Back Home

The kids and I are back home in IL. I wish I could say I'm glad to be back home, but I'd really do anything to be back in Ohio right now. My Mom has been through Hell this week and I wish I was with her still.

Last time I wrote, I mentioned that my Mom was being transferred to Cleveland Clinic to see a prestigious GI surgeon to repair the hiatal hernia. She has to see this particular doctor because none of them in her area are willing to do the repair because they say "It's the worst one they've ever seen." Apparently it is really big and nasty. The kids and I spent all of Wednesday morning with her at the hospital before she was transferred and then we left to drive home to IL. She was so nervous about the transfer that she was physically trembling. I asked her why and was surprised to find out it had nothing to do with her current condition. She was afraid that they wouldn't take her allergy to albuterol seriously. My mom goes into anaphylactic shock if she is exposed to albuterol. This allergy is extremely rare and many physicians don't think anyone can even be allergic to albuterol. So, it makes her nervous to go to a different medical building and have to re-educate them.

Everyone was forewarned of her allergy, from the transport EMT's to the nurses on the floor in Cleveland. However, no precautions were made for her arrival. One of the EMT's who did her transport is a family friend and told my dad that they weren't at the Cleveland Clinic for more than 10 minutes before she was exposed to albuterol. On the way to her patient room, they walked her down the respiratory floor where several patients were currently receiving breathing treatments. As soon as the EMT's heard the hissing sound from the nebulizer, they through stuff over her head and said they needed to get her out of there immediately, but it was already to late. She went into anaphylactic shock and her throat swelled shut. So, she has been on a ventilator in ICU at the clinic since yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, we are all FURIOUS about this massive error. Her health is already so compromised and her breathing difficult due to all the repeat pneumonia. This is the last thing she needed to have happen.

She was supposed to come off the vent today. She was doing great this morning, but her throat was too swollen to remove the vent. But, they had weaned her off the sedation and she could communicate on a tablet with my Dad. Then, she had about a 30 minute coughing type fit and had to be sedated again. I guess you aren't able to cough with the vent in place, but she has been coughing a lot due to the pneumonia. So, she was heaving and retching for about 30 minutes straight and was in a terrible amount of pain and her BP shot up super high. So, she spent the rest of the day asleep, so at least there is comfort in knowing she is currently comfortable.

On a positive note, Dr. Rice, the GI doctor she was sent up there to see is now involved in her case and has ordered her to have a pulmonary function test on Monday. So, hopefully she will be past this bump in the road and be able to move forward towards getting healthy once and for all!!!