Number 6's Blog

Last Saturday, November 9, around 5:30PM Gwen had suddenly had trouble breathing and her chest hurt. I could tell she was not in immediate danger because she could talk loudly. However she appeared pretty distressed. Therefore I asked her is she wanted to go to the ER. She replied YES without hesitation.

We went to the Baylor, Scott, and White (BSW) Grapevine ER.  They did numerous tests: x-ray, CT Scan, Blood Test, etc. They tried hard but did not find any anomalies with her heart which was the most likely problem because of symptoms. They finally decided to admit her to the Hospital where more tests could be run.

We checked into the hospital around Midnight.  We did not get much, if any, sleep that first night. Between checking Gwen in and more tests they kept us pretty busy all night. Both the preliminary blood and urine tests showed excess white cells. Based on that they sent both off for culture testing and decided to keep us until the cultures “blossomed”.

Sunday morning one of the doctors told us we would probably have to stay until Wednesday because the culture takes that long and with Gwen’s immune problems they were afraid she might develop sepsis.

The heart search continued into Monday with more tests including an ultrasound. Tuesday morning we had a conference with the cardiologist who asked if we wanted to treat the heart condition aggressively (angiograms, open heart surgery, etc.) or with medication. We opted with medication.

That left just waiting for the “culture”. Waiting in the hospital is pretty boring. They would not let me get Gwen out of the bed because of her PSP condition. The TV is forgettable, The food is mediocre. However the staff are for the most part very good.

Tuesday afternoon about 4:30PM we were surprised with the nurse asking us if we wanted to go home Tuesday evening. The “culture” had blossomed. The bacteria culprit had been identified. Therefore we could go home with yet another prescription after they gave her an injection of the medication.

We said Yes, send us home.

Postscript: Wednesday morning Gwen had a massive BM. I gave her a shower to clean her off. I’m not sure what happened but she slipped off the shower chair twice onto the floor. Lesson learned: I’m not giving her anymore showers by myself.

It’s now Saturday afternoon, November 16, and she is still recovering from the hospital stay catching up on her rest.