to come up with a treatment plan for my prostate cancer. Three paths were available. One was a more aggressive approach with chemotherapy and or radiation. The second was drugs; both daily pills and an injection every 3 months. The third would have been some combination of the first two. I opted for the pills and injections as chemo and radiation would have left me sick and weak.

After a couple of visits with the oncologist, we learned that my PSA number had been knocked down from 2,000+ to 198 to 52. It was at that point that my oncologist turned me over to the cardio vascular team. We had been waiting to end of summer to discuss open heart surgery but with the cancer being beaten back, it was now time for open heart surgery to repair my aorta and all of the pre-op testing and imaging that is required. With the valve not closing properly, 65% of my blood was not going to where it should so my heart was working extra-hard to compensate. Although I felt fine, I was a ticking time bomb.

Time for Surgery

The 30th of June was go-time. Doors opened at 6 at Glenbrook Hospital with the opening act (anesthesia team) going on at 7:30 and the cardio vascular team taking over somewhere around 9. The whole thing was supposed to last until late afternoon and probably early evening. I was ready to go. I had made my peace with God in case the worst happened and had been looking at this as just another procedure. By this time I had met with so many medical personnel and had gone through so much, I saw this as just another task. I wasn’t even thinking about the problems that could arise.

I was brought back into the operating room as it looked like there was a loss of blood that at first was alarming but this was done out of an over abundance of caution as I was on blood thinners that were and everything was and is OK.

Well after a few days in the ICU and a few days on the floor, I was released to the custody and care of my brother and sister-in-law. I am looking forward to walking outside but unfortunately, due to the heat and smoke, I’ve been doing most of that indoors. I am able to do a mile just by walking some laps in the basement.

Lessons Learned

I have really learned to appreciate the hard work and skill of all of the doctors, nurses, surgeons and physical therapists that have dedicated their lives to their crafts and the healing of others. I can’t imagine the world without them. In addition, there is an army of supporting cast that keep things running smoothly; from housekeeping to food preparation to the myriad of jobs required to run a hospital. Everyone is an outstanding professional and cared for the patients and their comfort. I love them all.

Although I have been critical of the continuously rising cost of healthcare, I’ve learned to do the best I can. While this time around, I got an ACA plan with a premium that I could manage which meant a ridiculously high deductible, I burned through the deductible very quickly and can’t imagine what all of this would cost out of pocket. My Mom had urged me to always have good health insurance. She was an RN in an emergency room and had dealt with trying to get insurers and HMOs to cover things. It had become a daily part of the job to fight for her patients.

Speaking of my Mom, I really learned to appreciate what she dedicated her life to, even later on when she left the hospital and worked for an allergist for a bunch of years. I can’t thank all of the nurses that work so hard to take care of people enough. I feel terrible that I wasn’t really there for her when she needed me the most.

I’ve also learned to love and appreciate Family and allow them to help. I love them all.

In Summary

I can never thank everyone enough for helping me through this and those that will continue to help me. I was going to go on about the challenges facing me both health wise and in my life but I think I’ll save that for another blog post. For now, I’m just going to feel gratitude.