Unplanned hospital visit

A favorite tree coming to life

On my usual walk home through Cornwall Park, I often stop to admire this maple tree that is beginning to come to life this spring. Tiny feathery little leaves are visible today, and in a few more days or weeks, there will be actual leaves to fill in the branches and make this tree appear even more beautiful.

It's been an interesting week. I was happy to show up on Thursday for my usual volunteer work in the Senior Center lunchroom, and I worked diligently for a few hours, before I began to feel a little weak and shaky (probably from not having eaten my usual breakfast) and sat down to catch my breath and feel a little bit more energetic.  As I sat down and drank a little orange juice, I began to feel somewhat better. One of the organizers suggested that I get my "vitals checked" and I agreed that seemed to be a good idea. But before I could say anything more, an entire squad of black-clad emergency management guys showed up. Someone had called for an ambulance and people with a gurney who were not being willing to take no for an answer had already strapped me in and were taking me out the front door to the ambulance! No vitals had been checked, but there I was, not feeling great but never having been hauled out like that, I didn't object because, well, I didn't know quite how to stop the procedure.

While I was being whisked away in the ambulance (while of course they took my vitals), I signed some consent forms and ended up being driven to the emergency intake window at the local hospital, assigned a bed, and taken on the gurney into a room. From there I was given a nurse who asked me a ton of questions and gave me even more consent forms to sign (oh, I know this is going to be expensive), but I didn't seem to have a whole lot of options, so I decided that, well, I would find out if there is anything wrong with me that they might discover. I was feeling quite weak and shaky beforehand, which isn't a usual condition for me. Why not see this as a couple of good omens, like finding out whether or not I have anything in my bloodwork (minus a few bucks)?

My blood was drawn, and I was given a saline solution to make sure I wasn't suffering from dehydration. Well, that caused me to immediately need to use the bathroom, but I was strapped in and unable to get to the bathroom. Somehow I managed to be extricated from all the paraphernalia long enough to pee, and then immediately hooked back up to the machines. Once that was taken care enough, I called SG to let him know what was going on.

There was plenty of drama going on in the rooms next to mine, so I decided to simply relax and let myself being carried along on the way to recovery and/or redemption. The doctor came in, a nice lady, and she ordered a bunch of tests for me, including an EKG, so there I was, still immobilized and trapped. SG showed up for awhile and helped to keep the staff apprised of my need to once again use the bathroom (as they continued to hydrate me). Finally, after what seemed to be endless, I was given a clean bill of health, nothing showed up as being concerning, and I was released.

Once I got home and checked my laptop, I saw that there were the results of all the tests sent to my primary care doctor, and there was really nothing to be alarmed about, only one number was slightly elevated, and my blood pressure is still a little higher than normal, but that was it.

Although I am learning how important it is to be vigilant about not letting myself be railroaded into something I knew I didn't need, I was actually quite happy to learn how much health care is available to me if, for example, I did experience a stroke or heart attack. Which, thankfully, I didn't have. I don't know what caused my dizzy/fainting spell,  but it was transient.

I have a blood pressure monitor here at home, and I just got out of bed and went into the living room to check my numbers. They are fine, 125/85, even if the lower number is a little high, I am not in any danger at the moment. I suppose everyone at the Senior Center will be expecting me to report my experience to them. It was instructive, and I will certainly be cautious if anyone asks me if they want to "check my vitals" any time soon.

My "ride" looked similar to this one

And now here I am, sitting in the dark with my dear sweet partner sleeping next to me, as I contemplate the day ahead. The weather looks great, so I hope I can get a good walk in this afternoon. John will be coming to transport me to Fairhaven for our usual Sunday morning breakfast. I am thinking I need to get back to daily walks, which have been curtailed lately because of my continuing hip/leg discomfort. I realize that, at my age, I must continue to get good exercise or it will be even harder to get back to normal. And what is "normal" for an 82-year-old? I am constantly being reminded that I am no spring chicken any more. But this old bird is still kicking!