OT: Mike & I have Pneumonia!

[Guest]

Dori...I have not been on the forum for a while, have been sick too. I want to add my prayers to all of the others for a speedy recovery for Mike!

Take good care of yourself!

Janice

[DoriC]

Dori,

I'm still sending praying for you & Mike. Glad things are beginning to get better for you both. Stay on top of the rehab workers & ask for a printout of Mike's meds. That's helpful for you in case they try to 'forget' something. I've been deal with a rehab for my mother-in-law since Dec 29 & I figured out early on to get a printout when changes were made. Although its all done by computer, I've caught several mistakes/problems that way. If he has a roommate make sure they are not MRSA positive, that can create problems you don't need.

Best wishes coming your way,
Jen

Good advice Jen, I asked for a printout today, I'm still waiting...but tomorrow's another day! Mike's roommate is a very nice fellow who broke his tibia and is not sick in any other way. I had my followup exam with my Dr today and I'm doing better except that my oxygen level is a bit low so I've got to get moving around a bit more to get my lungs expanded. I've still got some junk to get rid of.

[jencat824]

Oh Dori,

I'm so glad to hear things are getting better. I hope my advice proves helpful, but at the same time I really hope you don't need it (meaning I hope things go so smoothly for you & Mike that you won't need the info). I'm glad to hear he has a great roommate, that is worth a lot in a rehab. My MIL had to be moved twice because of roommate problems, one sang all night (and I mean all night) and one developed MRSA & we had to move out. Don't be shy about making sure workers wash their hands, they have nicknamed me the hand-washing fairy.

I'm very familiar with the 'getting your lungs expanding' - I've had pneumonia a lot in my life, my advice for that is walk around the house slowly. Don't get in too much of a hurry, you are still healing too. I'm still praying for you & Mike, sending hugs your way.

Jen

[Stormynights]

I am still praying for both of you. Even though we have never actually met I love you both. You are so sweet and kind. I wish I was more like you.

[BlackSpinner]

It is good to hear the updates Dori! I am glad you and Mike are doing better.

Take it slow and easy, pneumonia takes a long time to get over (been there, done that, have 2 t-shirts) Enjoy letting all the other people do the work for you while you get better.

[echo]

Dori, I'm so sorry to hear you both got sick. Just saw this thread now. Wishing Mike a speedy and easy recovery!! Hope you will be able to get back to taking caring of him soon!

Vitamin D always helps me get through respiratory infections, flus, and colds. In fact I no longer get lung infections since getting my vit D levels up (I had pneumonia 3x in my short life & and bronchitis 1-2x every year before vit D).

Hugs xxx

[DoriC]

I just upped my D3 to 4,000/day,better late than never. They won't give vitamins to Mike in rehab, something about bringing them in from home?? He had 2 miserable nights with with the vpap, really set him back today, very congested and agitated,the nurses just don't understand how to fit a FF mask and the hose can't be set up over his head as well as other obstacles, even tried nasal and pillows masks, disaster, so had a long discussion with 2 Drs and Nursing Director and they're concerned about his congestion and leaking FFmask covering his mouth so it was decided to d/c vpap and they upped his 02 which seems to help him breathe better and he seems more comfortable for now. I'm not happy about it but right now it's the lesser of the evils. He's a pretty sick boy and very disoriented so the machine is an extra hinderance at this point and I think dangerous to use since I can't be there to monitor him and our Dr and I don't trust the night nurses. There's more to the story but I hope you get the picture. Thanks for hanging in with us!

[jencat824]

Dori,

I get the picture & I know all about rehab night nurses. Most (not all!) are there to work their shift & getting them to be attentive to a patient's special needs is near impossible. Sounds like the increased O2 is a workable solution for now. Sad that a nurse doesn't understand PAP therapy, but many haven't seen a PAP machine.

If he is confused when you go, check his skin for pressure sores, rehab beds are hard in general and if he is too sick to move much you can help by finding them before they become an issue. I've got recent first hand knowledge of this with my MIL. Nursing is supposed to turn patients every 2 hours, so hopefully this won't be a problem.

I'm still praying for you both. Lots of love & prayers coming your way.

Jen

[nanwilson]

Dori, do they not have sleep chairs in that hospital. If they could get one for you then you could stay the night and be sure that Mike is okay. I fear that the worry is not helping you get better, if you get sicker, where does that leave the BOTH of you. If you don't know what a sleep chair is, it is a special chair that will recline to sleeping position and is used in hospitals for situations just as this.
Be well...
Nan

[Vader]

Hey Dori

Just saw this post today. I hope you and Mike are doing much better, soon!
Ya'll are in my prayers. God Bless.

-Vader

[Stormynights]

Thank you for the update sweet Dori. Still praying.

[DoriC]

Dori, do they not have sleep chairs in that hospital. If they could get one for you then you could stay the night and be sure that Mike is okay. I fear that the worry is not helping you get better, if you get sicker, where does that leave the BOTH of you. If you don't know what a sleep chair is, it is a special chair that will recline to sleeping position and is used in hospitals for situations just as this.
Be well...
Nan

I've slept in that chair many times over the years and I could not tolerate it at all, but at rehab, family is not allowed to sleep over if there is another patient in the room. And there's not a single room in the place, packed! The weekend is a bad time to get anything done and I'm still under the weather,not much strength, but hopefully tomorrow I'll be in better shape and I've got a long to-do list. My friend is taking me to the rehab now but it's been a long morning, hopefully I'll be able to drive myself tomorrow. I wish I knew how to let go and stop worrying but he's in my DNA and I know he wonders why I'm not there all the time. He's still pretty out of it but he told me he's sorry I had a "little cold"! If I could have my pick of which forum buddy I'd choose to come and help me I'd have a very hard time choosing! How about a poll!

[kaiasgram]

If I could have my pick of which forum buddy I'd choose to come and help me I'd have a very hard time choosing! How about a poll!

Aha! -- Your being a troublemaker is a good sign that you're recovering!
Take care, Dori, and thanks for checking in again.

[ems]

If I could have my pick of which forum buddy I'd choose to come and help me I'd have a very hard time choosing!

Pick Me! Pick Me!

So glad things are turning around for you and Mike. Such good news to wake up to today. Take care of yourself, Dori. You are definitely Mike's angel!

[DoriC]

Very lethargic today, didn't open his eyes all day, rehab Dr suspects problem with kidneys, called our Dr, he requested blood be drawn and will have results tomorrow at noon, if the numbers are bad, back to hospital. I'm very worried.