Tag Archives: hospital

Thunder Thanks

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This past weekend Milton and I had planned a trip to DC.  He had arranged some tours and we were excited to go -especially Milton since he is a history genius.  Obviously the trip didn’t happen. Obviously I was laid up in a bed.  Although I get two wheelchair rides a day, I rarely take them because Milton comes to visit at night and I know he needs some time to unwind.

Thunder of Louisville was this weekend and since I’m “locked up” downtown, we decided to make watching the fireworks our wheelchair date for the day.  Now, if you’re not from Louisville, Thunder of Louisville is the largest fireworks show in the nation, and one of the largest in the world. Over a half million people come to Louisville just to watch it (google it, you’ll love it)

Milton and I take wheelchair rides to the top floor of the parking garage because it’s a great way to look out at the city. And this would be the location for our fireworks date.  Saturday comes around.  The fireworks were scheduled at 9:30pm.  We called the nurses for a wheelchair at 9:15pm.  We bundled up.  And I mean BUNDLED UP!  It was freezing outside.  I put on Milton’s sweatpants and one of his heavy coats.  We start walking/rolling to the garage and we pass a lady that has some soft drinks in her hand.  She asks if we are going to see the fireworks and she suggests we come join her “party”  on the parking garage.

I thinking it’s going to be a herd of people, but she and about six family members are all standing up there. As soon as we get out there, she brings me one of the heavy blankets they have and says “Here honey, we need to keep you warm.” I say no thank you.  But she insists and says “No,  honey, we gotta protect that baby.   Here let me tuck it in on the sides for you.” She offered Milton a chair and both of us soft drinks.

The fireworks started and unfortunately our viewing area was mostly blocked by a high rise apartment complex. We stayed for maybe five minutes and then I was ready to go back inside and watch it on television with the best front row warm view I could get.  Before we left, Milton returned the blanket to the lady and thanked her for being so hospitable.  She walked up to the both of us and said “You’re my Christian sister and I know everything will be fine.  I’ll be praying for you all.”

I asked her name, she said Kim. Kim was opposite of me in every way but you could tell the thing she cared about was my mine and Baby Turner’s well being.  Although our outside experience with the fireworks was very short, I’ll never forget the caring ways of Kim.  My mother passed away six years ago and Kim is the first person that has given that motherly touch since I’ve been in the hospital.  I truly appreciate her.

Unhappy Camper

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Let’s just say today was not a good day for wonderful nursing service at University Hospital.  I usually am awakened by 6:00am for the baby monitor. But not today.  The first time someone came in the room was at 8:00am. It was someone from the lab and she was here to take my blood.  I asked what test she was doing and she said didn’t know.  She then asked if I had be fasting.  I told her I didn’t know I was supposed to be fasting, but that I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.  She took some blood from my left arm and said “I’ll even take some extra blood in case they need it for something else.

Right after I ordered my breakfast.  An omelet and biscuit.  It always takes 45 minutes to get it so 45 minutes later there was a knock on the door and there it was.  I took the top off the plate and just as I was going to start eating, the nurse came in. Conversation:

Nurse: Did you drink anything yet?

Me: No, I’m getting ready to eat

Nurse: No, you were supposed to take your glucose test this morning.

Me: How was I supposed to know that?

Nurse: The night nurse mentioned it to me, but she told me not to bother you until 9:00am so I thought you knew about it.

Me: Nobody has told me anything.

She walks out of the room and I sit there waiting to see what is going on.  Someone else from the lab comes in and asks what all has happened.  She says to hold on so she can see what all happened.  The nurse comes back in and says I’ll still need to take the test.  I ask her to take my breakfast away so I won’t have to look at it. I let her know that when miscommunications like this happen, medical malpractice suits happened. At 9:10am a new lab lady comes in for me to drink the glucose liquid.  At 9:30am, the nurse (along with the charge nurse) come in to put me on the baby monitor for an hour.  At 10:20am, the lab people come and take my blood AGAIN, this time in the other arm.  About 20 minutes later they take me off the baby monitor.

At 5 minutes before 11, both my breakfast and the doctors come in the room.  Although generally happy and smiling, today I tell the doctors that today has not been a good day.  I mention the fact that there was a miscommunication between all of the staff and the staff and myself and this is not acceptable.  This is how medical accidents happen.  They all apologized and many people took various parts of blame.

They left and I ate my breakfast for lunch.  I sure do miss being at home.

A Taste of Freedom

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All of my symptoms have been improving.  All of my IVs are gone.  I just get monitored twice a day and I can eat whatever I want.  Today I was even told that I could take a wheelchair ride twice a day for 20 minutes. HOORAY!

After watching a Palm Sunday church service on television, Milton and I decided to go on a walking date.  Well, make that strolling date.  He wheeled me downstairs and we went around the entire block of the hospital.  It felt good to see the sunlight and move around.  We saw a great patch of tulips. It wasn’t necessarily the smoothest ride and Baby Turner did kick some while in route, but I definitely appreciated the opportunity.

I thought about the people that live their entire life in a wheelchair with someone pushing them around and how difficult it must be on both individuals.  I still have full use of all of my limbs and am just temporarily inconvenienced.  Baby Turner is good, I am good, Milton is good – everything is going to be alright!

Ruined Surprise

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Milton said he had a surprise for me on March 31 and April 7.  I was actually very excited about the surprise and had no idea what he was planning.  He usually finds amazing restaurants for us to experience so I thought it was either that or he arranged for me to have a massage.

Of course all plans of a surprise were ruined once I entered my new island, also known as the bed.  I asked him what the surprise was going to be and he said that my friends were planning a surprise shower for me.  Ahh, this made me sad.  My college roommate DeShawn was even going to be flying in from Maryland.  I guess Baby Turner was trying to attend his own party, but I don’t think he understands that he wasn’t invited!

Well, about an hour after I had my fit about my closet sized room, the door to my room opened and in came my friend Renee with a bunch of baby blue balloons.  Shortly after came Tioka with a cake that had a monkey on it. Then Nikki soon followed with her two cute sons.  The brought the party to me and I was so happy they did. Not only was it good to see them, eat cake and open gifts – but I was surrounded by three women, each of which has two kids of their own.  They are each great mothers in their own unique way and I hope to use a piece of each of them in my own mothering skills.

I am most surprised that Milton was able to keep that secret without me having any clue whatsoever. I am married to a great man and have great friends and for that I am thankful!

 

 

Not a Good Move

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I woke up Saturday sad. As I looked at the clock, I knew that I should be at my fitness studio with our wonderful charizYa Fitness family.  I would have much rather been there and truly hated that I couldn’t be. Around 11:00am, Milton’s dad and two of his father’s friends came up to visit.  His father has always been very supportive and it was great to have them visit.  Toward the end of their visit, the nurses came in and said they were going to move to another room.  My current room was actually very nice.  It’s the room used when someone delivers so it was very spacious with nice amenities.  I thought the move would be a good thing since I’d been sleeping the past three nights on the delivery bed.  Milton packed all of our things and I was pushed in a wheelchair down the hall.  We passed all of these other nice rooms and then entered a new hallway.  Right before we entered, the nurse said, its a small room.  THAT WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

She wheeled me into the smallest liveable space I have ever seen.  As I sat in the bed, if I stretched out both arms, I could reach both walls.  The window opened up to brick wall.  Milton’s family didn’t even want to walk into the room (probably because they couldn’t fit).  I felt as if they were locking me in a closet.  I started to cry.  I told Milton I couldn’t stay there.  I rolled over, pulled the cover over my head, closed my eyes and cried some more. Milton went and got the nurse and asked if I could be moved to another room. They walked around with him to look for a different room. Fortunately I was moved to a slightly larger room with a much better view.  As soon as I saw it, I felt more at ease.

Bed Rest Diaries

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Once I was settled into my room, I started dealing with the reality that my regular life as I know it has changed.  My Type A personality came on and I had to get in major planning mode.  I called my friend and great Zumba instructor, Jessica, and she helped me get everything in place for the fitness studio.  I made a list of things for Milton to bring from the house.  I tried to explain in detail where each item is since I couldn’t be there to point it out.  I called all of my family and friends to let them know what had happened.  Everyone said to be strong.

Wednesday night and Thursday morning I was put on a clear liquid diet.  For those that don’t know what that consist of – chicken broth, apple juice, jello and italian ice. The first time I ate it, I actually looked forward to it since I hadn’t eaten in 10 hours.  I was still on strict bed rest and had to use a bedpan when I needed to urinate. Thursday was difficult because for the first time I was having to be dependent on everyone else. The bed was my island and all the action happened around me.

Thursday at lunchtime I had graduated to regular food.  For the meals here, you given a menu of foods and you can call down and decide what time you want to eat.  For my first meal i chose pizza (surprise) and chocolate cake.  It was good for the simple fact that I hadn’t eaten real food in 24 hours.

I had originally been on magnesium, but they stopped giving me that. The round the clock baby and contractions monitor was taken off and now they only monitor me twice a day. Freedom was mine – as long as I could do it from my bed.

The most difficult thing about Thursday and Friday was my concern for Milton. I experienced a major setback, but Milton experienced an even larger one with more emotion. Here both his wife and unborn child are rushed to a hospital, Milton is driving back and forth to the house to get all necessary items, when all he wants to do is be by my side.  Everything I’ve always done to maintain the household now falls on him.  He turned into the ultimate provider.  His job could tell how overwhelmed he was that they made him take Friday off – which was good for the both of us!