July 14, 2009

• {Finding Neverland}

   

  
  Almost immediately after I wrote the last post~ seriously… I started into a round of coughing and couldn’t get it to stop. I paced around the living room by myself downstairs for awhile, but when I started feeling the shortness of breath become almost suffocating I went upstairs to Shayne. He could tell I was struggling and jumped out of bed to pace with me and talk me through it and rub my back…

  When no relief came after quite some time Shayne said abruptly,

  “We’re going to the hospital…”

  You would have thought that statement right then and there would have shocked me enough into stopping~

  You’d have to know my husband to fully understand…
  super laid back.
  never gets riled up about anything.
  extremely tight... I mean careful with money.

   

  We don’t have insurance, like alot of self employed people, so I figured a trip to the ER wouldn’t be like a trip to the dollar store – and I figured my Shayne had already figured this long before me.

  Also, the fact that when he slashed his own leg open several years back on a metal fence post at a job site, he was determined he didn’t have to go to the hospital.. that the 6 inch cut would somehow heal itself.

  So, having him suggest we go in was a first in our marriage.

  We waited until my brother, Nate, came to stay with the kids who were fast asleep, then headed out…

  As we made the short trek to the hospital I would have smiled if I could have stopped coughing – but since I was, I simply put my hand over on Shayne’s arm and he knew what I meant … “SLOW DOWN!!!”

  Something about men driving their wives to the hospital must make them drive extra fast!

  We got there around 12:30 and checked in…

  I’ve only been to the ER about three times in my entire life. One of those being over that 6 inch gash in Shayne’s leg.. the one that he thought would grow back together! *wink*

  

  But it always seems there’s about ten nurses sitting behind the desk staring at you when you walk in, just waiting to jump up and care for your needs…. So naturally you assume this shouldn’t be a long process.

  After an hour wait before someone brought us the paper work to fill out, we started getting a clue that the exact opposite was probably true…

  We were put in room 5a – which is obviously the best room to have for amusing entertainment if you ever have to go to the ER at our local hospital and be put in a room!

  There was a man laying in a hospital bed in the hall right outside my door… I had noticed him as soon as we walked in actually. He was just laying there. Fully clothed – plaid shirt. blue jeans. dark brown work boots with mud caked on the bottom. His arms were folded over his chest and he looked… he looked dead!

  He was close by the nurses station… and as I sat on the edge of my bed, waiting, I watched him. He never moved or flinched, not one time with all the noise and commotion around him.

  I found myself becoming a bit fixated with trying to see if his arms were moving up and down on his chest or not.. Just about the time I was convinced they weren’t and turned to tell Shayne, I started coughing…

  Suddenly “my dead man” slowly rolled his head over and opened one eye and looked at me!

  I suppose I was a bit relieved he wasn’t truly dead – but that one eye look left me with an eery feeling that he rather wished I was dead!! :/

  I tried to cough into my blanket after that…

  not my armpit like one of the signs hanging in the room instructed.

  ATTENTION:: If you are coughing please put on a mask and try to cough into your armpit.
  
  Well, I hadn’t been offered a mask, or saw one around anywhere for that matter… and since the coughing into the armpit didn’t seem to muffle the sound very well, and I didn’t want to risk the angry one eyed stare from the man in the hall, I resorted to my blanket instead…

  Armpit or blanket, I don’t think it really mattered much – as I was offered water by every person on the entire floor, I think. Each time, holding up my bottle of Ice Mountain and smiling a thank you.

  

  Still, I think I made the little old lady who kept walking around the nurses station looking for a wheelchair a bit nervous…. She would come out of the room across the hall every now and then and tell the nurses,

  “I need to get a wheelchair for my friend. She only has one leg ya know and can’t walk…”

  The nurses would tell her they were working on getting one. I guess she didn’t believe them as she’d go back behind the station area looking carefully around. I suppose thinking perhaps they kept them under their desks! Each time I’d cough she’d stop and look in at me, saying at one point, “Lans, that girl sounds awful…”

  Then she’d hurry back into her room reminding the nurses once again to find that wheelchair, “because my friend can’t walk with one leg…”

  I later saw that she found her wheelchair…
  I never did actually see her friend!

  On our way to the xray room we were passed by a policeman bringing in a woman in handcuffs… I was almost positive the dead man in the hall opened his one eye and looked at her as if he knew her!!

  No wonder hospitals are such perfect settings for spooky movies!!!

  Finally…. around 4 a.m. the doctor came in.

  
   

  He stuck his hand out and said,
  “Hi, I’m Dr. Tinker.”

  By then, I had heard and seen too much, not too mention – tiReD!
  I felt a laugh start to escape my mouth and quickly covered it with a cough, thank goodness.

  Convenient that coughing can be for times when you don’t want the Dr.Tinker to know his name just struck you terribly funny~

  I felt very much like I was in Neverland indeed!

  Well the “fairy doctor” turned out to be more of the mad scientist type, completely confusing me with words I don’t think could even be found in an encyclopedia… if I had even the faintest notion of how to begin to spell them!

  Usually I find the whole medical explanation of why things are doing what they’re doing fascinating~  I like to ask questions and get a biology lesson out of the deal if I can. But at four in the morning, exhausted and sick I found myself staring with glazed over eyes at his arms that were flinging wildly around as he talked – positive he was going to whack Shayne in the face at any moment, who was standing not far from him.

  After going on for awhile about the whatchamacallit tube that releases the whatever stuff to your something or another, I finally asked,

  “So… you’re saying I have a typical type of pneumonia?”

  His arms stopped moving for a second and one went straight up in the air.
  My eyes followed it…
  He just held it there.
  I waited.
  and watched.

  Suddenly he dropped it down on his head, “No. No. No.” he said, pushing his hair back with his hand in a frustrated type gesture. Obviously I hadn’t paid attention in class.

  “I’m saying you have a very nontypical type of pneumonia…”

  Here his hand went back in the air…
  This time all three of us in the room were watching it- including him!
  Bringing it down again, he went on –

  “And I’m thinking, possibly…. a rare form of pertussis tied in there as well.”

  “So I have pneumonia AND whooping cough??”

  He pursed his lips tightly together and made a wincing look with his face,

  “Technically, to be completely honest, I think it’s Swine Flu….”

  I don’t know if my eyes grew wide from what he just said or the fact that his ever moving Inspector Gadget type arm had stopped about an inch from my face…

  “Don’t freak out…” he said quickly. “When I say Swine Flu, I mean a fall out of the fall out of the Swine Flu.”

  He must have mistook my tired confused look for one of further interest as he went into another long biological synopsis of where the Swine Flu originated from and the various forms in which it infected more people than were aware…

  Ending the time with us with a brief commentary on his theory of what actually killed Michael Jackson, he shook our hands and asked if we had any questions…

  Questions??  

  

  After that we had only to wait on the nurse to bring in the prescriptions, and the respiratory therapist to bring in the inhaler that I have to use if I feel the shortness of breath again….

  That was a whole other experience I don’t have time to type out…

  They put the inhalers in these tube type things now, that’s supposed to work better for you. But I couldn’t stop getting tickled every time this big burly looking man tried to show me how to use it – - I felt like I was in a scene from a cowboy movie.. learning to smoke the peace pipe!!

  When we were finally released to go I told Shayne I had to run into the restroom real quick – - all that laughing and coughing and trying not to laugh and cough made me feel like I couldn’t hold it another second…

  Shayne was waiting by the door for me when the paramedics came in with a lady on a stretcher who was obviously pretty drunk… she started reading all the signs around the waiting room out loud, pointing her index finger while doing so. When she came around to where Shayne was standing she stopped and pointed at him,

  “Hey! I want to go over there… See that cute boy over there… I wanna go over there by him….”

  When I came out the restroom they were taking the drunk lady back into a room, and another was coming in that appeared to be in some sort of straight jacket type thing… !!

  Apparently things were going to get even more interesting.

   
  One last glance at my “dead man” who was still there – and out the door we went.

  —-*—-

  … So, that’s our amusing, and I’m sure rather expensive, 4 hour trip to the (Neverland) ER!

  Shayne and I have a friendly wager with each other what the exact cost will be… but we both agree that’s the kind of stuff that’s priceless. The experiences of LIFE~ !
  and despite the cost or why we were there, it’ll always be one of those fun and funny memories for us…
  all of our hospital experiences have been. I should write a post about them all sometime~

  But coming away from that the other night I was reminded I’m not only grateful to have a husband that takes such good care of me. Is protective and kind. But one who laughs with me – - often. easily. Who makes me laugh and helps me find the humor in even the most discouraging of times. Love you Babe~

   

  —-*—-

  After just a few days on the antibiotics I feel like a new person!!

  thank you God and thank you Dr. Tinker!!

  And thanks to all of you who prayed~ I know it’s such a cliche to say you “felt” someone’s prayers. but, I did!

  Also, for the kind words in your comments and messages~ such a sweet encouragement.

  —- * —-

  About grandpa…

  He was able to come home today.

  After running tons of tests they concluded he had suffered from heat stroke and dehydration… he had a cow get out on his farm the other day and had to chase it down, over exerting himself. He’ll be 83 in September and still works harder every day than most men half his age~ he’s amazing.

  I’m blessed we’ve had him this long in our lives – - and we all want it to be alot. lot. lot. longer….

   

  thanks again for all the prayers for him as well~

  —- *—– 

  Just some verses and such I’d written out in my journal last week and this….

  “Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matt. 11:28

  “Cast all your anxiety on the Lord, for He cares for you.” 1 Pet. 5:7

  Lord, away from the world and hidden from public view,
  I exchange my weariness for Your strength,
  my weakness for Your power,
  my darkness for Your light,
  my problems for Your solutions,
  my burdens for Your freedom,
  my frustrations for Your peace,
  my turmoil for Your calm,
  my hopes for Your promises,
  my afflictions for Your balm of comfort,
  my questions for Your answers,
  my confusion for Your knowledge,
  my doubt for Your assurance,
  my nothingness for Your awesomeness,
  the temporal for the eternal,
  and the impossible for the possible.

  “For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting and His truth endures to all generations… ” Ps. 100:5

  “Because Your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.” Ps. 63: 3

   

  —- *—-

  Ben started his football conditioning this week.
  Practices every night of the week~ along with Dolly!
  Busy times around here…

  Hope you’re having a great week.
  Look forward to catching up on blogs soon~

  
  with love,
  amber.
        

  • 6:50 pm
  • 42 Comments