As I waited with Amanda in recovery, the telemetry monitor kept beeping because her heart rate was constantly getting over 130 just lying there. I never saw it below 128, either. Since it was both sides of the heart were checked, she still had a sheath in her groin site. This caused more waiting for us.
We were also waiting for a room, but a few things had to fall into place before we could get one. Since she was on a blood thinner for the biopsy, the sheath couldn’t come out just yet. Her ACT, clotting factor, had to come down. On the first check, it wasn’t low enough; I was like a nurse helper looking at the machine and calling out the number to the RN. So, it would be two more hours before they could check again. One of the nurses who was training patiently waited for the number to come down because she wanted to pull the sheath. She was disappointed when it was too high to pull. We chatted with her for a while and told them a horror story of when Amanda almost bled out after her first EP study years ago because of a nurse who didn’t follow bedrest protocol.
The sheath had to be pulled before we could make it to our room, which was on the transplant floor. While the sheath was in, she had to lay relatively flat, too, and would be on bed rest for 6 hours after they pulled it. They can’t use her left leg for any cath-type procedures because she has a stent in her leg from fixing a fistula after the transplant. Her right knee was the one that was replaced, so keeping her leg straight that long was painful for her.
Also, being on bedrest and having a full bladder is no fun. We’re not new to hospital life, but we did learn something new this time. The nurse asked Amanda if she needed to go, but she said she’d hold it because a bedpan was a pain. Turns out they have something new for that. I was confused when they said they’d get a PureWick, but Amanda had heard of one before. To be couth about this subject, let’s say it’s a pee pee sucker! As I am typing this, we just saw a commercial for one on TV! It is a godsend for being on bed rest, and it has to be a game-changer. We had a really nice male nurse, but he asked a lady nurse to place it. She was describing it and said a doctor invented it when his wife was bed-bound while she was battling cancer.
Amanda’s leg was hurting where the sheath was, so the nurse called for meds. She asked how Amanda did with hydrocodone; she said fine. When the cardiologist, who was in a cath lab, got back to her, he said to give fentanyl, and the nurse said oh boy! Amanda said, “yeah, he’s generous with the good meds”! At least he keeps her comfortable instead of on the edge of excruciating pain like the anesthesiologist does sometimes. He has been her doctor for over ten years and has done numerous cath procedures, so he knows her tolerance well. This wasn’t too much medication for her either; she has a super high tolerance for pain medication for being on long-term pain management. It made her chatty, like she just downed a Starbucks latte, though. I can tell when they get the dose too high; she has tell-tell signs. She could never be a closet narcotics abuser, I’d know in a heartbeat of seeing her!
They ran the ACT numbers, and we all waited patiently for the results to come back from the machine. I heard it ding; the nurse started walking over, so I called out number 147; we were looking for 130. He said I’ve pulled at 150; let me call the doctor and see. They allowed him to pull it, and that’s when the 6-hour bedrest clock started, so she couldn’t get up till 3 am, which would make 12 hours of lying flat for her. After they pulled the sheath, there was more waiting; the transplant floor nurse had to respond before they could transport her to the room. There was a lot of finger-tapping type waiting since he was waiting to get off after Amanda left.
We always pack for extra when traveling in general, but there’s the pack like you might stay in the hospital packing, too. Neither of us talked about staying, but we both packed like that, we just knew this could happen. So, I needed to grab a bag out of the car with Amanda’s pillow blanket and robe in it. I also shoved a Star Wars Christmas popcorn tin in the bag to smuggle in. She needed her dopp kit and a few things from the hotel, too, so I went back to grab that while they wheeled her to the room.
As I got to Amanda’s room, it was terribly small, not the normal size room for this hospital. I immediately started rearranging things to make the setup better for us. I was tired and didn’t stay too long. After I made sure Amanda got her night meds, I got her all tucked in and set up so I could leave. Then I went back to the hotel, stopping by Chipotle to grab some food just before 11 when they closed. I had a kid’s meal or a light dinner before I crashed. I wanted to go by the hotel bar instead to have a snack and write a quick post, but they were closed. In the transplant days, I would do that when I’d come back from all day in the hospital. I’d find a nice spot outside, get my Mac out, and work on an update. Sometimes, I’d have a beer, sometimes not, but it was just nice to decompress and process and not be cooped up in a hotel or hospital room. I think these posts help me process and are just as good for me as they are for keeping everyone up to date.
Once back to the room, I made a quick post and crashed and didn’t wake up until my alarm went off. I was good to get a good night’s sleep and a shower. Too bad our budget doesn’t afford a hotel room every night, but we need to save for more travel. I’m believing this stay is going to be short-lived!
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