Hospital Stay 3, Day 11, Year 2008

Just woke up from the 10th night in the hospital to day 11. I better be going home today! One more dose of the medication, a normal EKG and they better boot me outta here. I told the nurses to give me my medications first. The sooner I get the meds the sooner I get the EKG (2 hour delay between the meds and EKG), the sooner the docs can read it and say its normal and then sign the pluthera of paperwork to get me outta here.

Can it really be day 11?

I have had visits from friends from AZ, Aspen, and Denver, couple guys from work and a couple guys from the neighborhood But nothings better than the visits from Family. My parents came out, Brother Bill came from Vero Beach, uncle BoBBy was here all the time, Aunt Jacqui visited, as did Dee-Dub and Meredith. Shauna and Rob were here. Were there others? Things are kinda hazy after 10 nights. But of course the best and most faithful visitor was my lovely wife Gina, without her I don't know what I would do? And I can't forget Anna. I know its hard for her to be here but I am thankful for every moment we are together.

3 Hospital stays, 3 emergency room visits, 2 ambulance drives, 2 911 calls, 6 or 7 defibrillator shocks, 1 shower, 0 cups of coffee, numerous blood draws and IVs, a million different beeps and sounds from all the monitors, a couple laps around the floor, PET scans, chest x-rays, a boat load of pills, a bunch of EKGs, a ton of Cardiac Diet breakfast lunch and dinners, and on and on and on... What a crazy couple of months we have had?

Oh and the WetzelFamily.net web site needs to be registered again and today is the last day. I deferred doing it thinking that I would be home in time to do it but I'm still in the hospital. Once I get out its gonna be a shower nap and then bed time with food between all of them.

Ok I am now cleaned my self up, cleaned up room 1027, up, ordered breakfast, and seen the first of 3 or 4 doctors. He just comes in and gives a general overall health exam and says it looks good. Now a cardiac surgeon just came in and I don't know why? Maybe because it sunday and he is the one stuck working. I told him I was expecting him and that he was the one to sign all the paper work to get me outta here and he just stared at me. I said I just made that all up but am feeling fine and ready to go home. He said they will see me later and let me know. I am really waiting for either or both Dr B and Dr S (Plumber and Electrician respectively) to give me the official go ahead. Breakfast is here. I must eat my last veggie omelet with salsa (forgot to order the turkey sausage)...

Done eating and am back to waiting. I got up at about 3:00 am so I have be waiting for 5 hours now...

So it was the day before Halloween 2008 when she said it was angry. My wife Gina was at the appointment when she said it. It stuck in my mind: angry sarcoid. I went back to work and a colleague asked how the appointment went and I curtly responded "well I'm not in the hospital." He didn't ask another question and quickly disappeared. That was indeed a portentous statement I made as it would come true by the end of the night.

Gina and I were both cranky and Anna wasn't listening so she was getting in trouble. I had to walk Mallory. For her as much as me. We went for a 35 minute walk around the neighborhood. I record all of my exercise so I had the stop watch on and knew how long we were gone for. But when I got in front of the house 2 down from mine I was really winded: bad bad sign. Made it home and sat in the chair in the living room. Anna came down and wanted me to kill a really big annoying fly in her bedroom but I said I needed to rest. Minutes later the defibrillator fired and I screamed "OUCH!" Gina knows what that means. Then it fired again: really really bad sign. 911 call. Anna trying to console me with the photo album from the summer of 2007. Gina's calling friends to get Anna, calling Uncle BoBBy. I was balling my eyes out because I don't get to trick-or-treating with Anna. That's what really pissed me off!

The firemen show up first, then a couple minutes later the paramedics. Anna puts Mallory out back as soon as the first truck arrives. I talk them into just putting one IV into me. And then we demand to be taken to the University of Colorado Hospital. We learned our lesson the first time that I got shocked (about 3 weeks before, the night of Gina's birthday party). They comply and take me there. I try not to watch the EKG as a we travel, sans lights and sirens, down the highway to CU. I get my cell phone out and call the Heart Failure Fellow on call doctor just to let him know I am coming.

The ambulance bay was full so it took a little time to get parked. As they were getting ready to unload me the damn defibrillator fires again, and then again. I am yelling (not nicely) at them to get me into the ER. Serendipitously, my dear and lovely wife Gina arrived at the same time, notices the ambulance, but did not think it was me until she hear me screaming at them. Then they don't know the numbers to punch into the door to get in. Someone finally gets the door open, and alas I have made it to the ER at CU...

This is all second hand knowledge on my part but as I have been know to say "its he truth even if it didn't happen." (or did Ken Kesey say that and not me?) Gina needs to go through the regular doors to get into the ER. Of course she is crying. Once in she goes to the front desk and states that her husband just came in with an ambulance and that she needs to get back here to him. They tell her it will be about 10 minutes. I don't believe that that sat well with her but much to my chagrin she accepts it at face value. If you know Gina that response she got is totally unacceptable and she would be all over that guy letting him know in no uncertain terms that the correct response is "right this way." Obviously, Gina is not thinking clearly. She needs advice from someone who would know what to do. Who to call? So she calls a friend and her friend says you need to tell them to get you back there now. That advice works and she joins me in a giant ER room surrounded by docs and techs and fireman and other such persons of interest. I don't know how Uncle BoBBy gets in but he is there too. I guess doesn't he take no for an answer when the chips are down. I need to hear his story.

OK...so now all the right players are in the right location and I can relax. I am a little hazy on what happened next. But I had and continued to have ventricular tachycardia (heretofore referred to simply as VT). I make my way up to the 10th floor, via a bed with wheels and an entourage of care givers, family and docs, to Cardiac ICU, where 3 nurses are waiting for me. I think I get a dose of liquid prednisone into my IV and the VT occurs less frequently. I finally fall asleep. No I don't, there is no sleeping or resting in the hospital. I am finally not awake.

It must be Halloween by now.

The doctor said my Sarcoid was angry. Boy Howdy was she right.