My husband's scare..

[rogfam]

It's taken me about six weeks to get the place where I can finally talk about this with my lc family.

Mid September, my husband was getting ready for work, like he does every week day afternoon. We ran to the bank, came home, he complained of being just SOO tired, and decided to take a quick nap before work. He laid on the couch, but quickly got up saying he was nauseas, walked to the table, where I was standing, and passed out... He came to just as quick as he went down, got up, walked to the bed, and complained of being cold. He said he was fine, prob just got up to fast, is why he passed out. He proceded to have chills, and had a 'breakdown' when we couldn't find the remote control! It scared me to death, how he had just begun acting so weird. I called the ambulance, just to come and check him out. They did their test, his heart was fine, bp was a little low. He wouldn't go with them to the hospital, figured the flu just hit him quick.

That night, along with the following week was just a nightmare. He had chills, fevers up to 103, then sweats.. He was absolutely delirious; he said things that didn't make any sense at all... He began coughing up blood by morning, and had also gotten a terrible pain in his shoulder when he breathed. By this time, I told him he was going to the ER and that was it. *he was ready to go by this time as well!* I got his things together, got him in the van, where I drove for the longest 45 minutes of my life to the hospital. We got in right away, because he had chest pains. This is only 18 hours into our ordeal.

They do bloodwork, ct scan, and decide has a severe agressive form of pneumonia. He was already septic, it was in his blood stream. He spent two days in ICU. They said he could've died had I not gotten him there when I did. I was scared to death. His respirations where twice what they should be as I watched his body fight this infection with all he had. I prayed...

He was moved to a regular room, where he had to stay for 3 more days, as the docs wanted him to have 5 days worth of IV antibitics. He was on morphine for the pain as well; he hurt so bad when he breathed.

AS IF all this wasn't bad enough... This pulmonologist comes in to our room and says this:

You have a mass in your lung, nothing else shows up like this, prepare yourself for the worst, you're looking at chemo and radiation. OMG I could've died right there. AND how could he just tell us this by just looking at a ct scan?? Don't you need a biopsy to confirm?? Shouldn't he have said, 'you have something that looks suspicious, I want to ck it out. Let's do a biopsy and see what iit is.'

I slept in that tiny hospital bed with my husband that night; holding each other tight, not knowing what was to come.. (I knew I would cry writing this.. prob why I waited so long..)

(If you're still reading this, GOD BLESS YOU! )

So, we get out of the hospital, depressed, and waiting for a few days for the scheduled dreaded biopsy.. The day arives, my husband goes in, I sit and pray. The doc comes out and says this, 'I couldn't find anything to biopsy' I get all excited and he says, oh no, we're not done yet, could be that it's just too small for me to see with this (instrument that they use when going in to do a biopsy). He orders another ct because you can see more magnified with it. We go home, a few days later the doctor calls and says, 'whatever it was is gone'. PRAISE GOD! Wonderful news. He said that what he saw must've been really bad pneumonia, or he was the luckiest man ever.

But over the next few days, while I'm so relieved.. I'm soo ANGRY with this crazy doctor for telling us this, without KNOWING. HOW COULD HE? It doesn't really matter, I don't guess, but it does to me.. He took years off our lives with that scare!

The doctor does want a follow up ct in three months because of 'enlarged lymph nodes' in the chest area. On a positive note, my husband has quit smoking. He's done wonderful and I'm so proud of him. I don't know what I'd do without him.

I know how it feels to have a mom with lung cancer, and it's beyond horrible, but now I had a taste of what it's like to have a spouse with it... I want no part of it. My heart goes out to all you spouses, and my poor Daddy... And to the survivors.. my husband had a week where he really thought he had it, and that it was going to be so bad, and spread everywhere... He was so worried about ME through all this..

It's just terrible, all the way around, for all invovled..

I'm sorry for this being so long. I think it did me good to get it all out though.. So, thank you.. for listenig, and for always being here for me, you are all wonderful people, my lc family.

Christy

[Kasey]

Oh Christy, you poor thing. I think that doc should be blasted into the next galaxy. It sure seems that many have pretty poor patient relations. But putting that aside, I'm so relieved all is well. It's good you got it off your chest.....that's what we're here for, ya know! And give that guy of yours a big ole 'atta boy' from me for the quitting smoking thing. That's a REALLY big deal and he should know we know it! Take care and keep us posted!

Kasey

[dchurchi]

Christy,

My gosh what a scare that was. I do not know what it

is with pulmonolgists that make them think they are god.

Of all the drs that have treted Alan (and there have

been many these past few years) the only one with no

compasion whats so ever was the pulmonolgist that was

treating him during his long hospital stay a couple

of years ago. He was such an a that I wanted

to strangle him.

I am very thankful your husband is going to be ok, but very sorry

you had such a scare.

[mhutch1366]

Good grief, Christy, I would've been blown away.

I am so very happy that everything turned out okay.

What a scare, eh?

I remember my primary care physician trying to convince himself that my exrays showed what was probably an infection of some sort, he felt so bad!

I could almost see him grapsing at straws....

poor guy, he needed a hug just as badly as I did.

He's "adopted " me, and is still with me.

Very different from the pulmonist at the hospital.

I hope HE learned from this, what a few words can do to someone's world....

I echo Kasey's attaboy! to hubby for losing the smokes. Definitely a difficult thing to do.

XOXOXOX

MaryAnn

[Nick C]

Holy cow, as I read this I found my mouth open totally astonished.

But thank goodness all seems OK

[Shelley (MLC)]

Christy, I am so sorry you and your husband had to go through all this. What was that Dr. thinking! I'm so glad to hear that all is well now. It was nice to read that sometimes it's NOT cancer! Too bad they put you through such agony before you finally found that out. Shelley

[fillise]

Christy,

Please know how lucky you are. My uncle got bacterial pnumonia last April that went septic. He died 24 hours after he was admitted to the hospital. You are so fortunate to have gotten help when you did. Even if you DID have a bonehead Dr. scare you to death in the process. I'm saying a prayer of thanks that you got him there in time.

Susan

[rogfam]

"fillise"]Christy,

Please know how lucky you are.

Susan

I'm so sorry for the loss of your uncle. It's scary how something like this can go so wrong, so fast..

Trust me... I know... We really 'bonded' in that hospital, we probably needed that time together, bad way to get it, but it really made us grateful for each other. We're closer than ever, and I thank God for him every day. I'm so blessed to have him.

I thank God that I got him there in time as well; it truely was a God thing. I just knew something was terribly wrong, not just the flu...

MaryAnn, you're very lucky to have a doctor like that! And I too hope this Dr Worley learned something from this. (I can still see him, standing there, like he was all knowing, saying how he'd been wrong before, but he sure didn't think he was this time!)

Thank you all for your kind words and sympathizing with me!

C.

[MsC1210]

Christy

I am so sorry you and your hubby had to go through all of this!

I'm really glad you've been able to share it here and I hope you will be able to put it all behind you now. How wonderful though that it has brought you even closer as a couple. Always a positive

Please know I have you both as well as your Mom, in my thoughts and prayers.

Sending hugs and prayers,

Christine

[pewjumper]

Christy,

That story scared me, just reading it, but wow - it sounds like you got a miracle! I'm so thankful everything is ok.

[J.C.]

Christy,

So glad it is now all cleared,

even with that pulmonologist

from (&*(*%*&?%$ you had.

But in a way the scare you

both had may be the best thing

for your husband, now no more

smoking and a good follow up

for his health, maybe in the

long way it was the miracle

that will save his life.

Hugs

Jackie

[Don M]

I am glad it turned out to be nothing. Still, although you both had an ordeal, it makes quite a story and may offer a glimmer of hope to those going through possible diagnosis. The ending is not always bad…stupid pulmonolgist.

Don M