His Days (about the husband) · Mi Vida Loca · nonfiction

Why I’ve Been So Quiet Lately

JackieP

 

Hello People. Hope your end of the week is a good one.

Why I’ve been so quiet on here lately is not good. I wish it was good news but it’s not. The husband had a stroke. Yeah, it’s been the shits. He hadn’t been feeling well since Thanksgiving (Canada’s Thanksgiving). For a few days, he was confused and disoriented. I should have taken him to the doctor then but he refused to go.

Sunday night I couldn’t rouse him from his sleep. He had been asleep all day. Not even getting up to go to the bathroom. Anyone who is in their mid-sixties knows this is not natural. We got to go pee often. One of those age things.

Anyway, he hadn’t even moved positions and I was getting concerned so I tried to wake him up…..and couldn’t. He was breathing but he wasn’t waking up entirely. I managed to get him to open his eyes a bit but he couldn’t talk when he tried to. That’s when I knew I needed to call an ambulance.

He did manage to wake up enough to realize the EMS guys were there but he wasn’t able to speak very well. So off they went and I followed a few minutes after. I was with him in the ER from about 8-8:30 pm Sunday night until they told me to go home and rest about 4 am Monday morning. He was pretty much out of it when I left. He couldn’t talk and his right arm wouldn’t move, plus, his right hand was swollen about twice its size.

I went home but I didn’t sleep. How could I? I rested as much as I could and was back to the hospital Monday morning.

I didn’t know any more than I did early that morning until I could talk to the doctor. I finally was able to after a couple of hours of watching him drift in and out of a restless sleep. They had done a CT scan of his head and lungs as he was having some difficulty breathing. They also did a whole bunch of blood work the night before.

The first day…..this is what they knew for sure……he had a bad lung infection and his kidneys weren’t working as they should. They weren’t confirming yet that he had a stroke but in my heart, I knew he did. He was put on two antibiotics and a saline drip as he was also highly dehydrated.

He was able to talk a bit better but his speech was very slow and a bit garbled. He couldn’t use his right arm or hand. The doctor said they could tell from the CT scan that he had a couple of prior strokes in the past but they couldn’t tell if he had one now. There was a couple of different tests they wanted to do. Let me tell you I was scared for him. He was in pretty bad shape.

To make a really long story short. They are now saying he DID have a stroke along with his lung infection. They were worried about his kidneys and liver as neither one was working as it should. The right hand being swollen they couldn’t really explain.

When I left him yesterday his speech was back to normal. His right hand was no longer swollen and he had mobility in his right arm. They still had him on antibiotics. Also, now his blood pressure is high and they were giving him shots to bring it down. This is a man whose blood pressure was always on the low side. Not good.

And he’s not eating. He hasn’t had anything to eat since Saturday. He took one bite of his cheese sandwich yesterday at lunch and that was it. I couldn’t get him to eat anything else. Of course, we all know what hospital food is like. His was even worse. He had a bowl of soup. It was supposed to be soup. I think. Everything he eats or drinks has to be thickened up because of his lungs. If it’s not thick it will go INTO his lungs instead of his stomach. Not good. But, omg, that was some nasty so-called food.

I felt so sorry for him.

He wants to come home. They have no date as to when he will be released. I won’t see him until tomorrow morning as I am exhausted and I have so much to catch up on here at home. He understands. I’ll take him his clothes then. I’m hoping I will know more then also. We shall see.

Anyways, that’s been my life lately. If you have any extra good thoughts to send the husbands way, please do. We will both appreciate it.

Now I am off to do laundry and dishes. Sighhhh

 

 

48 thoughts on “Why I’ve Been So Quiet Lately”

  5. Oh Jackie! I’m so sorry, it’s awful when you can’t really do anything but worry, if you need someone to talk to I’m always on FB, hoping your hubby will get better. ❤ Teresa

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  6. So sorry to hear about it. Sending positive thoughts and support all the way to Canada.

    Speaking of ‘we all know what hospital food is like’ this was precisely my opinion before I came to Germany where I got stuck in hospital on a few occasions. A nutritionist would come to see me every single day with a list of things to chose from, asking me (check this out) if I liked rabbit or what kind of yogurt/fruit/coffee/soup or bread I’d love. Honest to God. And when I said the soup was too salty (you get to comment on your food on a daily basis), guess what-when it came the next day, it was just as I like it.And I only had to pay 10 extra euros per day, which is peanuts.

    I know this isn’t really helping, I’m just comparing, not bragging. So, don’t get me wrong.

    Still sending positive vibes your way…

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    1. The hospital food here and in the States sucks, as you probably know. They don’t salt anything here. Only pepper. He did get to choose the first day, (not that it made much difference since he is limited on what he can have) After that the nutritionist is choosing for him. If it was up to him he would have a cheeseburger and coke, which is what he wanted yesterday.
      Thanks for the positive vibes.

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  7. Oh no, I am so sorry dear. Hopefully you know you can reach out to me (just because I’m absent mostly online doesn’t mean I don’t want to be there). ((HUGS))

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  8. Oh Jackie, I’m so sorry to hear of this. You must be exhausted. As to hospital food, can’t you take him something nice? Don’t all Americans swear by chicken soup? Don’t know if you believe in prayers but I will certainly pray for you both. Seeing one’s loved one in dire circumstances is the pits; I pray for peace and comfort for you. Sending love

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    1. Thanks, Jeanette. He isn’t allowed ‘regular’ food, it all has to be thickened up and approved by them as it could go into his lungs. As for prayers. I’ll take anything for him. Thanks again.

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  12. Oh, sweetness. 😦 This is terrible news. *hugs*
    It is however a very good sign that he’s regained speech & use of that arm. A lot of times that’s not the case. I know you’re both far from out of the woods yet, though & for that I send my love & hopefully some little bits of healing will rain down with it as well.

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  14. I’m sorry, Jackie. I hope your husband is better soon. The hospital is really the best place for him to be no matter how hard it is. I am sending healing thoughts your way.

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  15. Well, horse pucky, Minerva! What a crap fest you’ve had. And I thought my month was bad. Get some rest before you bring him home. You will need it more now than before. I would tell him in the future that he get in the car to go to the doctor or you will call an ambulance yourself. Men! They are so darn stubborn! I’ll keep good thoughts and prayers for both of you. He’s very, very lucky in some ways. It doesn’t look like a pretty ride from here on. Sending love and hugs.

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    1. Yeah, it’s been rough. Oh, he’s been told I won’t let him go that far again. I’ll just call the EMS, that’s also what his doctor told me to do. I’ll keep a close eye on him. Problem with hospitals is you don’t get any rest. Thanks Marlene. Big hugs.

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  16. Sorry for not writing today, urgently busy, but will do tomorrow and tell all about it. I hope there will be progress on his eating and the blood pressure. Sending love and healing thoughts 🤗

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