The Continuing Saga of Mary

[Burton Borrok]

As you will recall, in our last episode, Mary went to her PCP’s office and passed out for two hours. She came to in the hospital where they were running tests to try and discover what was wrong with her.

This episode starts last Thursday when that hospital released her and she went home. She PM’d me Thursday night and said she was feeling lousy. She then said she was going to bed and signed off.

Friday morning she went to work - and almost passed out. She was then readmitted to her hospital, (the one near her home), where she now is. They are now taking a crack at figuring out what her problem is. She is currently on Toradal and Percocet and feeling pretty good, except of course when she gets out of bed, as she gets dizzy again.

She hopes to get out of this hospital soon, (she’s hoping for tomorrow), but until they release her, her new number is 321-841-0571

Frankly, I hope they keep her until they figure out what the problem is.
Burt

[shirleymahoney]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

They really do need to keep her, if she is still getting dizzy when she stands up, no answers yet huh

Shirley

[Burton Borrok]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Hi folks,
Talked with Mary this morning. She’s still weak, and gets dizzy when she stands up. The doctor came in and we ended the call rather abruptly, but she did say she is again getting shots of Lovenox in the stomach for blood clots – they will again check her ICD – and she may have to return to Boston to get checked-over again, but that’s still in the maybe stage.

Oh yeah, they increased her salt intake (salt pills) in the hopes of pushing up her blood pressure, which is running low at present. Personally, I suspect that is why she is so subject to passing out, but time will tell. I’ll try to keep you guys posted.
Burt

[mtlieb]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Thanks Burt,

I'll try to give her a call again today. I sure wish she could get some good medical treatment! The last hospital she was at had her on a low-salt cardiac diet while they scratched their asses and watched her blood pressure plummet to nothing, and now this hospital is shoving salt pills down her throat trying to get her pressure back up. WTF??

Jim

[Burton Borrok]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Hi Jim,
How are you doing buddy? Good to see you posting again.

About Mary’s treatment – I think this hospital is doing a better job for her then the other. I would think getting the blood pressure up by the use of salt pills is a better approach then by keeping her saline level so low that she gets dizzy and passes out. They can address a water problem if and when it occurs. (I think she is on a diuretic already.) They are also addressing her possible blood clot problem, which I think is a plus.

Anyway, if you talk to her and get any more information, please post it. Our conversation ended when the doctor came into her room.

Hmm, just thought of something. You’re in Pennsylvania. Will you be exercising or hex-a-cizing?
Burt

[mtlieb]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

God save us all from Burton's humor...

[mtlieb]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Actually Burton...

I'm doing great, thanks for asking. It turns out that my exhaustion lately is in large part due to a cold i picked up while visiting with my family. The darn thing's lingered for a couple weeks now, so just to be on the safe side i hiked up to the hospital the other night to get checked out. They said everything's fine... heart sounds good, lungs look good... just a common cold. The doc said it'll probably just take a little longer than normal to get rid of, since my body's pretty busy taking care of some other things right now. But all in all i'm still doing quite well.

The only real problem i have is with all this blasted coughing and sneezing. LoL. Have you seen the movie Alien? I'm waiting for something to come exploding out of my chest at any moment! It's so indescribably painful when i sneeze, i've gotten in the habit of yelling out a very naughty little f-word each and every time. Needless to say when i sneezed at the grocery store the other day (and my little heart-pillow nowhere to be found), it did attract some attention

The doc offered another refill on my percocet to help with the chest pain, but i refused. I may regret that later on, but to be honest... i was really getting quite attached to those little rays of sunshine in a bottle, and i decided it was time for that relationship to end, pain or no pain.

Now, if we can just get Mary straightened out!

Jim

[shirleymahoney]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Jim

I know the feeling i have a cold too, and it's going on 5 months since surgery and it still hurts my chest when i cough or sneeze so i can imagine what you are going through you hang in there and i hope you start feeling better and keep little ears out of ear shot of you

Shirley

[Burton Borrok]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Well, there’s a blessing. It is 105 degrees at the moment and the humidity is down to 10 percent – plenty of dry coughing, but not the hint of a cold anywhere.

I guess one must take ones blessings where one finds them. Stay cool my friends, stay cool.
Burt

[Heartmans Wife]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Hi Burton-

Hope Mary's treatment is continuing and she's doing better.

When Jim says he hiked up to the hospital, he really did take quite a hike!! Pretty impressive as Indiana, PA is a town of hills and the hospital is on a hill outside of town, even!!

As for being in Pennsylvania and hex-a-cizing - not all of us are Dutch, ya' know. We have a pretty large Amish population. You know you're from Central Pennsylvania when a building higher than three stories is a novelty, but a horse and buggy on the road isn't

Ange

[mtlieb]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

You know you're from Central Pennsylvania when a building higher than three stories is a novelty, but a horse and buggy on the road isn't

Too true, Ange! I love our road signs that have the picture of a horse and buggy on them. People from out-of-state look at those and go, huh? As for my hike up to the hospital... i didn't say how LONG it took me to get there. LoL. There were plenty of rest breaks along the way, and i was lucky enough to catch a ride back home

I can't wait to drive again!!!

Jim

[Burton Borrok]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Hey you Pennsylvanians,
I married an Altoona girl, and been to plain and fancy land a number of times. In fact I bought a big eraser in a restaurant called Plain and Fancy in Intercourse, PA. Printed on the eraser was a picture of a Dutch boy and girl holding hands, and the caption “Plain and Fancy, Intercourse, PA” They are an earthy lot, and their farms and produce are things of beauty.

My wife was in the first graduating class of Penn State University, and her brother who was a year ahead of her was in the last graduating class of Penn State College. She shared a room with a Pennsylvania Dutch girl and picked up expressions like, “My hair needs wash,” and other similar colloquialisms. That “horse and buggy on the road isn’t” brought back a flood of memories, as I’ve been in horse and buggy traffic jams.

I wish you both “Get out of hex free” cards, and hope you enjoy your neighborhoods.
Burt

[Burton Borrok]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

Another update on Mary,
I would have posted sooner, except I had problems with my computer. The time has come to replace this old beast of mine.

So let’s bring you up to date. When she was first in the hospital they tried unsuccessfully to contact her cardiologist, but he was out of town, so the hospital cardio treated her. When her cardio got back he was PO’d that he wasn’t consulted and notified Mary that he doesn’t want her as a patient any longer. The staff cardiologist had signed off on her, now that her own cardio had returned, and he won’t treat her. The manager of her old cardio’s office got very snippy (read that abrupt) with her, and when the hospital’s head of staff nurse called he got snippy with her also. The law says he has to continue to treat her for thirty days after the notice of quitting, but he will not return her calls, or the hospital calls about her. The hospital cardio has signed her back to her old doc, and is out of the picture, so at the moment at least, she has no cardiologist treating her.

They discovered that she also had another ruptured cyst on her ovary, just to complicate matters. The general doctor told her yesterday that they might release her today, after which she passed out again, - in the shower. The hospital called her old cardio for a consult, but he still won’t return their calls. After she passed out her blood pressure was 75 / 30, so they gave her a half liter of liquid to bring it up again, and this morning she woke up with a blotchy rash on her arms, and probably over the rest of her body too. We ended the call so she could call the nurse – and she still has hopes of getting out of the hospital today. As Jim would say – Yikes!

If you want to call her, her number at the hospital still is 321 – 841 – 0571
Burt

[Glen Beamish]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

My God, that's horrible, I think Mary needs an extra dose prayer and a good lawyer.
How can they refuse to treat her with all that is happening to her???

[cynthiaG]

Re: The Continuing Saga of Mary

this story gets more unbelievable! I have never heard of a doctor refusing to treat his/her patient!! This is unheard of!!. ( It's too bad we can't clone a couple of wonderful cardiologists from Boston and sent them down! ). Can her PCP hook her up with another cardiologist?? Her "former" one is obviously a real [email protected]@#$%e ! Also, her PCP would become involved with this rash and try to diagnose the cause,correct? And, her OBGYN for the cyst.