Date: March 15, 2003 at 01:09:50
From: danna Fed. Way [Federal Way, WA Between Seattle & Tacoma],
I just came home from four days in the hospital. My mom (84) and I seemed to have respitory infection. Five days later her blood pressure went crazy and her heart was beating so fast they had to put her on a ventalator. She is still in intensive care on ventalator and we're not sure she is going to make it as she can't breath on her own. The next morning after hospitalizing her, they took me to the hospital with a 102.7 temperature and my blood pressure was 69/39. Three days in intensive care before they could keep my pressure up but had a blood infection (never identified) Pneumonia (no pathogen identifiable).
I went to my normal hospital St. Francis. They had no room, Tacoma hospitals were full, Bremerton was full, Auburn reginal was too swamped. Finally got into Swedish medical. One bed left. The staff was coughing, I watched five nurses come down with the same thing in two days. Pain, larangytis like symptoms, labored breathing then pneumonia,usually blood pressure problems. This has been since this last Sunday. No matter what they did, they could not identify it and either they don't even try (although they said they cultured every thing they could get from me) or they are truly baffled. Where the hell is the alerts to the public and why with this so rampant, isn't more being checked into?
I'm only out of the hospital because I can't see my mother, but if we get the call she is failing, I will be by her side. They said I needed another week there. I am home and on oxygen and 7 types of pills but I refused to be tied to the hospital when all they did was let me lay there when stabalized. Three IV tubes with five types of antibiotics. This is NO simple flu. When you go down, you go fast and hard. It is contagious as anything I've seen.
Something is wrong here. You're not hearing about it, but there are people dying, and as Kate pointed out earlier, alot of them on ventilators. I have never been this sick and in this way. The hospital staff is so rushed, and half are getting as sick as the patients, they could hardly keep up. How about the two schools here just shut down for an out break of Nowalk-like virus. It don't work that way. Just a school, or the retirement home that had the outbreak. It doesn't start that way unless it's put there. If a child has it, the parent gets it, then other relatives and kids. These things don't just wait to go to a school with a child then attack just one building. Think about it people. They had to give me all the new types of antibiotics just to get control of it, but it isn't stopped yet. The only thing that cultured out was mold and fungus, and the doctors said that couldn't possibly account for this disease.
Maybe they better take a little closer look. When my one nurse just collapsed in the hallway after complaining that she was having trouble breathing and her heart was racing, then she walked out the door and collapsed, it was just like with us. The minute my sister and neice started feeling ill, they got to the doctor and he put them a mega antibiotics immediately. They are still on their feet but not doing so well. Heads up people, this is not a false alarm. The people who delivered my oxygen machine said they are picking up five new customers a day with people needing oxygen from being sick with this. They said this is unusual. Things are getting strange.
Not trying to alarm you, but if you get a chest cold and sort of a laryngitus type bug, start watching yourself. We actually thought we were improving and it just came out of no where and hit our hearts too.
May you all be protected and safe in God's love.
Danna
I also know someone who has had similar thing. She is a neighbor & lives in my town just south of Chicago, Il.
Here is an email I got from her last week.
HELLO FRIENDS,
SORRY FOR THE GENERIC LETTER BUT MY STRENGTH IS NOT QUIET UP TO SNUFF YET SO ONE LETTER WILL HAVE TO DO FOR NOW.
I HAVE BEEN SICK FOR A TIME NOW AND JUST GOT HOME FROM AN EIGHT DAY STAY IN THE HOSPITAL. I WILL CONTINUE TO BE ON AND STEROIDS AND BREATHING TREATMENT FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT 12 DAYS. DOCTOR WILL DETERMINE IF I WILL NEED IT LONGER AS I GO FOR CHECKUPS.
HAD SOME BAD BREATHING PROBLEMS DUE TO BRONCHITIS AND NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP ENOUGH OXYGEN IN THE BLOOD. WAS ON OXYGEN MOST OF THE TIME IN THE HOSPITAL UNTIL MEGA DOSES OF MEDICINE FINALLY CUT THROUGH THE CRUD IN THE LUNGS.