I have been told by the Nephrologist to NOT let any of these contrasts be used on Me. This was in January 12th, 2016 in the Hospital. Now, the lead-in to that happening...
I had been having belly pains and one morning I couldn’t get up off the toilet and ended up having to call EMS/Rescue and have them come get me off the toilet. They took me to the hospital. And I had an intestine rupture a few days later while in the hospital and luckily I had just had an MRI to see what was causing severe pain in My right side of my belly and was just being brought back to my room when the rupture occurred and it hurt so bad it was like a Red Hot K-Bar had been stabbed in my side and was being twisted back and forth and (felt like a 30 on that stupid 0-10 pain rating thing that they created a while back) and my Nurse realized what was happening and burned a u-turn back into the elevator and back to the same place where the MRI was done just minutes before. Thank God she had a vial of Morphine and a needle in her pocket that was for when I got back to my room. She pushed it in the Pic-line that was already in place as the we were going down in the elevator and the Surgeon was already scrubbed and gowned up standing at the op-table as we rolled back in the room.
The Surgeon greeted me and said “We’re going to fix You up right now” (by then the Morphine push had knocked the pain scale down to about a 12 or so) and a few seconds later the Anesthesiologist said “to count back from 100.” I made it to ninety-ei... and was out.
I remember some weird things, one of which was floating above my body on the table while some Doctors were talking about organ donation below me as I’m floating above. Floating me was screaming at them that “I am still alive !!! Don’t part me out !!!”
The next thing I remember was being halfway into getting another MRI and could kinda see but not being able to talk.
When I did come to I couldn’t remember what, who or where I was. I looked around and I was in a big well furnished room with a TV on a shelf with books and stuff on them. I was hooked up to all kinds of monitors, one wall was all windows, the bathroom was a huge size for a Hospital, there was a full size couch, coffee table and end tables and I was alone with not a clue where I was and what had happened. Also the TV was on a channel with the language in Spanish. I’m starting to think that I’m in some foreign country and wondering how I got here !!!
I finally had a Nurse come in and started asking me questions about who I am, where I was, etc. I remembered my name but not much else. I got a short briefing as to what had happened, and things started to come back to me.
I was told the date was January 18th and I was in the hospital downtown Charlotte, NC. I then realized that I had started out in the hospital in Huntersville, NC at the beginning of this Rodeo ride !!! Then I was told that the 1st Emergency Surgery had been on December 25, 2015. The 2nd Emergency Surgery was on January 1, 2016 !!! Apparently while in an induced coma I thrashed around and ripped my internal stitches out from the 1st surgery and they had to go back in and fix that. After the 2nd surgery they put me back in the induced coma and strapped my ass to the bed for a week + to get me healed up, partially anyway.
After that Nurse left to get me something to drink is when I realized that I must have tried to die on the 1st surgery. I later found that I had Renal failure and they didn’t think I was going to survive. I was moved to downtown because they had a Dialysis machine there. Just before they were going to hook me up to the Dialysis machine I did a 180° turn and things started to work again.
The next few days, weeks and months took a while to get my mind back in shape and piece things back together. Most of my memory came back and I had to learn how to walk around due to nerve damage and muscle atrophy. I was in a Nursing Home for the longest month of my life and was finally able to come home at the end of February 2016. It was to say the least that God has some plan for me that I have yet to complete.
Long explanation for why I don’t do MRI Contrast Dye.
Anyway I have to try to get some sleep here now. (Hopefully that is.)
Wow; glad you’re still with us, my FRiend.
Here’s a “short list” of what’s happened to me, since early 2017 - 2021:
• Severe-acute pancreatitis. Horrible pain in stomach, both sides and lower back. Put on Oxycodone and morphine.
• Grapefruit-sized pseudo-cyst growing on pancreas, compressing stomach to golf ball size. I could only eat 1-2 teaspoons of applesauce at a time, before they rushed me to York Hospital, when ‘dry’ CT Scan showed it as pancreatic cancer tumor(s).
• ‘Wet’ CT Scan showed no cancer, just the very large pseudo-cyst.
• Large stone found in gall bladder. During one ERCP-endoscopy, they went thru stomach to gall bladder to open-up blockage. Stone
remains but isn’t interferring with daily activity.
• Spent 23 days in York hospital, fed/watered intravenously in L/R neck veins, 4 antibiotic IVs in both arms, plus nutrient IVs living on only 4 cups of ice chips/ day.
• Died 2x in York Hospital during 23 day stay; once in OR and once in my private room, on Oncology floor. Revived both times.
• Lost 131 lbs; down from 265 to 134 lbs when I was discharged. I looked like a freaking cadaver. Went from size 38 Lee jeans to size 32. As of todays PCP (Primary Care Physician) app’t, I’m up to 169lbs, and it’s because I eat dinner at 6-7pm, which basically goes to fat, which doesn’t stay around long. I should be at 175-180lbs, so I’m getting closer to where I should be.
• 15 ERCP operations (endoscopies) to insert/remove drainage stents from stomach into pseudo-cyst, at PSU-Hershey Med Ctr.
• 2 MRIs, 17 CT Scans; 13 X-rays, so far... another CT-Scan coming in Jan 2019 at PSU-Hershey.
• Discovery of AFIB/congestive heart disease.
• 5 stents placed in arteries leading to heart, thru groin. Operation took 6hrs.
• 911 ambulance rushed me to York Hospital, with massive stomach bleed from stent in stomach coming loose while I was on Plavix blood thinner for heart stents; taken off that med immediately. 10gal black blood pumped from stomach, which almost burst. I spent 11 days after being transferred by ambulance to PSU-Hershey Med Ctr/Hospital, losing 11 more lbs.
• Stomach stents removed, as pseudo-cyst shrunk to zero.
• Unknown infection in left foot’s big toe bone (Osteomyletis); antibiotics and tetracyclines were ineffective, so decision was made to amputate toe before infection spread into rest of foot, ankle and up leg bones, No cancer detected. 13 stitches out back in June ‘19, and toe area has healed nicely.
• Since pancreas took such a beating, it has now shut down, now making me Type 1 Diabetic. My BSL was 584/ A1C 16, when I was
rushed to York Hospital for treatment. I have 4 finger sticks to get BSL (Blood Sugar Level) reading and 4 varying insulin shots/day, on a sliding scale, which I do myself. A1C now down to 6.8; much better.
• I take 19 Rxs, 9 OTC (Over The Counter) meds everyday.
• Massive pinched nerve pain in right neck, moving to shoulder and down arm, feeling like 1,000 needles. Unrelenting pain feels like an
icepick sticking in my neck, right shoulder, and then the needles in right arm. Am now again on Oxycodone HCl 20mg, until I get into
Neurosurgery Dept at Wellspan, and PT (Physical Therapy) Dept. MRI upcoming to pinpoint source/cause of excruciating pain.
• York Hospital bill: $887,315.49, which Geisinger Gold Preferred and Medicare covered, with me paying $6,500 deductible. PSU-Hershey Med Ctr/Hospital bill: $227,575.82 which Geisinger Gold Preferred and Medicare covered all, since I met deductible. I have one entire file drawer in my sunroom office, filled with medical folders, of so many Drs, specialists, hospitals, etc.
• I spent $55-60,000 to rehab my entire condo, after 29yrs here. Smoking and my late 2 cats really destroyed the place, but it is
magnificent now. I have to think about resale value, as everything will go to my Sister, since Mom (5/2/12) & Dad (8/26/18) are now gone.
• Just bought a 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee HEMI 5.7LV8, white with all blackout. 550hp, not the 707hp for $103,000+. That’s too much car for me in this physical condition, 10yrs ago, I would have easily written the check for the big one, and physically handled all that brute power.
• I’m up to 165lbs, now. Still wearing 32” Lee Jeans, after size 38” at 265lbs in 2017.
• Off all Oxycodene and Morphine painkillers as of Sept 1; found CBD Hemp Level 5 Pro-Sport Ointment and am getting restorative
neck/shoulder massage, 2x/ month. ZERO PAIN!
• Many tests still ongoing, especially for heart, w/ new meds all the time. Pancreas is kaput.
• Now using Entresto 97/103mg, which has immensly improved my heart problems. Latest ECHO Cardiogram showed massive
improvement over 3mos ago. Ejection Fraction in left ventricle is up from 20-25% to 50-55%.
• Diagnosed 12/20/20 with Peripheral Neuropathy in both feet. Having noticeable balance problems.
• Endocrinologist downgraded me to Diabetes 2 from Diabetes 1, put me on 1000mg Metformin 2x/day 1/5/21, added 5mg Glipizide, discontinued Novalog Insulin 3x/day, and reduced Lantus Insulin to single nightly shot; BSLs (Blood Sugar Levels) are now under control and on even-keel.
• Diagnosed 1/27/21 with Stage 2 (Mild) Kidney Disease.
• Fell backward off 6ft ladder, and severely injured tailbone on Feb 2; trying to nurse myself back to be able to sit. Can only stand or lay down right now. Fully recovered after 2mos.
• SUCKS TO BE ME! LOL.
DANG !