VENTING!!!

This is going to be a nasty negative blog, so just be warned. I have dedicated my life to my job which I think I do well. I will not go into detail but I am really upset that after three years in this position, I now have a mark on my record from a poor employee that doesn't do her job to par. Seriously. With this two directors were fired last week and I know I don't have a title close to that. I have to ask what is going on and why do I need this right now after just getting out of the hospital? I believe the Universe challenges us to make us better but I need a break. I am feeling so worn and tired right now. I just don't know what to do. AND on top of this, I didn't even realize it was Wednesday till I saw Top Chef was on tonight. My stability is gone at this point.

We Three Queens

Sorry I have not posted for a while but getting out of the hospital and returning to normal life has been a bit of an ordeal. Yes, I am ok, I am taking medication to deal with the "hypercoagulation" and for the most part I have a clean bill of health. I do have some new stuff to deal with cause with the meds I can't eat dark green veggies, and I am more tired than normal. I will not be released to full work for at least three weeks but we are finding the balance in my levels. Other than that, I have two weeks of work to get caught-up on and I have to start sorting out my living situation soon since Nise might be moving soon. I do appreciate all the love I have gotten from my friends, I just realize I am pretty stubborn when it comes to being looked after. Now, I am tired and will be sleeping soon. Love you guys :)

And the Saga Continues

Well, according to my nurse, the only thing we are waiting for is my coumadin level to reach 2.0. Yesterday it was up to 1.2 and I am waiting on the doctor to come tell me where we are at today. The problem right now is the gentleman I am sharing a room with is having some problems. All night long he kept calling in the nurse and at 5 he started being loud and at one point started banging the trash can against the floor. He got upset with the nurse and removed himself from his bed pan. It was a mess to say the least. I waited for the nurse to get my blood pressure then I hopped into my Cadillac (wheelchair) and started down the hall. I feel a little bad cause I was late for my injection, but I had to get out of here, the toilet is also having some problems as well so maintenance was called and they are fixing it. Lord help me. On a lighter note, Sandy's restaurant on Magazine will be opening-up on Tuesday, she is stressed but excited about it. It is called Sweet Gals and it is located at 1906 Magazine and will be open 7 am till 10 pm Tues thru Sun. Stop by for their soft opening if you get the chance.


***UPDATE*** Sandy's restaurant has to postpone their opening to Wednesday due to technical problems, AND I GET OUT OF THE HOSPITAL TOMORROW!!!!!! Which I was thinking, three square meals a day, watching TV all day long and playing on the computer, maybe I can stay a couple more days....ROFLMAO I am so just joking.

Medical Update

First-off, I am so tired of these injections in my stomach (lovinox is the injectable blood thinner), but I digress. As of this morning the amount of coumadin, the oral blood thinner, is still too low. They just increased my dosage from 7 to 10 mg. As a result, I suspect I will be here through the weekend, but that is okay with me at this point. I am feeling a lot more stable and content, if not happy about being here. The nurses are great and have been wonderful about checking on me, although I thought nurse Terry was going to spank me last night for walking around on the floor without a wheelchair. But I am keeping my promise to the doctor and not spending too much time walking, just enough to keep me from going insane, well more insane than I already am anyway. Well if nothing else, I hope to be back home by Monday afternoon but still have no idea what restrictions I am going to be under although Will, Charlotte, John and Danny are fully prepared to lock me away or strap me down to make sure I follow orders. I get the feeling they think I am defiant or something and won't follow the doctor's instructions.

Direct Sunlight

The doctor came in while Will and another friend were visiting and he allowed them to take me to the 4th floor deck and sit in the sun for a minute and have a smoke. I was really more excited about the whole getting out of the room for a few minutes but the cigarette was nice as well. It is funny, after I had it I was pretty ambivalently about it, I think it was more of the whole principle of the thing more than anything. The clots seem to be pretty well dissipating but my red cell count is still a little high so they are going to keep me at least one more night, maybe through the weekend depending on the tests tomorrow and there after. I am just glad I can actually get out of bed a little bit now, although the doctor doesn't want me getting carried away with it. I am glad to comply to restrictions as long as I can have a little bit of freedom. It really does not take much to make a monkey happy ya know.

My House Calls

So this entire time I have been here, I have been trying to keep calm, focused, and not allow myself to get upset. Well that all went to shit this evening. The reality of quitting cold turkey smoking set-in along with the fact the nurses will not allow me to leave my room at all. I am really feeling caged. This is compounded by the fact that last night they brought in a room mate for me. I have barely caught a glimpse of the man, but I gather he is an older black gentle man suffering from abdominal pains, perhaps with a slight case of dementia or early Alzheimer's. He had little control over his bowels which is not very pleasant but last night his IV kept getting crimped on his arm so every hour or so the alarm would start to sound and for some reason the nurse was taking forever to come fix the problem. Will came to visit me today and in the few minutes he was here he was ready to strangle someone because of this alarm. The biggest problem I am having here is the agitation associated with not smoking and having nothing to alleviate that but also the anxiety of not knowing when I am getting out of here. Every day I have been thinking well I should be able to go home today, but then the doctor walks in and not so much. Today the pharmacist came in and gave me directions on the coumadin I will be taking when I get out. She explained what foods I could not eat, dosage etc. as if I was being discharged, silly me, I thought that was a part of the discharge process until the doctor stepped in and said no. I understand that these kinds of things can be very serious and I am trying desperately to not take it lightly, but I am done with this place. I can not sleep, the nicotine withdrawl can not be good for me, I don't care how bad smoking is for you, and frankly, there is nothing they are doing here that can not be accomplished in the comfort of my own damn bed except for the whole $500/day to feed me hospital food. They claim they are trying to let all the clots disintegrate and narrow down the cause, ironically after 20 of internet research I know exactly what the cause is: dehydration (in part from the hot summer, working so much and going out), low B12 and folic acid counts both of which can be attributed to a poor diet and smoking, and the fact my body produces an abundance of red blood cells (when I was in high school I had to stop giving blood because my blood would clot around the needle and they could never get a full bag). There, I am diagnosed, now send me the hell home!!

And they say there aren't vampires in New Orleans.

I figured it up and I believe they have now taken 26 vials of blood from me. They have also injected me four times with the anti-coagulant stuff and stuck me altogether 9 times. But I also just got to place my order for food tomorrow, I am not sure if the servers here know something I do not but she did say it will delete if I do go home. I love how they are all so vague about how long I am going to be here and I really hope they understand that even with insurance my co-pay is $500 per day. I also find it creepy that the nurses are having to track my bowl movements. The poor man I am sharing a room with is older and hard of hearing suffering from abdominal pain and the nurse has used every possible slang to see if he has had a bowl movement or not but doesn't seem to understand. Keep in mind, this is really the first time I have ever stayed in the hospital and this is truly a bizarre experience. Oh well, Top Chef Masters is on so it isn't so bad hehehe

Welcome to my World

So just before my birthday the 2nd, I started having problems with my left leg. The doctor thought it was an infection and gave me antibiotics. It got worse. I made an appointment to see another doctor on Monday he informed me he thought it was a blood-clot and immediately sent me for an ultrasound. It was positive for a blood-clot and so they admitted me to the emergency room at Touro hospital. John and Danny lugged me and and hand held me till they got me into a room and visiting hours ended. Then the nurse came in and informed me the doctor scheduled another ultrasound for the morning and no food or drink, not even my lovely 20 oz Coca-Cola the boys bought me! Well now I have been here 24 hours. I have seen my regular doctor Dr. Scott, a cardiologist, a hematologist, a social worker, and a chapel. The result is as follows from my understanding: I have low levels of B-12 and folic acid coupled with a couple of other odd little things associated with high red-cell counts which is a perfect scenario for a blood-clot. So anyway, that is the long and the short of what has happened. I was hoping to come home tomorrow but now it seems it will be Thursday instead. All I want to do is go home!