Hospitals Adventure

Savannah, Georgia
Savannah Oaks RV Resort

Bill was released yesterday but it's still a blur about this past week.

Bill has had some shortness of breathe but it's been much worse the past two weeks.  I've suggested getting it checked out, but he said he was fine.  When we were at the submarine museum, I noticed he was severely fatigued and having trouble standing and walking.  The following morning, I said "you're going to be checked out."  I drove to the nearest hospital in St. Marys, Georgia.  They took him back, ran some tests for a heart attack and said they were admitting him for observation.  As soon as he was admitted they said he needed to be transferred to Jacksonville, Florida.  

That was on Monday the 14th.  They called to arrange for a bed in Jacksonville, and had to wait until they had a bed empty in the CCU.  During that waiting time, they thought he might be having a stroke.  You've seen all the TV shows about the code blue, well this was the same thing only they rolled him out and he didn't come back for almost two very very long hours.  

When they did bring him back into the room, they determined that if he had a stroke, it was very mild.  It was a very long night and we were still waiting to be transferred to Jacksonville.  

I forgot to mention that he hadn't had anything to eat since Sunday evening.  I knew they weren't feeding him in case he needed some surgery or tests when transferred.  One nurse came in and offered him a turkey sandwich, she said he probably wasn't going to be transferred until the following day.

The following day, I watched him sleep most of the time.  Still nothing to eat because he could be transferred any minute.  Around 4 pm, I decided to leave him and go to the coach and get a change of clothes for me and let the RV park know we were staying longer.

Of course, when I went into the park office, I left my phone on the front seat.  When I came out I heard one ring.  It was Bill saying they had a room in Jacksonville.  I turned the truck around, and headed back to the hospital.

I noticed an ambulance as I ran upstairs to his room.  The nurses printed out an address of the hospital.  The EMT's were wonderful and I told them I'd be following in the red truck.  I jumped into the truck waiting for them to come out of the emergency entrance around the corner.  Here comes the red ambulance and I'm ready to follow.  The only problem was there was also a white one.  I pulled in behind both of them.  Further down the street, one went left and one went right.  I picked the white one to follow.  

I kept thinking of Don and Sharon Del Rosario as I followed the ambulance in the rain.  A few years ago we were following Don and Sharon and their lights on the back at the roof line weren't working well. The lights on the ambulance weren't working either.  In the pouring rain, it's easier to see them than the lower lights.  

As soon as the ambulance got on I 95, I felt better knowing I had to be following the right one. The ambulance was traveling at 75 mph.  The rains came down and the traffic was unreal.  The closer we got to Jacksonville, the worse the rush hour traffic.  I stuck on the tail of the ambulance and there was no way anyone was getting between us.  

Once he was into his room, it got very busy.  I've never seen so many doctors in one room.  While the room in St Marys hospital looked like a suite, this room had so much equipment it felt closet size.  Sometime after midnight, I decided to drive back the 40 miles and get some sleep.  The rain poured down as soon as I got into the truck.  I'm not much of a nighttime driver but add rain to it, and I wouldn't have wanted to be the person following me.  

I started back to the hospital about 5 am hoping to beat the rush hour traffic and the rain.  I didn't beat either.

Doctors came in and out and they all agreed that he  needed a catherization because they thought he had some blockage or a stent was leaking from his previous cabbage. 

The doctor arranged to have a cot brought into the room for me so I could stay the night.  The procedure did not have a time as they said any emergencies would come ahead of him.  The nurse came in and said he was next as they put Bill ahead of someone else.  They took him back and he was done in an hour.

A little while later, Bill had a visitor, daughter Shay and Doug.  It was so good to see them.  They drove from northern West Virginia and were headed to Jenna's wedding in Savannah when they made a detour to Jacksonville.

The doctor came in and said "we'd like to keep him overnight to make sure the artery doesn't bleed."  We all thought it was for the best.  

The following day, the doctor wanted him to get out of bed before she'd release him.  Bill got out of bed and beeping noises went off.  His blood pressure dropped dangerously low.  The doctors all came back in and said they'd like him to stay another day.  Back to the bed with only one step taken.

The cute Italian lady doctor said "she'd like to make a better cocktail for him."  Bill has unusually low pressure but lately his heart rate has been high.  In order to bring the heart rate down, this also brings down the blood pressure.  They decided to give him a half dose of one medication.  She wanted him to stay another night and said they'd release him Friday morning if his blood pressure didn't drop.

Shay and Doug stayed with me in the coach and I drove back to the hospital about 5:30 in the morning.  Bill looked so much better and the doctor came in and said she'd release him.  They sent a prescription into Wal Mart and I called Shay and told her where Bill's wallet was and asked her to pick it up.  The doctor said it was expensive but not as much as the Pradaxa he takes.  Bill ate breakfast and walked around the unit.  Shay called a little later and said the pharmacist said the medication was $411.  She wanted to verify that we wanted to have it filled.  I said "yes".  The doctor said we could leave as soon as we had a CD disc of Bill's records.  While we were waiting, I suggested that Bill take advantage of the shower since it had a seat.  He hadn't had a shower the whole five days he was there.  

I walked into the bathroom to hand Bill his shirt and immediately went and got the nurse.  She went to get the doctor.  It seems like he broke out in a rash all over his back. 

The doctor looked at it and determined that the  $411 medication must have given him a reaction.  He said not to fill the prescription.  I told him that our daughter had just filled it.  I called Shay to see if she could see if she could return the medicine.  She said, they were still filling it.  She picked up the other two and also got some benadryl spray for the itchy rash.  

Bill walked out of the hospital and all the way to the parking area that the truck was in.  The drive up I 95 was dry and no traffic.  When we arrived back at the RV park, Doug had already put the sewer hose away.  I showed him how to reel up the power cord.  I put the slides in and ready to hitch on.  As soon as I had the coach hitched we were out the road.   Bill is not allowed to use his left wrist or drive for a week.   Savannah was 100 miles away.

I can't believe how tired I was when we arrived.  Shay and I were both hungry so Doug took us to a wonderful seafood restaurant while Bill slept.  It was nice to finally relax.  My shrimp was delicious and there was plenty to take back to Bill.  Thanks, Shay and Doug.  

Oh, least I forget during all this with Bill, we have a new Great Granddaughter, Violet Victoria Gray.  

Today Jenna and Garret are getting married.  

Turtle Safely......