NOW WHAT??

Someone told me once that if there is a side effect to a medication or an adverse reaction to something, I will be THE ONE to manifest it. I am not sure why this is, but it does seem to be true.

I had a hip replacement in October, and had returned to work for about 3 weeks, when I came down with a FUO (Fever of Unknown Origin). After a visit to my primary care physician and a chest x-ray, she determined I had a lung ailment, probably pneumonia, and I had to take the rest of the week off. By Friday the fever had not left and the x-ray was much worse, so my doctor had me admitted to a local hospital (not my place of employment) for IV antibiotic therapy.

After several days of lying in bed, spiking fevers to 104+, non-effective antibiotic therapy, more and worsening daily chest x-rays, increasing oxygen therapy, and a completely useless pulmonology consultation, my chief cohorts at my place of employment finally convinced me to be transferred there for evaluation by a more trusted pulmonologist. Though we had no available beds, my string-pulling friends were able to convince the powers-that-be that until I was transferred, the hospital was closed. THANK GOD FOR FRIENDS!!!

After transfer by ambulance to our larger hospital, my temp hit 106, and I found myself in one of our ICUs. Now on a non-rebreather, very (very) close to intubation, O2 sats continuing to drop, VS highly UN-stable, sucky ABG's, and a white-out x-ray -- I told my LTC that I thought I was going to die. I began to lay out my final wishes to him, and tried to act brave.

Yet another x-ray, a consult by the more trusted pulmonologist and an "A-HA" later found me on high-dose steroids, with a diagnosis of BOOP. This is a complicated ailment caused, in my case, by a reaction to a medication I had been taking for scleroderma. What it amounts to is a lung shut-down which would have caused my death had it not been FINALLY properly diagnosed. Thanks to the double-edged sword of steroids, however, the very next day the x-rays (as well as my ABG status, oxygen therapy and VS) began to improve, and I began to think maybe I would not die after all. At least -- not yet.

Hmmm . . . . .

I did still have to have a Bronc and a VATS (with associated chest tube), which served to confirm the diagnosis, but progress was fairly rapid. Moved to the floor after a few days, and continued to improve. 2 weeks after initial admission, I was allowed to go home to recoup.

The steroids have had their usually lovely effects, including elevated blood sugars (entailing AC & HS FSBS, insulin shots and PO meds) and glamorous Cushingoid symptoms. But I am alive thanks to a wonderful doctor who said "Hmmm -- this isn't responding to antibiotics -- " and then she said "what if this isn't really . . . . . " and "you know what else this might be . . . . . "

GOD BLESS YOU DR. M!!