There are some events (meetings, conferences, vacations) that are so predictable that you can write up the historical record (minutes, proceedings, travelog) before the event concludes. On the other hand there are events which are so unpredictable or take so many unpredictable twists and turns that the final outcome doesn't resemble the initial plans at all. I like to think my hospital stays should have been straightforward: admit, stabilize, diagnose, repair, discharge. Here's what happened.
About eight weeks ago, I suffered an acute case of breathing distress. Shriveled and shaking, thinking I could be on my last breath, I was wheeled into the Emergency Room where doctors and other professionals attempted to provide an airway to relieve that stress. The combination of distress, medication, hospital procedures, and my mental state acted together to make me a difficult patient to stabilize and begin the process of diagnosis.
A premature discharge led to a second admission, again for breathing distress. I was finally convinced of the seriousness of my condition. Hospital staff developed treatment alternatives that stabilized my situation and provided some long term solutions for breathing and eating. This allowed me to be discharged again, this time with considerably more support in place.
The treatment plan continues to be developed as the current feeding by gastric tube seems a little drastic for the situation. Likewise a diet consisting only of liquid artificial food, is less than ideal. On the other hand, I am sleeping through the night and have had no further breathing distress. My blood pressure, weight, oxygen intake and pulse all indicate that I'm in retiree's paradise.
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