liv.withlupus

Back at the ER

It was a sunny day and I had just celebrated my birthday not long ago. A week prior, I was walking and breathing fine. We went out for an early dinner and had some delicious cake at our usual spot. A few days later though, my resting heart rate was constantly above 110 bpm and I had a lot of trouble walking up the flight of stairs at my house without stopping. I also felt increased pressure in my chest. I decided to check out of work early on a Thursday afternoon and headed to the ER to have things checked out.

By now, I had an idea in how they would triage me. First, an EKG, followed by some bloodwork, and a CT is inevitable given my blood clot history. We did exactly that. Once again, I was waiting in the hallways of the ER. This time, the ER appeared busier, and I was just sitting in a chair as opposed to a stretcher. I was in a lot of pain though, and struggled with shortness of breath, so I tracked down a nurse and asked if I could have some pain medication. The medication worked well, and very quickly, I found myself not feeling much of anything at all. I was fighting to sit straight and not slouch too much in my chair or fall asleep.

The doctor finally came around and informed me I had pneumonia. He then mentioned to me that he’s seen many patients with pneumonia, but none that looked like they were struggling as much as me. Ultimately, he suggested I stay at the hospital for a few days to be monitored and give time for the antibiotics to work. I agreed and gave my husband a call.

My husband casually joked over the call, “Hey, since you are a frequent visitor now, they should probably award you with points, and have you upgraded to a premium suite. You know, similar to when you travel often, you get travel points..” I was exhausted and still felt quite out of it from the pain meds, but I recall that made me grin a little.

Hospital food

The selection of food at the hospital was actually quite good, except I had little appetite. Still, I tried to choose different menu items at each meal to try things out. Dessert items were also plentiful and I always saved the jello/brownies for the girls and my husband for when they visited. They were able to visit me this time around and I think that cheered us all up. The girls were also super curious and excited to visit me there to claim their jellos. I guess this stay wasn’t so bad.

Friend’s visit & Food Prep

Due to having pneumonia, which caused stressed to my body, which translated to joint pains, I was again put on a higher dose of steroids. This meant I was able to walk normally. So when a close friend pinged wanting to visit us to catch up, I happily replied yes.

They showed up with a cast iron pot filled with rice porridge and home baked goodies. That’s snack and dinner all taken care of! I was so very grateful. (Thank you!)

Being chronically ill sometimes mean preparing foods and making the simplest recipes a challenge.

Imagine this scenario – Your joints in your fingers are swollen, so badly you can’t hold a fist tight; because of this, you are not able to carry a pot or pan on/off the stove top. You force yourself to do this anyway, because you need to prep food for your family, and you subsequently put more strain on your wrist and back. Then, you open the fridge to grab some poultry that you had diced and marinated the night before. You put that in the pan and start cooking, realize you need some spices and open the cabinets to reach for them, but because you are petite and vertically challenged, you need to grab a step stool from the storage. All this takes a lot of time and effort, and that’s only half the cooking process. It can appear to be so simple, yet, for someone who is chronically ill and suffering from joint pains, it is a massive effort and challenge. Something that, when we are able to do normally, cannot easily be taken for granted.

Conversation with Rooster
Me: How does the food taste?
Rooster: It’s good. Mommy, you used to make rice porridge for us too, you haven’t made it in a long time.
Me: You’re right, it’s been a while. I haven’t been well, but I can try to make it if you like it.
Rooster: When you feel better, can you make this and chicken pot pie and other things?
Me: Of course!

I dislike sensing the feeling of disappointment from my girls, so shortly after this conversation happened, I decided to step into the kitchen to make them something they had requested. At the same time, I really need to be reminded that I still need to take my time in everything I do even when I’m trying to live each day to the fullest. My mind often moves faster than my body. I need to learn to slow down.