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To understand stents, one of my doctors suggests thinking of the Chinese finger traps we played with as kids. |
Well, I'm back from an unexpected week in the hospital. Actually 6 days, but who's counting.
After suffering increasing pains in my chest and shortness of breath over several days, beginning with Thanksgiving, I finally cut the macho crap and had Nat take me to the JFK Emergency Room on Monday morning.
I spent four days at JFK, two of them (to my mind) unnecesary.
Monday was entirely in the ER. I sat in the lobby for a more than an hour while everyone else before and after me was ushered into the ER. When I walked to the bathroom and back and had shortness of breath and asked at the desk, they rushed me back.
Once in the ER, I was given a gurney in the hallway. They were jammed. They were very busy. My nurse told me I was her 8th patient. Without pain and not complaining I sat on my gurney until 4:30, when they put me in a curtained cubicle. Later that evening they transferred me to the Access Center, which is for patients who will be there a couple of days but not fully admitted.
Tuesday, in the Access Center, I was given dialysis, which I had missed at DaVita on Monday.
On Wednesday, I had a catheterization which determined there were serious blockages. My cardiologist, Dr. Mahmoud Alam, determined that because I was a 'high risk' patient (with a triple-bypass already) I needed further treatment at a facility that also has a heart surgery license -- just in case.
Thursday was spent deciding whether I would be sent to Beth Israel or Robert Wood Johnson. It turned out to be RWJ-New Brunswick.
At 2:00 AM Friday morning I was transferred to RWJ by ambulance. This is because Medicare required billing to start on a 'new' day -- which means after 12:01 AM.
At 6:30 AM Friday, I was the first -- and only -- patient in a 20+ bed area reserved for angioplasty and cath patients. Dr. Hussein and crew worked diligently, using the 'roto-rooter' to remove calcified plaque and place four stents. I was back in my room by 8:30 AM, in time for breakfast.
Since I needed dialysis to remove the dye used in the procedure but was exhausted from it, it was decided I would get dialysis on Saturday AM and be discharged afterward.
Dialysis on Saturday was long (four hours) and after getting a sandwich and waiting for an hour for a doctor to discharge me, I was finally out the door somewhat around 3:00 PM.
Now look, kiddies, I have some advice: Do not try to self-diagnose if your symptoms could be of something serious.
I told myself it was indigestion and took some Alka-Seltzer. However, I am very rarely subject to this complaint and never two days in a row. With shortness of breath on top of it.
Listen to your body. It's telling you something important.
I am glad to be back and putting Plainfield Today and CLIPS together for all.
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