Home Again- Take Two

I came home from the hosptital on Tues afternoon (dec 29th, 2009).

So for anyone interested, here is the full story of what happened...the whys, the whens, and the hows....

On Christmas Eve morning I awoke in lots of pain. This was strange because I had been having a great,low pain recovery from my hysterectomy the previous week. Everything had been going better than I had even expected or hoped. So I lay there for awhile, took some strong pain drugs, and the pain seemed to worsen. I called my doc, and he of course asked the barrage of questions, one being did I have a fever. Well I didn't know, so of course I promptly took my temp and low and behold I had quite a temp considering all the meds I was on that should have totally eliminated a fever! So of course, being Christmas Eve the doctors office was closed and so I had to meet him at the ED.
By the time I got there I was in excruciating pain.
His partner, Dr. Hutchinson was on call and after the most brutally painful exam I have ever endured, some blood draws, ultrasounds, etc.... He announced that he was admitting me.
Immediately tears started streaming down my face. Tomorrow was Christmas Day, the kids? How is this happening?????
But alas, I was admitted.
The next two days were mostly a blur for me as I was in such pain, but I do know that I was on three strong antibiotics for a post-operative infection, and also strong pain medications, both via my IV.
As Christmas was in the hospital, my family brought the kids up a couple a times a day and they opened presents around my bed in shifts over a couple of days. I know it was good for them to have me there as they opened, but I was pretty out of it and don't remember much from CHRISTMAS DAY.

The kids really did have a hard time with me not being home. By the last night, Caroline was crying herself to sleep. It was rough on them all.

As far as my recovery in the hospital, truly after about 36 hours of antibiotics I began to turn a corner and my pain level began to decrease, as well as my fever,and I started to feel much better.
The plan then was for me to go home on Monday, having been fever free for 48 hours.

But alas, I, Erika Yaman, am never an easy straight forward patient... So by Sunday evening, into Monday, I developed Shortness of Breath big time! I could not lay down.
I could not swallow a drink or eat without feeling panic.
I had to sit straight up as if I was in a chair.
A pulmonologist, Dr. Mark Mason, was brought in to evaluate me. After a spiral CT of the Chest it was determined that no, I did not have blood clot in my lung, but I did in fact have what seemed to be pulmonary edema (fluid on my lungs). So I had to stay another night in order for them to draw all the fluid out by giving me a drug called Lasix, that basically just makes you pee like mad, and then stick around for them to make sure all was well.

So by Tues all was mostly well but they still wanted to try and figure out why a healthy 31 year old developed pulmonary edema. So off for another test, an ECHO ( a look at how my heart was working) to make sure that this was not a cardiac based problem. Thankfully Dr. Mason let me go home without awaiting the results of this test, so HERE I AM.
I AM HOME!
I am tired. I am still sore. But I AM HOME!
I am back on the straight road to recovery and so glad to be there!