Contemplating

I've so loved this blog as it has been such a great calendar of past events. I can't tell you the times someone has asked when something happened and I've said, "I don't know, but I'll find out." Then, another lovely thing, press two or three buttons and you have a blog book.  My grandkids love to look at themselves and I hope they are reminded of my great love of them.
There is a stat page that shows where viewers come from and how many are viewing. Not too many on mine, so I wasn't quite sure why in the early winter I was seeing way more views than ever before.  I clicked on a source and I bet you might can guess what I found.  I have no words for how it sickens me to think my precious little's faces might be used for creepy creeps. I can make it private, but then people now and again mention that they keep up with the family that way and can only have so many e-mails connected to a private blog. Plus, I don't have any idea of the decent kind of people who might like checking in.
So, I've been contemplating what to do, and had just been thinking that actually I was sure happy that there weren't any medical emergencies to report, when I got a text from my nephew Saturday saying my brother James, Uncle Jimi had not gotten up since Thursday evening, should he call EMT.
I had just found out the Monday before that he had been falling.  We were trying to talk him into going to the doctor, ER, chiropractor, anything.  He said his neck hurt terribly. Of course, I was worrying about the why of falling. He wasn't really able to tell me. It seems he has gone downhill since Mom passed away. He's lost about a hundred pounds.
I returned the text and told him to just point blank ask if he'd taken to his bed to die, or if not, the ambulance was coming.

I was on my way to meet them in ER when Jake said he didn't know if it would take longer than usual as he told them it was a non-emergency. Little did we know.  Upon arrival, his labs came back with a elevated creatinine level and a hemoglobin level of 2.9.  If you are not familiar with levels this is your blood level after you've already gone on and died.  My friend, of forty years of doctoring, said he'd never seen a level so low.
I'm a people person and in this hospital setting your doing anything to pass the time, calm yourself, etc.  I enjoyed watching the staff pass on this blood level information, and the look of the person they were telling.
Doctor friend said it had to have happened over a long period of time and the body slowly adjusted, but the extreme weakness was what was calling the falling.
 It is hard for my mind not to wander to all the "what if's" while I've spent this past six days bedside and ringside to a health crash. There are so many reasons that my nephew might not have been there.  A nurse said she imagined he literally had hours left.
After what continues to be day after awful day of inability to find usable veins, awful tests, a small ulcer was found at the top of the small intestine.  GI guy said it bled every time he ate. The fact that he stopped eating on Thursday likely saved him.
His kidneys have failed and he is now dialysis dependent. Kidney doc said the failing kidneys stressed the body and likely caused the ulcer.  Doc feels that using a peritoneal port (stomach) and  doing dialysis through the night is a better choice for him than the stronger dialysis three times a week.  They won't place that until his blood is stable. 8 pints and some platelets later it still isn't. And even then it takes three weeks to heal.
It was a Saturday in ICU so Ceece's sister was there to help navigate- thank you Jesus.
Otherwise, some sweet nurses and some ones who bring out my worst side.  I can't seem to get through a hospitalization without shaking the charge nurse's tree.  
In the meantime he has to have dialysis, so he got a thoracic port. EKG was off, so also needed a heart cath, but didn't want to do that with blood low.  Laws, what a mess. So, of course hospital wanting him moved to rehab, but thankfully kidney doc said he wasn't going anywhere till he knew if his heart could withstand dialysis. It couldn't, threw him into Afib requiring an emergency heart cath.  LAD 95% blocked, requiring a stent and blood thinner, with the thoracic port soaking him in blood over and over.  Also, he hurt his neck in the fall and while a CT says nothing is broken, he is in misery. Added to that he has not slept probably 5 hours total in six days and he's spent most of that time not allowed anything to eat or drink.
Why anyone thought it was a good idea for your family doc to not be in charge of your care was insane.  The heart doc is only interested in his heart and the same for each specialist. It took five days to get a patch for his neck, and eye drops for a irritated eye.  It is a nightmarish circus.
So, prayers that the thoracic port will heal, that his blood will begin to build on its own, and that his misery is relieved would be much appreciated.
Also prayers that the Good Lord will somehow shut down the creepy creeps.