Friday, June 20, 2014

The Sword Of Don'tDropPlease

Jack Sutton Seton Hospital ICU
On March 26th 2014 after several days of feeling ill, I was rushed to Seton Hospital’s emergency room and teetered on the brink of death with a 104 temperature for several days. The hospital staff likened the illness to some sort of meningitis as fluid had formed on my brain. I underwent a spinal tap, MRI, and every possible test to ascertain what the problem was.  I was pumped full of antibiotics and eventually after about 5 days in ICU, I started to respond. After 12 days in the hospital and 4 days in rehab, I returned home.

My recovery seemed to be going well, when again I got sick and was once again in the Seton Hospital’s emergency room on May 2nd 2014. I became totally unresponsive and was put on a respirator for several days.   This time my hospital stay was 14 days, ICU and recovery, then another 14 days in Linda Mar Rehab in Pacifica, California. This inactivity resulted in several blood clots forming in my lungs and in my leg. Currently, I’m on Coumadin (Warfarin) and need blood test about once per week that is monitored by the Anticoagulation clinic at the Veterans Administration hospital in San Francisco, CA. Again, a battery of tests and procedures could not isolate what caused me so much agony. The head neurologist at Seton put it to me this way; we ended up on your case with no name, no pathogen, and no idea what happened. He also said I had a remarkable recovery.

So right now I feel like Damocles with a sword hanging above my head held by a human hair, so the story of the Sword of Damocles becomes for me the Sword of Don’tDropPlease.  Sure could use a Dionysius to trade back places with.  I guess we all eventually have to deal with the Sword of Damocles!

5 comments:

  1. Wow Jack! Here's wishing that the sword doesn't drop! So, you still have no idea what happened? Speedy recovery and get back your strength. Paul Fay

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  2. Thanks Paul, I'm still hanging in, fingers crossed!

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  3. Hello Jack. I can relate. I was in the Seton ICU about the same time as you. My wife tells me I looked just like you in this picture. I had a lot of ICU induced PTSD for about a year. Still just a tiny bit. Glad you made it.

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  4. Hello Jack. I can relate. I was in the Seton ICU about the same time as you. My wife tells me I looked just like you in this picture. I had a lot of ICU induced PTSD for about a year. Still just a tiny bit. Glad you made it.

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    1. That's very interesting that we were in the ICU at the same time. I guess both of us were to ill for social calls! I think I may be suffering from some sort of PTSD, not sure. I seem to be more frustrated than I should be, sometimes even the smallest of things can set me off. Did you have any experiences like that?

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