CTICU

So…in the CTICU. 

I wake up after the procedure that worked. I think they shocked my heart into appropriate rhythm, but not sure. Fortunately they did not need to start a peripheral IV line—the port was enough. I still had some leads (telemetry, etc.) and other things stuck to me, but I didn’t really care. I was getting pain and nausea meds pretty regularly so the idea of food wasn’t totally abhorrent, and I felt normal for the first time in awhile. 

W night was spent in the ICU with a fantastic nurse (looooved her). My CI battery died (ARGH!), so there was some pantomine and note writing back and forth between nurses, docs and me, but it all worked out once my dad brought my purse back and I could change the battery. 

Thursday afternoon I was moved to C5—the Heart Center/post-transplant floor, and now we had all sorts of doctors turf fighting. Cardiology, my docs, the thyroid (endocrinology) docs at Children’s—all sorts of stuff. Dr. A put me on lasix to get rid of the extra fluids I’d been getting. I was also getting a potassium drip to keep that level happy. Endo said my thyroid numbers were normal so that probably wasn’t an issue in this “episode” (like I’m a TV show….)

So Th-Friday were spent on C5. I was hoping (but didn’t get) discharged on Friday so I could go home and pack and then we could leave for vacay early on Sat. Instead I got a mid-morning Saturday discharge (very, VERY rare). Of course I have follow-ups out the wazoo. Besides my five-year tests (which are being done on M), I have to see the cardiology guys to follow-up, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be doing something with my thyroid doc pretty soon, as soon as we figure out what, precisely, that lovely gland is doing. I’ll be seeing the post-tx pulmonology folks on Monday, anyway, so that’s one thing down. 

And, of course, with all this going on there is also Tiff’s wedding on the 21st, and my visit to Summit on the 3rd of September. There is a lot going on in my life—so, of course, we must have medical mysteries on top. 

Your never boring correspondent,

A Gibson Girl  

God at the beach

From CPG. 

God at the beach

ER Part II

So, while I didn’t feel that bad, high pulse—> not fun things. So the cardiology crew decided to try some procedure where they would stop my heart for a few seconds (“We’re dead, we’re dead, we’re alive but we’re dead!”)—while I was conscious. Fun! 

Now, like I said, I was pretty comfortable, so maybe that’s why I wasn’t going, “um, CRAZY PEOPLE! I don’t think so!” but whatever. So they did what they had to do (we’re still in the ER at this point, and I can’t see all that well, from bed position, etc.) and…

they stopped my heart for a few seconds. 

This was a very strange feeling. It was like being paused in body. I was still thinking, still, um, breathing (well, I had cannulas for oxygen at this point) but wow, it was very, very strange. I don’t think I could’ve moved even if I wanted to. 

After a few seconds they, um, started my heart again (“Oh joy! Rapture!”) and, apparently, stopping it hadn’t done what they wanted it to do. So…

“We’re going to take you up to the CTICU and do some procedures and monitor you more closely,” Cardiologist #1 said. 

“Um…OK.”

So, off to the CTICU we went. It is—again—rather strange being taken to the ICU when you are 1) conscious and 2) feeling pretty normal. So I got to look around a bit and observe, since the last two times I was here I was not, um, in an observing posture. 

It’s big, for starters. Some rooms aren’t really rooms, they’re just curtained off sections. Others are rooms, with the lovely fishbowl sliding-glass doors that I dislike very strongly. But the nice thing is you almost never have to ring for anything, because the nurses are on you like white on rice. There are curtains that can be pulled for privacy, though. 

I was across from one of the nurses’ stations. There was a recliner, a TV, and a long couch in my room, as well as  lots of room for medical stuff (bien sur) and a computer in the room for charting. That’s sort of annoying because you’ve got people in your room a lot more than normal, but, again, this is the ICU, and normally you’d be so sick/out of it that you wouldn’t really know. I was an exception to the rule here. 

So, I was in the CTICU (Cardiothoracic ICU, to recap) and they decided to shock my heart back into rhythm, like on TV. Sort of. First they would knock me out (thanks, guys). This being the CTICU, it didn’t take long for a team to assemble and have everything ready (another benefit of the ICU). Soon, versed was being pushed into my port line and bang! I was out. 

(If you’re new here—I am super-easy to sedate. I don’t know what that says about me as a person, but I am really easy to knock out.) 

More later….(I am on vacation, after all….:))