I'm out! Released from post surgical care after a seven day stay at a local hospital. A very strange story, so I'll share with anyone whose interested.
This tale starts one week prior to the Super Bowl. Preface - I have always had terrible white coat syndrome and generally avoid doctors like the plague. As in, I don't see them unless I'm in real distress of some sort. Dumb, I know, but phobias can be potent. I always kinda knew that it would eventually catch up with me....but, in this case, it didn't. I went to an MD very early and I ended up with a three hour surgery, anyway. Like this:
January 29, (Super Bowl minus one week), I hurt my right shoulder blade because (I assumed) I had gotten too aggressive during my circuit training. I've done this before, same exact pain, same exact place. Now, I'm pissed because I probably cant work out for a week. As the week goes on, not only does the back pain get worse, but I get some kinda upper respiratory bug. Nothing bad, just a PITA. On Saturday night before Super Bowl, I'm out in Santa Monica having dinner with friends and walking the town. After a few drinks, neither the cold nor the back is a problem, but....
Sunday morning is high fever, chills, the back pain is more intense and has spread to my chest. It's particularly sharp when I breathe. Web MD says it's probably pneumonia with some pleural issue. My wife is all over me and I figure I'm sunk and will need to see a doc eventually, anyway. So, my wife's GP happens to be on clinic duty, and off we go. Her GP does a chest X-Ray, and yep, it's pneumonia. It's early, small, and not scary, so she prescribes antibiotics and sends me home (cool!). I miss Q1-3, but see the comeback. Great stuff, But...
After one day of improvement, my fever spikes and it's off for a another chest X-Ray and blood testing and, eventually, admission to the hospital. The X-Ray now shows lots of fluid around the lung. They're now going to take it out with a needle (that's so big it looks like a cartoon). After that fails, it's full-on surgery to remove the gunk around my lung. Surgery Saturday, AM is successful. They keep me til today to heal up and keep me on IV antibiotics. Just got home and my daughter and dog (in no particular order) are almost as happy as I am.
On the way out, the nurse who released me says: Good thing you came in early, or this could have been a real nightmare. I'm not sure that irony gets much thicker.
This tale starts one week prior to the Super Bowl. Preface - I have always had terrible white coat syndrome and generally avoid doctors like the plague. As in, I don't see them unless I'm in real distress of some sort. Dumb, I know, but phobias can be potent. I always kinda knew that it would eventually catch up with me....but, in this case, it didn't. I went to an MD very early and I ended up with a three hour surgery, anyway. Like this:
January 29, (Super Bowl minus one week), I hurt my right shoulder blade because (I assumed) I had gotten too aggressive during my circuit training. I've done this before, same exact pain, same exact place. Now, I'm pissed because I probably cant work out for a week. As the week goes on, not only does the back pain get worse, but I get some kinda upper respiratory bug. Nothing bad, just a PITA. On Saturday night before Super Bowl, I'm out in Santa Monica having dinner with friends and walking the town. After a few drinks, neither the cold nor the back is a problem, but....
Sunday morning is high fever, chills, the back pain is more intense and has spread to my chest. It's particularly sharp when I breathe. Web MD says it's probably pneumonia with some pleural issue. My wife is all over me and I figure I'm sunk and will need to see a doc eventually, anyway. So, my wife's GP happens to be on clinic duty, and off we go. Her GP does a chest X-Ray, and yep, it's pneumonia. It's early, small, and not scary, so she prescribes antibiotics and sends me home (cool!). I miss Q1-3, but see the comeback. Great stuff, But...
After one day of improvement, my fever spikes and it's off for a another chest X-Ray and blood testing and, eventually, admission to the hospital. The X-Ray now shows lots of fluid around the lung. They're now going to take it out with a needle (that's so big it looks like a cartoon). After that fails, it's full-on surgery to remove the gunk around my lung. Surgery Saturday, AM is successful. They keep me til today to heal up and keep me on IV antibiotics. Just got home and my daughter and dog (in no particular order) are almost as happy as I am.
On the way out, the nurse who released me says: Good thing you came in early, or this could have been a real nightmare. I'm not sure that irony gets much thicker.
