Craig, thank you for sharing this difficult story. peace & health to you.
On Mon, Mar 14, 2022, 9:42 PM Craig via Mercedes <mercedes@okiebenz.com> wrote: > Dear all, > > Thank you for your sympathies and condolences; they mean a lot and are > encouraging (he says as he type through tears). > > I got email running on a borrowed laptop last night and this morning. > After roughly three months of neglect, I was greeted by the following > quantities of emails: > > my personal email account 3611 > Shirley and my joint account 1172 > Shirley's personal account 984 > freecycle 873 > Okiebenz lists 6957 > -------- > 13597 > > To say I am overwhelmed by this quantity of email is an understatement. > I have been unsubscribing from many manufacturers' and sellers' sites to > reduce the influx. > > NOTE: I have even stopped delivery of Okiebenz list emails, so > if you want to contact me you will have to send an email > directly to me at diese...@pisquared.net. > > For those who don't know, I was whisked off to be tested for covid along > with Shirley around the 18th of December by an elder of our church who > recently retired after 40 years as a surgeon (and who had already had > and recovered from WRD). I was admitted to Presbyterian Rust hospital in > Rio Rancho (northeast of Albuquerque) and was there for a day or so, I > think, when I was summarily discharged and returned to an empty home with > the statement I was well. Even the ambulance people were hesitant about > transporting me. When they dropped me off, the ambulance people said if I > had ANY problems to call 911. I called a few hours later and was taken to > the closest hospital (Kaseman in Albuquerque). After spending the day in > an ER room, I was admitted to and transported back to Rust hospital -- > this time on a different floor and with a warning from our church deacon > who had Shirley and my Power of Attornies. I was there until 25 January. > In the interim, I was on up to 19 liters/min of oxygen, had a collapsed > left lung, and had a severe nose bleed. The nose bleed was so severe they > called a doctor from the ER across the hospital to come help stop it. At > one instant, as I was coughing up blood, I knew if my next breath was > air, the Lord had more things for me to do here and I would live; if my > next breath was blood, He was going to take me home. I was doing much > better after 21 January or so, so the covid safeguards and restrictions on > access to my room were lifted. > > On 25 January, I was released to a rehab facility in Rio Rancho. While > there I had more nose bleeds, one of which was serious enough for them to > call 911 and have me transported to Rust's ER. That was stopped by an > older doctor who installed a "Rhino Rocket" in each nostril. Several days > later, I was transported to the office of an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) > in the building next to Rust hospital. He specialized in nose bleeds and > had all the special tools to effectively treat my condition. Thankfully, > I have not had a nose bleed since. > > While at the rehab facility, I had physical therapy and occupational > therapy to increase my strength for the various things I need to do. They > decided I had progressed enough they discharged me on 04 March. Instead > of going straight home to the 10,000 ft^2 former industrial building east > of Moriarty, I followed advice and opted to spend (at least) a month in > an assisted living facility in southeast Albuquerque, close to our (my) > church and an easy shot onto I-40 eastbound toward Moriarty avoiding all > of the city. > > I hope to be in good enough shape to not have to pay another month's fee > for this (not cheap) assisted-living facility. > > Shirley had a less-severe case of WRD than I did and was released to > rehab before I was. The rehab facility treated her Type 1 diabetes as > Type 2 and threw her into full-blown diabetic ketoacidosis. She was then > sent back to the hospital (a different one because the rehab facility was > in south Albuquerque). They got her straightened out and sent her to > another rehab facility. This rehab facility treated her Type 1 diabetes as > Type 2 and again threw her into full-blown diabetic ketoacidosis. She was > sent back to the second hospital where she stopped eating and drinking. > We thought a nasal feeding tube would help her. The elder of our church > went and examined and interviewed her and learned she wanted none of the > feeding tube, but instead wanted to go to hospice. > > She was transferred to hospice in Edgewood, roughly mid-way between > Albuquerque and our place in Moriarty. There she started eating and > drinking again and things were looking up. The evening of 24 February, > however, she had a turn for the worse. Her primary nurse called the elder > and told him he and I needed to be there the following morning instead of > the afternoon we had planned. With that change we arrived in her room > 10 - 20 minutes before she died. > > My apologies for the length of this email; at least y'all now know most > of the story. > > > Craig > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > > _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://mail.okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
