Well, I didn't die. That's the good news. And I thank everyone for the kinds words and support. My wife, God bless her, was little help, despite her Corpsman training. I thought it was at least my appendix about to rupture, and quite possibly some sort of heart problem on top of that. Worst pain ever, and Martti wouldn't listen about trying to make *any* possible emergency arrangements while getting the kids dressed to take me to the ER.
I didn't trust an ambulance to get here any quicker than having her take when.
Long story short, I had all of the following wrong with me at the same time : fever of about 103, inflamed/infected colon (fancy name for it, I forget), severe dehydration, kidney infection, some sort of back/spinal injury causing horribly painful spasms, a hernia, and food poisoning. The back side pain and cramps made me think it was my heart going kaput and that a lifetime of bacon cheeseburgers had finally killed me.
The pain was bad enough that they wanted to give me morphine during the night and some other narcotic pain pills. Because I'm stupid, and was an alcoholic once upon a time, I refused and just suffered. I also didn't want to get zonked out because I didn't know who'd take care of my kids since Martti ended up in almost as bad shape as I am - nausea, something is wrong that she can't move her right arm, dizzy,headache, abdominable pains.
I probably should have had a physical at some point in the last few years and I'd have maybe know about the hernia or something, but I was trying to take care of the boys.
I ended up signing myself out of the Navy hospital against medical advice and having my wife cart me to the local regular hospital. Which the Dr. at the Navy hospital more or less between the lines suggested would be a good idea.
I got pumped full of three different kinds of anti biotics and fluids and I convinced the hospital to let me go home so that I could try to look after the boys and Martti as best I could. There's still some pain in my guts, I'm supposed modify my diet, and my back is making it so that I'm hunched over and having trouble walking. But... I'm still able to lift the boys and try to get them fed and maybe in better shape than Martti right, least I can stay on my feet through the pain... because what else am I going to do.
Martti wouldn't let the idea in her head that I might in seriously bad shape, so I didn't know what to do. She went into denial. I guess that's reasonable with two kids in diapers and home and four months pregnant, then out of the blue your husband - really all you've got - is suddenly almost felled out of the blue.
I appreciate the prayers and well wishes. They tell me that what I have wrong probably isn't going to kill me so long as I stay on the antibiotics but to keep an eye out that the fever doesn't shoot back and that I don't get an abcess in my colon. That sounds unpleasant, even more so than what I've already been through.
I seriously need to try to arrive at a better support structure for my wife. I figured I'd always be there sort of, or at least wouldn't be dropped so suddenly (I'm only 35 and up til now, since I cleaned my act up some years back, had been in good health).
I'm not sure what to do next, save try to take care of everyone and keep my head above water for a bit. Funny thing was even when the nurse was trying to give me the morphine, I didn't like I could take it (or anything to sort of put me out/under) because I didn't want to not be able to try to help the boys. (Martti was in bad shape even by the time she left me at the hospital to take them home.) Funny what you think of, kept bothering me that Liam somehow lost his favorite truck and soldiers between the two ERs and that he was scared. I felt that I was letting him down, and maybe that's why I put off going to get anything looked at and ended up as bad off as a I did.
Seriously-everybody should get a baseline ekg/stress test at about your age as it is a good measuring stick against which to measure heart health when you hit the late 40's early 50's.
? Get yourself a full and complete physical exam as soon as possible. If not for yourself, for your family and their security. -Ed.
