Welcome! You get the picture….

Welcome! After a long hiatus, I’m back, “tubier” than ever. If you haven’t put it together yet, I’m joining the tubie club again next week. I will have my tube placed on Monday or Tuesday. You know the drill, it’s a medical appointment, could be Sunday at noon for all the control I have with that.

So this time, gastroparesis and extreme reflux and aspiration leaving me dependent on high levels of oxygen 24:7 are the big issues. I’ve currently been in the hospital for 8 weeks today. Why didn’t I start this earlier? Hmmm, who knows? Anyway, this is my 4th hospital in that time frame, transfers to a questionably better each time but this time I struck GOLD! This hospital was my choice all along but due to being in acute respiratory therapy each time, time was of the essence and the city trip is a trek. But, I’ve been in the city hospital for 2 weeks yesterday and they are earning their lofty incomes with me. I have 6 teams of the best docs working on a diagnosis and treatment. I had started with aspiration pneumonia, hospital #1 didn’t listen to me and ended up in hospital #2 who kind of treated it but send me home for all of 18 hours, still extremely ill and with a complimentary COVID take home gift. See?…I did win something on this game show episode. A ride back to said hospital with lights and sirens blasting and acute respiratory therapy, I was septic and my oxygen was in the 70’s. And the aforementioned, COVID grand prize. Nothing like COVID on top of pneumonia. This trip = another week. Got home for about 3 days and had to get rushed back to not #1 or #2 hospitals, because duh…they weren’t qualified enough for this chronically ill chic. Enter hospital #3, best out of the three, amazing sweet nurses, docs and staff and I spent 2 weeks there being kept comfortable, and managing symptoms until…Dun, dun, duuun…hospital #4!!!! The skies opens and the angels sang as hospital #3 packed me and my things up at 2:30am and gave me the news of transfer approval and my golden ticket to #4. Let’s just refer to this paradise of amazingly brilliant doctors, nicest nurses you’d ever want to meet and diligent research teams trying to diagnose and fix me via various treatments and tests as #4.

That was a lot for the first post back…you’re kinda up to date as much as I am…by the way I love a good run on sentence. So I’m not grammatically challenged (well maybe, is that a word?) maybe just challenged. We will figure it all out together!

Thanks for joining my tribe! Tell your friends. I’m kinda funny and coping with knee high levels of medical and life drama keeps it entertaining.

Let’s gooooo!!!!

Joey