When it rains, it pours - Very Long
My Husband was the first to get sick. He ended up with bronchitis. He is making a recovery, but two weeks later he still has a cough.
My son, Gunner, was the next to get sick. He has an upper respiratory virus just like Dad; however, he has been improving beautifully. He still has a wet cough and sneezes a lot of mucus, but weāve seen his doctor twice and gone to urgent care once - everyone agrees we are doing everything to help him recover and he is doing so well and has a clear chest.
Then my Dad got sick. We had to call for an ambulance for him Sunday night. He has bronchitis and tested positive for RSV. He received discharge papers on Valentines Day - wait for the catch below.
My Mom and I start having symptoms Saturday.
My Mom was diagnosed with bronchitis and potentially the tip of pneumonia at Urgent Care on Tuesday (something about one of her lungs looking tight on X-ray). She came home with prescriptions and rested.
Wait for it! Everything starts going to hell in a handbasket on Valentines Day!
I ended up at the Doctorās office on Valentines Day morning. I get diagnosed with Upper Respiratory Virus, and am prescribed an inhaler and pills for a cough. We had Gunner checked by his pediatrician while I was checked out: his pediatrician was very happy with how he was improving.
I manage to get Gunner squeezed in for his helmet check a day early since I knew that I am most miserable in the morning and wonāt be able to get out by myself Thursday. We go home. Husband is on his second day home from work helping nurse both Gunner and I so I can get some rest. We take a family nap - my Mom was staying in bed resting and waiting to hear that my Dad was being discharged from the hospital. We wake up and my Mom is gone - she is gone for a few hours. We all assume the process of getting my Dad out of the hospital is just taking extra time.
Here it comes! The beginning of chaos! 7PM I get a call from an ER doctor asking if I knew my Mom had been admitted with pneumonia, suspected congestive heart failure, and is on a ventilator: she apparently made it to my Dadās room, couldnāt catch her breath, and was wheeled down to the ER by nurses after her oxygen level was tested. So Iām too sick to do anything for my Mom other than make phone calls and my Dad is stuck in the hospital with discharge papers and nowhere to go (his health needs exceed my capabilities to the point that the fact I am super sick doesnāt even matter). We get ball rolling on social worker consulting and helping find temporary care in a convalescent home for my Dad. My Mother-in-law offers to come down and help; I accept that offer while panicking over the lack of planning for anyone to care for my Dad when my Mom canāt.
Thursday comes. Husband is supposed to return to work, but Iām am even worse than I was before getting prescriptions so he doesnāt want to leave us alone. He stays home, we plan on having Mother-in-law come with us so Husband and I can run into hospital to check on my Parents. I am wheezing, having extreme difficult clearing my throat of congestion, and tell Husband after we deal with my parents I will need to go to Urgent Care. I donāt make it that long. Social worker calls and has to talk to my Husband as Iām so congested and raw from coughing to clear my throat that I canāt eek out much sound. Plans to deal with hospital are put on hold. I am rushed to Urgent Care (run by my insurance which I love).
My lungs still appear to be clear, and I donāt have strep, but Doctor (Dr. Fabulous and Amazing) takes my symptoms seriously and beefs up my prescriptions. I am now on six medicines: inhaler, cough pill, antibiotic, prednisone, Flonase so I can safely get some congestion relief, and Tamiflu (she knew that it was probably a bit late for best result, but given my symptoms and misery said it might just help a little). Iām sent on my merry way and told if I donāt get better that I should come back on Tuesday, ask for her by name, and sheāll have a Cat Scan (sorry if this is the wrong test - Iām really not functioning well right now) with dye ordered to make sure they arenāt missing anything with my lungs. I leave with a hungry husband and a missed call from a hardworking social worker.
Weāre not done yet people! It just keeps getting better. We stop to order food for Husband before heading home: the clamp on my radiator that has popped off a few times decides that even though it was just replaced it will pop off again! We canāt make it home and have to call for a AAA tow. Thankfully my Mother-in-law, who has just driven 6+ hours to provide baby relief so I can rest, is able to pick Gunner and me up. Just before we call for a tow, we find out that the convalescent homes my Mom wanted arenāt available (no beds in one; second doesnāt take my Dadās insurance).
We finally manage to get home. My added medicines seem to be making a teensy tiny bit of a difference already (my congestion is looser, which feels fantastic). We open up the search for hospital-preferred convalescent homes that will take my parentsā secondary insurance (couple reasons why Medicare wouldnāt cover - too short of a hospital stay and my mom has already refused recommended physical therapy for my Dad - to build up leg muscle - my Dad refused to cooperate last time he needed physical therapy after hip replacement), but my Dad is still stuck at the hospital. My SUV is now sitting at my repair shop waiting for repair. Iām not well enough to do more than make phone calls and have healthy people repeat what I have to say.
My sisters both live overseas so they are scrambling to arrange flights to come help. Even after both parents are home, some major changes need to be made. I also had to cancel Ritterās neuter surgery on Monday (I donāt need to add to this train wreck, and Iām not pressing my luck given all the bad things happening lately). I still donāt know if Iāll be well enough to even pop in to see my parents at the hospital tomorrow. My Mom is nowhere near ready to be released. Thank goodness I have my Mother-in-law saving the day and taking care of Gunner when he isnāt breastfeeding!
On a happier note, Husband and I are going to join a gym together and workout in the mornings when my Mom is healthy and can watch Gunner (I assume Iāll be healthy by then too). I also have my jogging stroller from storage so I can resume the 4-mike lap with Ritter (and now Gunner) once Iām better.
This chaos is my life right now. If you take anything away from this too long post, please let it be that this cold and flu season is so bad and so dangerous.
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