I visited after work Tuesday afternoon.
Virginia called me about 11:30 pm and said she wasn't feeling well. I went over. Shortly after my arrival she wanted to sit up as she wasn't getting enough oxygen. She sat up on the edge of the bed as she frequently did before.
Several nurses came in to help. She was in acute respiratory distress and generally "panic-y" for air. One of the nurses said she looked "blue in the face" and said she was calling 9-1-1. I supported that.
I told them to take her across the street to Tuality Community Hospital. That way the trip was very short(two blocks).
While she went in through the emergency entrance I went to get her registered. I went home to get my wallet and came back. She was in ultrasound where they discovered a blood clot in her leg.
They admitted her to the critical care unit (not quite intensive care) around 03:00 am for about a day. Then she went to 5 West which is a med-surg floor where most patients are on heart monitors (the old "EKG" for electrocardiogram). She transfered to 5 West Thursday around the end of day shift.
She was put on a Bi-Pap machine in CCU and it was taken to 5West (Rm 512) when she transfered. The Bi-Pap resembles a C-Pap setup with which many of you may be familiar in that it has a special mask and delivers oxygen with the help of some pressure. Only the Bi-Pap machine is much bigger and is supplied with a much bigger hose (it look like a small green garden hose). The mask muffles the patient's voice so telephone communication is not feasible.
On Friday at noon Dr. Park ordered some steroids to help maintain her airway. Apparently the medication was not forth coming fast enough from the telemetry floor, so she moved her to ICU. The ICU has their own pharmacy and can move faster.
So, recap.
Virginia's diagnosis includes a leg blood clot (DVT, deep vein thrombosis), anemia (for which she received blood), and hypoxia (low blood oxygen). She has a hypoventilatory syndrome.Basically she is being treated for her symptoms (keep her breathing) monitor blood chemistry (her blood CO2 is way high) and look for a definitive problem if possible.
She continues to be very uncomfortable in the bed. She notes that her paraspinal muscles from her neck to her sacral region on the right are painful. I have tried every bed position without much relief. Being rotated to the left seemed to help some. I finally started massaging her muscles early Saturday am (02:00).
Then I went home at 2:30 am.
Virginia called me about 11:30 pm and said she wasn't feeling well. I went over. Shortly after my arrival she wanted to sit up as she wasn't getting enough oxygen. She sat up on the edge of the bed as she frequently did before.
Several nurses came in to help. She was in acute respiratory distress and generally "panic-y" for air. One of the nurses said she looked "blue in the face" and said she was calling 9-1-1. I supported that.
I told them to take her across the street to Tuality Community Hospital. That way the trip was very short(two blocks).
While she went in through the emergency entrance I went to get her registered. I went home to get my wallet and came back. She was in ultrasound where they discovered a blood clot in her leg.
They admitted her to the critical care unit (not quite intensive care) around 03:00 am for about a day. Then she went to 5 West which is a med-surg floor where most patients are on heart monitors (the old "EKG" for electrocardiogram). She transfered to 5 West Thursday around the end of day shift.
She was put on a Bi-Pap machine in CCU and it was taken to 5West (Rm 512) when she transfered. The Bi-Pap resembles a C-Pap setup with which many of you may be familiar in that it has a special mask and delivers oxygen with the help of some pressure. Only the Bi-Pap machine is much bigger and is supplied with a much bigger hose (it look like a small green garden hose). The mask muffles the patient's voice so telephone communication is not feasible.
On Friday at noon Dr. Park ordered some steroids to help maintain her airway. Apparently the medication was not forth coming fast enough from the telemetry floor, so she moved her to ICU. The ICU has their own pharmacy and can move faster.
So, recap.
Virginia's diagnosis includes a leg blood clot (DVT, deep vein thrombosis), anemia (for which she received blood), and hypoxia (low blood oxygen). She has a hypoventilatory syndrome.Basically she is being treated for her symptoms (keep her breathing) monitor blood chemistry (her blood CO2 is way high) and look for a definitive problem if possible.
She continues to be very uncomfortable in the bed. She notes that her paraspinal muscles from her neck to her sacral region on the right are painful. I have tried every bed position without much relief. Being rotated to the left seemed to help some. I finally started massaging her muscles early Saturday am (02:00).
Then I went home at 2:30 am.
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