On Saturday last, my husband began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pain. I immediately called 911, because we live so far from medical care, and I hoped that our local emergency service would be able to provide oxygen and stabilize him during transport to the hospital 45 miles away. The 911 operator told me that there had been an "incident" and all staff was unavailable. At least she didn't say, "Someone will be there as soon as possible."
I helped my husband to the van and began pushing the speed limit as much as I dared. I was hoping to attract the attention of a Highway Patrol officer to get an escort. There is never a COP around when you need one...
I pulled up to the Emergency entrance of the Halifax Regional Hospital, told the person who came out to see what I needed, that my husband was presenting with chest pain and breathing difficulties, and then the miracle began.
He was whipped into a room, an EKG was attached, blood was drawn and exposed to a small portable unit that immediately gave out blood gas readings, and the procession of MD's, technicians, and highly skilled nurses began an heroic rescue effort.
We have no physician, given that we are (or thought we were) in excellent health. Neither of us has been hospitalized in over 50 years, and my issues are always skeletal, while his revolved around infections. We knew when we broke something, or something got red and inflamed, it was time to do something, but that never happened. So the heart attack came without warning.
But it wasn't just a heart attack. It was a systemic infection that radiated from his lungs to effect his kidneys and liver, produced abdominal bleeding, and interfered with his breathing.
Now, it must be said that we have very good health insurance. There was no waiting to see Social Workers or proving that we had the resources to pay the bill. But, I was pretty well convinced by the reaction to the people being brought in to the ER, that the treatment we received would have been given to anyone.
Saturday night and he was seen by every specialty on call.
Each diagnosed the problem in his, or her, field and immediately consulted with all of the others to keep from over medicating or providing conflicting treatments and drugs. Each stopped for a few moments to tell me exactly what was going on, in detail.
A squad of nurses was constantly in and out, adjusting equipment reading monitors, comforting both of us, and seeking to reduce the terror.
He was moved up to the ICU within 30 minutes.
Every doctor who had participated in the intake came by to check his vital signs and adjust the horrifying array of IV drips, and monitoring equipment. He was put on a ventilator, heavily sedated, and the treatment of the raging infection began.
The Cardiologist, who has reciprocal privileges at Duke University Hospital in North Carolina (the premier facility in this area for Cardiac Care and transplants) told me that until the infection was brought under control, treatment of the heart problem could not begin. He laid out the options, made suggestions, and assured me that an immediate decision was not required. He gently told me that it was going to be touch and go for the next 48 hours and I should prepare myself. (This was generous and kind of him, given that I project a pretty no nonsense aura and I am firmly grounded in reality.) <g>
My love survived the night. And, the next day, Sunday, the same parade of medical and technical specialists came through the ICU twice. Looking (great value in that to the trained eye) probing, adjusting, and conferring with me, and each other.
The nursing staff was heartwarming in their gentle, cheerful, and remarkably skilled care. In particular, the young woman who admitted him to ICU stayed with him for 14 hours just to be sure that he was stable.
Gradually, haltingly, my beloved husband and friend is climbing back from the brink. He's not out of the woods, yet. But, there is hope that he will recover. There is no indication of brain damage, he is responsive and winks at me, and smiles when I rag on him for things we share. There is hope that he may come off of the ventilator tomorrow, and the feeding tube can be removed. Then the treatment for the underlying heart condition can begin.
And the only thing that made this all possible was the extraordinary skill, tenderness, and generosity of a medical community that embodies all of the virtues we are told they aspire to.
It's been a rough 5 days, and nights. And we both made it through because medical science, and her practitioners, can be truly amazing.
Update: As TarHeelDem pointed out this blurb from the web site should be in the diary.
Halifax Regional Health System is a not-for-profit organization offering comprehensive healthcare, including emergency services, obstetrics, general and specialized surgery, acute and long-term care, dementia care, rehabilitation, home health, hospice, and behavioral health services.
All hospitals used to be this way... Until the insurance industry moved in.