+ 2 - 3 | § ¶Back-dated entries, Part II [May 30-June 2]
Tuesday, May 30, 7:00pmMom has arrived. Between nurse visits, I've been watching News 25 and Wheel of Fortune on TV. It seems like every other spot on the wheel is now some prize or mystery bonus... I remember the good old days when there was at most one prize on the wheel at any time. And then the contestants went on a shopping spree between rounds with the cash they'd won. And the contestants didn't get a free R-S-T-L-N-E, they had to guess them themselves. But I digress. NCIS is up next.
9:00pm
The ER doctor tested me for mono (mononucleosis), but that test came back negative. He did some other bloodwork and found that the liver enzymes were elevated. He ordered a sonogram for Thursday morning to check out my liver, kidneys, pancreas, spleen, and a few other assorted organs.
Wednesday, May 31, 9:00am
Feeling very weak. Not going into work today.
Thursday, June 1, 9:00am
The sonogram has been completed, though the technicians aren't allowed to tell me anything about the results (that's up to my doctor to do). As a techie myself, I found the machine interesting. It has different modes, including one where it can show the motion of blood through the scanned area. I asked one of the technicians, as she was scanning my spleen, what exactly the spleen did... she said it acts as a sort of filter, but that it was interesting that people could live without one (unlike, say, a liver).
6:00pm
Today I got a lot of rest. Fevers have come and gone.
Friday, June 2, 9:00am
Feeling very drained. Not going into work today.
1:00pm
I'm going back to the doctor again, to get the results of the sonogram.
2:25pm
Got a call from Dad, just as we're walking into the doctor's office. He's in the ER at the hospital in Bloomington. He thinks they're going to put in a pacemaker.
3:00pm
The only thing abnormal in the report is that my spleen was enlarged. Interesting that the one organ I struck up a conversation about yesterday is one they found something abnormal with. However, the report didn't say how big it was, so the doctor doesn't know if it's cause for concern or not. She will call the radiology department on Monday to find out.
Now it's home to get packed, then off to Bloomington to see Dad.
(To be continued...)
davidh
+ 4 - 3 | § ¶Back-dated entries, Part I [May 22-May 30]
Monday, May 22, 10:00pmI felt rather out of breath this afternoon. I noticed it sometime around 2-3pm, as I was sitting at my desk at work; it seemed to start gradually. It lasted most of the evening. Josh thought I should go to the hospital, since I'd had a couple of other distinct breathing-related episodes in past weeks, but I didn't think it was too major.
Wednesday, May 24, 5:00am
Josh woke me up around 12:30am, when he saw that I had stopped breathing for several seconds and then took a big gasp of air. I agreed that going to the ER was probably best, since this was the fourth event in four weeks, and the second in three days. At the hospital, the doctor ordered a couple of chest X-rays, and when they came back normal, he released me, saying I needed to make a follow-up appointment with my pulmonologist. I was at the hospital for about four hours or so, so I called $Supervisor to explain what had happened, and to let him know that I wouldn't be in first thing in the morning.
1:30pm
My pulmonologist is going to be out of the office for the several days, but I've made an appointment with another doctor in his office, for Thursday afternoon.
11:30pm
I felt out of breath at work again today, starting maybe around 4pm. The walk out to the car at the end of the workday really tired me out (it was very hot), and I had to sit there for a few minutes to catch my breath before I drove home. When I got home, Josh again wanted me to go to the hospital. I didn't want to, but he called the paramedics, which sort of forced the issue. On the ambulance, they gave me an albuterol breathing treatment, and I got stuck with a big painful needle for a blood port on my right hand. But the hospital ended up not using the ambulance's blood port, instead choosing to draw blood from my left hand... but after they blew out a vein in that hand, they had to go for my elbowpit instead. They did several blood tests, and found that although my white blood cell count was normal, my lymphocyte count was high, and my platelet count was low. Which doesn't explain the breathing problems, but is another mystery to consider.
Thursday, May 25, 3:00pm
I saw the substitute pulmonologist today. She has ordered some additional labwork for next Tuesday morning. I've been feeling alright today.
11:00pm
Mom came over, and brought Kodi and Lady (her dogs) with her; she's staying for the long weekend. Marisa got quite ill this evening, but it seems like a 24-hour bug.
Friday, May 26, 6pm
Been feeling alright today, though a little tired. Josh thinks I look a bit pale.
Sunday, May 28, 9pm
I've had a good weekend so far, though I've ended up sleeping through a lot of it. I simply don't have the energy to do a lot. Mom will be returning home tomorrow afternoon.
Monday, May 29, 10:00pm
I've E-mailed $Boss to let him know I won't be in for the "Monday" Morning Meeting (on Tuesday this week, because of Memorial Day), because of my labwork tomorrow morning.
10:30pm
I've had another out-of-breath spell, and my inhaler didn't help at all. Climbing the stairs at home tuckered me out, and my inhaler didn't help at all. I've also gotten very sweaty just sitting around doing nothing, and I'm running a fever. I'm going into the ER again, but given how much time I had to just sit around the last two times, I'm bringing my huge book of Number Place puzzles (aka Sudoku) to help pass the time and relax me.
Tuesday, May 30, 2:00am
They drew some blood, but forgot to label the vials with my name before sending them to the lab, so a couple of hours later a different nurse had to come in and draw some more. I got another couple of X-rays, which both looked normal. I tried to sleep, but the pulse oximeter kept beeping because my blood oxygenation level kept dropping below 95% (apparently getting as low as the mid-70's at times, according to Josh, which is really low).
5:30am
When the bloodwork finally came back, my platelet count was normal, so that was apparently just an anomaly the first time (which is why they wanted to re-check in the first place), but it confirmed my high lymphocyte count, especially a type called "atypical lymphs". An (apparently) unrelated finding was that both of my liver enzymes were higher than they should be, which is not good.
I'm leaving the ER now. The ER doctor thinks I have a viral infection called something like "Reactive Airway Disease", but he didn't prescribe anything for that; he did, though, say that I needed to get a sonogram scheduled to look at my internal organs. No need to E-mail $Boss again since he already won't be expecting me first thing, but I either E-mailed or called $Supervisor to let him know I'll be taking the day off.
11:00am
Saw the substitute pulmonologist again, though I'm going to be changing to her as my primary care physician as well. She prescribed some Prednisone, which is a steiroid the body can use (temporarily--just a 5-day dose) to help stop reactions. She says the Reactive Airway Disease diagnosis is unlikely because of my other symptoms.
5:30pm
After sleeping a lot today, Josh woke me up to talk to me. I remember that I was having some trouble talking... the words that were coming out of my mouth weren't the ones I wanted to say, and I tried to correct them, but I wasn't too successful. Josh got very worried about my confusion, which could have been caused by a low blood oxygenation level, so he called the paramedics again. I tried to tell him not to call, but I couldn't get the right words out. When the paramedics arrived, I was able to talk normally again, but I was feeling very, very weak, and I was still incredibly pale, so I got taken to the ER by ambulance again. Josh called my mom and she is on her way back over.
(To be continued...)
davidh