Now that I've been out of the hospital for three days, I've had some time to reflect on the road traveled so far.
I had been so sick, for so long, that I didn't really realize how sick I was. I felt the first symptoms the day after Christmas, and 22 days later, I am nearly recovered, but still too weak to resume my regular routine.
On 12/31, the E.R. docs told me I had influenza, and to go home and do all of the things that one must do with the flu. Additionally, I was told that I certainly did not have pneumonia. I quit smoking that day - and I have felt no desire to smoke since.
By 1/6, it seemed that my fever was breaking, but that feeling was short-lived, it was back to 103F / 39.5C by evening.
At this point, I have been sick for 11 days, have not eaten solid food nor slept for more than a few minutes at a time in nearly a week. I had been running a fever of 102F/39C or higher nearly the whole time.
By the morning of 1/7 (Monday), I was gasping for breath, and returned to the E.R. I wheeled through the door at 11am. The last things I remember were being told that I had a very nasty case of pneumonia, I needed supplemental oxygen, and here, sign these consent forms. By 1pm, I was on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. The next thing I remember clearly was Thursday 1/10, but didn't return to full consciousness until the next day. On Saturday I was released from the ICU, and on Monday I was discharged from the hospital.
I had been so sick, for so long, that I didn't really realize how sick I was. I felt the first symptoms the day after Christmas, and 22 days later, I am nearly recovered, but still too weak to resume my regular routine.
On 12/31, the E.R. docs told me I had influenza, and to go home and do all of the things that one must do with the flu. Additionally, I was told that I certainly did not have pneumonia. I quit smoking that day - and I have felt no desire to smoke since.
By 1/6, it seemed that my fever was breaking, but that feeling was short-lived, it was back to 103F / 39.5C by evening.
At this point, I have been sick for 11 days, have not eaten solid food nor slept for more than a few minutes at a time in nearly a week. I had been running a fever of 102F/39C or higher nearly the whole time.
By the morning of 1/7 (Monday), I was gasping for breath, and returned to the E.R. I wheeled through the door at 11am. The last things I remember were being told that I had a very nasty case of pneumonia, I needed supplemental oxygen, and here, sign these consent forms. By 1pm, I was on a ventilator in a medically induced coma. The next thing I remember clearly was Thursday 1/10, but didn't return to full consciousness until the next day. On Saturday I was released from the ICU, and on Monday I was discharged from the hospital.
