I ordered dinner tonight. Grubhub is a saving grace. As I have for the past several days, I received the phone call with the person saying “delivery” and me answering “ok, be right down.” I put my shoes on lightening fast and rushed to the elevator. I was so excited to eat. I wait for the elevator and think about how annoying it must be for these delivery guys to have to wait for you to go to the lobby.
I get off the elevator the guy is literally right in front of the elevator which is right across from the security desk. The door opens up. I walk out. Make sure the delivery is mine, because I almost took someone else’s delivery the other day. We do the exciting exchange of food, probably only exciting for me, and Mr. Grubhub turns around to leave.
I walk back to the the elevator and push the up button. “Miss” I hear it but no one knows me, so it can’t be for me so I ignore the voice. Plus it sounded angry-ish, again, it can’t be for me. “Miss, in the blue sweater” in a slightly more angry tone. Wait a minute, I have on a blue sweater. I turn and the later is pointing at me. She also happened to be sitting on the other side of the security desk. Damn it. What does she want? This is delaying the length of time I have to wait to put this food in my mouth.
She motions for me to come over. She says “where’s your visitors pass?” Crap, it’s in my room. “Shoot, I left it in my room. I was just grabbing my food.” I said.
I left it in my room because I was under the impression you only need it if you left the grounds. I was under that impression, because that is what the security guard told me when I got it. I only need it if I leave the building. Which I didn’t.
I won’t tell you her name, but it was an annoying name. It also was ridiculously spelled. I remind myself that her name is not her fault. She is doing her job during a pandemic. But did she? She didn’t see me get off the elevator and get my food. As I am going back and forth about my unfortunate situation, I ultimately decided if I got snippy, which I wanted to, it would ruin my night. So I quietly waited for her questions.
“What room are you going to?” She asked without even looking at me. She was annoyed. “Cardiac ICU, 9 Tower, room 2.” She starts clickety clacking away at the key board with her fake nails.
I started my box breathing. Box breathing is something I stumbled across a few years ago. You inhale for 4 seconds. Hold your breath for 4 seconds. Exhale for 4 seconds. Then wait for 4 seconds. Then repeat for as long as you need to. I use it when I am trying to calm down about something. It works for me. It helps lower my blood pressure and keep myself together.
“Name?” She asked “Ethan Di iulio, would you like me to spell that?” I asked. I was not snarky. “No” she said.
Huh, wow, she found it pretty quick. Even with all the vowels. “Can you spell that for me?” She asked. I paused a moment She has got to be messing with me I thought. Am I being punk’d? I briefly look around for cameras. I spell the last name. She says “I got you up here. You are in 9Tower room 2, that’s why I couldn’t find you.” Whatever lady. “Next time bring your badge.” She said.
“Do I need it if I am not leaving the building, like grabbing a coffee at the cafe?” I asked. I have been not wearing it in the hospital when I go to a different floor to do laundry or again going to the cafe, or picking up Grubhub in the lobby. Never had an issue.
“You need a visitors pass if you are leaving the building and coming back.” I smiled at her. “Thank you. Have a good night.” Weirdest interaction ever.
As we headed into the evening, Ethan had continued to remain stable. His temperature is ping pong-ing anywhere between 99 - 102.6. They gave him a cooling mattress to help control his temp. The utilities department first forgot the cord with the circulating machine. They called utilities and asked for the cord. They brought the cord and it was the wrong one. Called utilities again. Phew, they found the right cord.
This machine will flow cool water through a thin water mattress and it will help bring his temperature down. Man I could use one of those on a 95 degree day.
Ethan had a nice cool bath and got the crusties picked and shampooed out of his hair. The cool bath also helped bring his temperature down.
As his nurse began to turn him he started to cough. It looks really painful. His shoulders heave but there is not other signs of awareness. Then the bells and sirens went off. The nurse ran out. I saw Ethan cough again and there was a big mucus wad inside his tube. I run to the door and the first person I saw was a guy that was Ethan’s nurse a few nights ago. I remembered his name too. I called him and said “can you suction him?”
He came in to suction and I noticed Ethan’s heart rate was 160. His blood pressure had gone up. Suddenly all the nurses and doctors came in the room. Well this isn’t good. They tweaked his medication. Then we would wait to se show he responded.
Other nurses were grabbing medications, an EKG machine appeared like magic. They had Ethan’s other two cardiologists o speaker phone discussing the next step and directing the people like the grand puppeteers.
Ethan had atrial flutter. Arterial flutter occurs when there is a short circuit in the heart and the upper chambers of the heart pump very rapidly. Atrial flutter can cause another stroke, permanent disability or death, so it needs to be addressed.
The started to try and pace his heart. Pacing is a series of small pulses of energy to the at a rate slightly faster than the flutter rate. That’s where those wire come in. They placed those wires for just in case something like this happened.
They kept going up and up and got to 400 beats per minute. They then decided it wasn’t working. “Why don’t you guys prepare for c version.” the head doctor said.
Cardio version is done when they send electrical pulses to the heart to shock it into a normal beat. Shock him. Well that just sounds awful.
Come on Ethan....you had such a great day today. Don’t blow it kid.
Then, out of no where he stops. His heart rate is back normal. He just stopped. All of this spanned over an hours time.
What the heck. The heart rate is back to 98. Blood pressure went back to normal. All...just like that.
I told him he better knock it off.
I am now getting ready to lay down. Crazy moments. We are hanging in there.
I am looking over the city. It is lit up. As I am laying down for the night. I am hoping for no excitement. I notice Christmas lights are popping up on the streets. They are pretty. The moon is glowing. I am thinking about what the next few days hold. I have a guarded view of how things will go. I don’t want to be disappointed. Fingers crossed each day is one step closer to having the breathing tube out.
Comments
Post a Comment