Actual photo of a kootie in action
Hey There
Sorry for the delayed post, had some Internet access issues and then, even more fun, just got out of the hospital after a fun 5 day stay for sepsis.
So a bit of background here, as you may know spinal cord injuries come with a long list of other interesting side dishes in addition the the main entree of paralysis. Loss of bowel and bladder control are most notable, and so with the bladder issue comes the constant and persistent threat of bladder infections due to the need to get the pee out using an assortment of medical plumbing known as catheters, basically tubes you stick in that special part of your body that tap into the bladder and allow the pee out. There is one type that lives in there all the time called a "foley" catheter, and while convenient it is a major source of kooties getting into your bladder.
Now the thing that just happened to me is that I had a bladder infection but was asymptomatic, and so without symptoms we didn't know that trouble was brewing. After a while it decided to go into full-blown sepsis to get my attention and that's when things got very not-so-good very quickly. Spent 2 1/2 days in ICU and another 2 1/2 days in the hospital getting hammered with 3 major antibiotics and a few other wicked drugs that I'd rather not experience again.
I'm back at Care Meridian now, recovering quickly. We've discontinued the use of the Foley and I now do what is called "straight intermittent catherization" which means i do it myself every 4 hours or so. This is how it is for any SCI person who has lost bladder control, for many it is for the rest of their lives. Maybe me too. We'll see.
Why all this gory detail? I wanted this blog thing to be both a way to let you all know what's up with me but also to help you understand what life can be like for the paralyzed. It is much more complicated than I ever thought, and fraught with a lot more danger than I ever suspected. Before WW II and antibiotics, over 60% of SCI patients died from sepsis brought on by a bladder infection. Apparently I almost did too, but dodged a bullet once again, in major part to the good care I receive here.
Soooo.... I'll be trying to get more frequent updates, but hopefully less drama. :-)
Sorry for the delayed post, had some Internet access issues and then, even more fun, just got out of the hospital after a fun 5 day stay for sepsis.
So a bit of background here, as you may know spinal cord injuries come with a long list of other interesting side dishes in addition the the main entree of paralysis. Loss of bowel and bladder control are most notable, and so with the bladder issue comes the constant and persistent threat of bladder infections due to the need to get the pee out using an assortment of medical plumbing known as catheters, basically tubes you stick in that special part of your body that tap into the bladder and allow the pee out. There is one type that lives in there all the time called a "foley" catheter, and while convenient it is a major source of kooties getting into your bladder.
Now the thing that just happened to me is that I had a bladder infection but was asymptomatic, and so without symptoms we didn't know that trouble was brewing. After a while it decided to go into full-blown sepsis to get my attention and that's when things got very not-so-good very quickly. Spent 2 1/2 days in ICU and another 2 1/2 days in the hospital getting hammered with 3 major antibiotics and a few other wicked drugs that I'd rather not experience again.
I'm back at Care Meridian now, recovering quickly. We've discontinued the use of the Foley and I now do what is called "straight intermittent catherization" which means i do it myself every 4 hours or so. This is how it is for any SCI person who has lost bladder control, for many it is for the rest of their lives. Maybe me too. We'll see.
Why all this gory detail? I wanted this blog thing to be both a way to let you all know what's up with me but also to help you understand what life can be like for the paralyzed. It is much more complicated than I ever thought, and fraught with a lot more danger than I ever suspected. Before WW II and antibiotics, over 60% of SCI patients died from sepsis brought on by a bladder infection. Apparently I almost did too, but dodged a bullet once again, in major part to the good care I receive here.
Soooo.... I'll be trying to get more frequent updates, but hopefully less drama. :-)
Hi Eric,
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're out of the hospital and doing better. God that must have been scary. Sorry you have to go through all this in ADDITION to trying to get better and heal up. Totally sucks. Talk about a challenge. Don't let it get you down.
Glad you're back at Care Meridian again. They seem to take good care of you there. If OK, I'll stop by when I come out for the Aug race... I'm actually flying out Thurs and not going back until Tues, so I'll have a little more time this round.
I hope you're feeling a little better... probably good that you can take charge of your own care as much as possible (getting rid of the foley)! See/talk to you soon,
Barbara
Yo Eric,
ReplyDeleteI remember one of the T-shirts you had made there, but picking another fight with death so soon? Ouch!
Here's hoping things stay clean and steady for working back up from this.
- Phil
I'm glad you're doing better!
ReplyDeleteHey Eric,
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad to hear that you're okay. I appreciate the updates in all the gory detail. :)
Glad to hear you're back at Care Meridian. I like the fact that it's a smaller facility so you can get more personalized attention.
Hugs,
Marcy