This was officially a week from hell. It started out with my burn wound going down hill....quickly to being hospitalized for pain control. Monday I called my doctor to get the ball rolling on the burn. Within just a few days it went from being covered by a healthy scab to puss, slough and possible tunneling. Later on Monday I opened a bottle of nail polish and felt a distinct POP in my left upper quadrant. This is the same area I had pain after the ablation. At that time it was blamed on a hematoma on my liver. When I went to bed that night, that exact pain returned with a vengeance. I was able to get it to chill out with a couple of percocet, unfortunately to wake at 1:15am with the same pain....only intensified. By 2:00am I couldn't take it anymore so I woke my husband to take me to the ER. I was in histerics.
I spent the rest of the night in the S.W Swedish ER only to be discharged in the morning with 10/10 pain, nausea and vomiting. Unfortunately (yet fortunately) my CT didn't show anything, therefore there was no reason for me to be in pain. From that point I was treated as a drug seeker and a nuisance. Did they not hear my history? Did they not hear my husband specifically say he has never seen me like this even through all the crud that I have been through? When they shoved dilaudid (still in the package) into my husbands hand and told us how to show ourselves out, I vowed I would never use that ER again....ever.
That afternoon I went to Sky Ridge to have my wound and pain re-evaluated. I was ultimately admitted for pain management and wound care. The wound doctor scooped out all the fibroid tissue and puss. Then he cut away at the old dead tissue and slough, finishing up with scooping away the bottom of the wound with what I call a miniature ice cream scooper. That was really gross. It hurt pretty bad too....but it was really, really gross! We are now packing the wound. On Thursday my pain was to a point I could handle at home. The wound nurse came to re stuff the wound (which unfortunately developed new slough in just a few days) and sent me home.
I am still hurting but I am truly focused on healing and very glad to be in my own home and bed. I have decided I need to heal, get that crazy surgery, heal from that and go roller blading! Can't wait!
Oh Cynthia, I am so sorry to hear that you had such a bad week and received such inferior care at the SWER! (Although, after Andrew's care there with the dog bite, I'm not terribly surprised.) I wish I had been there to help you! We'll keep you in our prayers. Miss you and love you!
ReplyDeleteI wanna go skating!! Yep, that's all I have to say.
ReplyDeletewell no it isn't. I am so sorry that with all else you have to deal with incompetence and unneccessary pain.
When Michael was born my 36 hour labor caused the staples to pop and the wound to not heal. I had to get the mile deep slash in my abdomin scraped, dead parts cut out, flushed and packed twice a day for a month and just wait for it to heal. Mine wasn't a burn. That must hurt. I am so sorry. I'm glad you got a competent doctor to help you.
Now hurry up and heal-- we have skatin to do woman!
I've heard of Swedish massage, but never Swedish ER. Making a note never to have cancer in Sweden . . . .
ReplyDeleteSometimes the healthcare people get more caught up in their own issues than those of the patient. Everyone who's been hospitallized has similar horror stories (although I have made it through 40 years without having to deal with "slough," and if I make it another 40 without ever hearing that word again I'll be doing good!), and I think everyone who works in health care should be a patient at some point. Some of the best care I ever received was at the hands of nurses who had been in the hospital for really horrible stuff, and it gave them an emphathy that classwork and even experience couldn't.
Just think, after all this is done you can start your own diet business: Cindy's Slough and Pack Weight Loss. Folks, that's NOT yogurt!
You are testing every part of the medical field...tunneling...that is going a bit too far. A week with no pain, peace and no hospital visits would be nice. We apparently "get all we can handle blah~blah~ blah"...you are making the rest of us look like wimps...the average Joe wouldn't be able to handle this insanity the way you do. Every night we pray for you Cynthia...every night...you are always on our minds.
ReplyDeleteXO ~ Sara
Crapanitly...I can't wait to buy you a new pair of roller blades and be done with all of this...I will go with you when the time comes!!!
ReplyDelete