A Hellish Week And A Hospital Stay

Y’all, Matt and I (but mostly Matt) have been put through the wringer these last few days. It all started last Wednesday (the 17th) when I was at my mom’s house for our usual Wednesday family lunch, and I started coming down with what I thought were allergy symptoms. That would make sense with spring in the air and the trees and plants coming back to life, right?

I got a little worse Wednesday night, and then Thursday, those allergy symptoms had turned into what I thought was a full-blown head cold with a bit of chest congestion. It was a pretty miserable day, but I started taking all of the appropriate anti-viral supplements as soon as I got home Wednesday, and by Friday, I was pretty much back to normal.

Then Friday, Matt started showing the same symptoms, and I figured we were in for a rough ride. When most people get sick with a cold, it’s miserable, but we can handle it. Matt is a different story. Since he has multiple sclerosis, any little sickness wipes him out completely. It’s about 1000 times worse for him than it is for me because his M.S. already renders him weak and easily exhausted. Add a sickness onto that, and he’s like a piece of cooked spaghetti until he gets better.

I gave him all of the anti-viral supplements that I had taken and that made my illness so short, and by Saturday, his symptoms (headache, itchy eyes, aching face, runny nose, sore throat, chest congestion) had all disappeared. But his weakness remained.

I didn’t think anything of it, because again, that’s not unusual for him after experiencing cold symptoms. Sometimes even after all of the other symptoms are gone, it can take up to a week for his strength to return fully. So he just rested and slept most of the day, but things seemed mostly normal that day.

On Sunday morning, he remained weak (still not unusual), and he still had no symptoms of the cold. So while he rested, I went about my business, coming in to check on him every hour or so.

But as the day went on, he continued getting weaker, even to the point that he couldn’t lift his 50-ounce tumbler filled with water to drink. He complained of being hot, and being hot always zaps his strength quite a bit. So after checking his temp (which was normal), checking his blood oxygen (also good), I turned down the thermostat and turned on a fan for him, and then sat by him and fed him about 40 ounces of water with electrolytes half of a straw-full at a time.

After that, he was exhausted and wanted to rest, so I left him alone for about 45 minutes. When I came back, he was even weaker, and this time to the point that he was having trouble speaking at all. After asking him a series of yes/no questions that he could answer by shaking or nodding his head, I finally figured out that his heart was racing. I had asked him several times throughout the day if he wanted me to call 911 so he could go to the hospital. Every time before, he had said no. But now with his heart racing, I could tell he was scared, and he nodded that he did want to go to the hospital.

The ambulance got here about 5:00pm to take him to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital, I was so scared and nervous that he might be C-19 positive, which would mean he couldn’t have any visitors at all.

After waiting and waiting, I was finally allowed in to see him in the emergency department room. At that point, he was still pretty much out of it. He couldn’t even open his eyes most of the time. I would ask him yes/no questions, and about half the time, he didn’t even have enough energy to nod or shake his head in response. We were in there for what seemed like forever while they drew blood and did all kinds of tests.

They finally gave him a saline IV, and that seemed to help a little. He still wasn’t talking, but he was giving a thumbs up, nodding his head, and shaking his head in response to questions. After a while on the IV, he even said a few words.

Then they took him for a CAT scan. When he came back, he was worse again, not able to speak or move, and he pretty much stayed that way the rest of the night.

But they finally gave us a diagnosis. He had Influenza A. Which means that I had Influenza A. To say that the doctor and nurses were shocked is an understatement. One of the ER nurses came in and said, “Did anyone tell you that you have Influenza A?! I can’t believe it! I haven’t seen this all year!”

Matt was finally admitted to the hospital around 11:40, so we were able to go up to a nicer and more comfortable room. Matt had already told me (through nods and head shakes) that he didn’t want me to stay. We were having the big oak tree cut down in the back yard, and the tree guys were supposed to be at our house around 7:15am on Monday morning. The nurse also encouraged me to go home and get some sleep, so I got home around midnight with the plan to come back first thing in the morning, as soon as I got the tree guys squared away.

When I arrived at the hospital early the next morning, Matt had not improved a single bit. In fact, he may have been a bit worse. He couldn’t really open his eyes, and he wasn’t really able to respond to any of my yes/no questions. I knew there had to be something going on besides the flu, so I set about trying to figure out what was going on.

The first thing I realized is that his room was SO FREAKING HOT it felt like a sauna! As I’ve stated before, Matt absolutely cannot tolerate heat. We keep our thermostat at home on 67 degrees because he needs to be cool at all times.

So I called to see about getting the air conditioner on. It took them a long time to come, so in the meantime, I got a wet washcloth and dabbed water all over his skin from head to toe, and then fanned him with a thick folded up bed pad. I did this for about 30-45 minutes while waiting for someone to come do something about the heat.

I also crawled up onto the guest chair and tried my best to open the window since it was pretty cool outside that morning. Those hospital windows clearly aren’t intended to open. They tilt into the room at the top, but the entire window is covered by wood window blinds that aren’t made to actually raise up at all.

I didn’t care. I was determined to get cold air into that room, so I pulled and pulled as hard as I could to get that window cracked open enough to let cool air in. But then I had to find something to prop it open because the weight of the blinds against the window kept pushing it closed.

The only thing I could find to prop the window open with was a round plastic container of pancake syrup (that looked like this) that had come with his breakfast (as if he could have eaten solid food at that point), so I shoved that round plastic container into the side of the window to hold it open. Then I continued with the wet washcloth/fanning process until they came about 45 minutes later to check the thermostat.

The thermostat in his room had been set to EIGHTY-FOUR DEGREES. I was so frustrated. That alone probably contributed to a great deal of his weakness.

I also learned that he hadn’t been given any water at all to drink since he had been there. So I sat by his bed and fed him water, again a half of a straw-full at a time.

And finally, I learned that they still hadn’t given him any Tamiflu at all. The doctor had prescribed a Tamiflu capsule, but there was no way he could swallow a capsule at that point. Tamiflu comes in liquid also, but the doctor would have to authorize that switch in the prescription before the pharmacy could release it, and they were having a hard time getting in touch with the doctor. So ten hours after his diagnosis, he still hadn’t been given medication for the flu.

The nurse finally came in with the Tamiflu capsule and an idea. She suggested emptying the contents of the capsule into about a half tablespoon of applesauce, and feeding that to him. I agreed, so that’s what she did. Matt was so weak that it literally took him about 10 minutes to get half a tablespoon of applesauce down. It just sat there in his mouth just behind his lower teeth, and he would touch it with his tongue every few seconds. I finally had to add some water, just a couple of drops at at time so he wouldn’t choke, so that he could get all of that applesauce (again, half a tablespoon!!) down completely.

Then it was back to alternating between feeding him water a half of a straw-full at a time, and cooling him off with the wet washcloth and fanning. He fell asleep and seemed to sleep comfortably, so since the room was cooled off by then, I sat down and rested for a bit.

He woke up around 1:00pm, and actually said a word. Y’all, that was music to my ears! He had started to regain strength and was able to move his arm enough to touch his face and scratch his nose. I was so relieved. About 30 minutes later, he said he was hungry, so I fed him a whole container of applesauce. What a beautiful sight that was after that morning when he struggled to get half of a tablespoon of applesauce down!

At dinner time, they brought Matt two plates of food — one pureed and one solid food — since they weren’t quite sure what he would be capable of eating. He still wasn’t strong enough to lift the fork repeatedly to his mouth, so I cut up his food and fed him. He ended up eating both plates of food! He was moving pretty slowly, and it took about an hour-and-a-half for him to finish all of it. But y’all, I would have sat there feeding him food for four hours if that’s what it took. I was just so relieved to see his strength returning! And again, to go from struggling to get half a tablespoon of applesauce down that morning, to eating two full plates of food (and one filled with solid food) that evening, was a miraculous turnaround.

He was released on Wednesday afternoon, and was so glad to be home. He and I both spent the rest of Wednesday and all day yesterday recuperating from that ordeal. I stayed with him on Monday and Tuesday nights and slept on the little pull-out chair/bed thing in the room. Those things are not comfortable at all. And of course, it’s impossible to get good sleep in a hospital with people coming in every two hours to check vitals, do breathing treatments, etc. So we were both ready for lots of rest and a good night’s sleep with no interruptions.

Matt is still on the mend, but he’s out of the woods now. That was a scary couple of days! I’m so thankful they’re behind us, and he’s almost back to his normal self again.

And now that I’ve had a chance to rest up and get a couple of nights of good sleep, I plan to get back to the hallway and home gym projects today while Matt continues to rest and get completely over this sickness.

 

 

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88 Comments

  1. Oh my! Praying for a complete recovery now! I’m so sorry to hear that y’all have been through this. MS complicates so many things. I’m glad someone finally figured out how to get that medicine down him!

    1. Oh my! I’m so glad you and Matt are better! What a scare! I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that and glad it wasn’t covid not that the flu is benign but you know what I mean. Best wishes to you both.

      1. So happy to hear he is in his way to recovery. Terrible that the hospital seemed so slow at getting anything done. I have to share this with you. I watched many videos about Covid etc. there was one video and it was a research doctor at USC studying Covid in their lab. Their team found that Covid was Influenza A. So they sent the sample they had to other university labs to see what they would come up with and they found Influenza A. So the USC doctor contacted the CDC and requested a viable Covid sample. Their response was ‘we don’t have one to send you’. So many of the videos made by reputable doctors have been censored almost everywhere. I saw this video on Facebook and I’m sure it is long gone by now. But if I can locate it I will certainly send you a link.

    2. I am so sorry Kristie, that had to of been scary. Being the caregiver is tiring as well pulse you were sick! Rest up so you don’t relapse ! Hugs to you

  2. I’m so sorry to hear what you have been through these last few days. I know it can be so frustrating waiting in the hospital for attention and care to be provided to someone you love. I’m just glad you were able to be with him and that he is on the mend.

    1. So happy that you are both back home and Matt is now on the mend, but so sorry that you both had to experience those scary days. What a blessing it was not covid related. Rest, take care, and know that you have an army of prayer warriors on your side. God bless you! ❤️

    1. MS and heat definitely don’t mix. Not sure if I told you this before…. look into getting him on “Amantadine”. When my Bob was diagnosed in 1995, the neurologist put him on that immediately. It is an anti-viral. He has been on it now for 26 years. When we had the Sars breakout here in Canada, my son in law was visiting and had it really bad. Bob did not get it, and I take a multitude of vitamins so I never got it either. Sending prayers that you both get to feeling better soon.💕

  3. Sorry for your trials and glad to know that Matt is on the mend. Happy to know that you are feeling well enough to get back to work!

  4. What a scary time! And I’m so thankful you were able to be with Matt. He needed you to be his advocate! Prayers for continued recovery.

  5. Wow! That was scary. From the beginning of your post I kept saying “covid, covid, test for covid.” which is why I am not in the medical field, I guess. Glad they found out what it was…and especially that YOU followed up with the treatment or we might have been reading an even more horrible post today.

    🙏

  6. What an awful time… SO wonderful that you knew what to do and were able to help him. You are an amazing person Kristi, sending hugs from Canada <3

  7. I’m so sorry to hear this! I had influenza A 18 months ago and it was miserable thank goodness for the anti virals. I’m glad Matt is over the worst of it. (And that he survived the hospital treatment)

  8. Oh my goodness, you have both gone through so much! Please take care and know there will be many of your followers keeping you and Matt in our prayers.

  9. Oh, I’m so sorry to hear how sick Matt was! I’m so glad he had you in the hospital room with him! Can you imagine if you hadn’t been allowed in? I hope you both rest up and continue to get back to normal! Give Matt our love!

  10. So sorry that you had to go through such an ordeal! And I’m glad he’s on the mend and that you are as well!!

    1. What a shame no one paid enough attention about how weak Matt was. Sure makes it hard for the patient and the family. Thankfully you were there for him.

  11. Omg can you imagine the poor people that don’t have a “you”. And 84, who keeps it that high especially with germs. So glad you had a good outcome. Wishing Matt a speedy recovery.

  12. And this is why everyone should be able to have one visitor. Everyone needs an advocate. I am so glad you were able to be that for him. Blessings.

  13. Wow, Kristi. I love how you advocated for Matt’s health and treatment the way you did. Good for you! You are an amazing woman in so many ways. Thank goodness you got things whipped into shape at that hospital. I’m glad Matt is on the mend. Blessings and prayers to you and Matt.

  14. So thankful yall finally got the care Matt needed and things are improving. Do take care of yourself in all this.

    1. Kristi,
      I’m so sorry you and Matt had such a horrible experience. Thankfully, he had a strong, proactive care-person in you at his side. I’m so happy to read that he is home and healing well, as you did. I wish you both healthy, happy days ahead. Get some rest and enjoy your days together.

  15. Matt is blessed to have you beside him throughout his ordeal. You know him so well, and you were a big part of his healing. I pray for continued healing and blessings for you both. 🌸

  16. Oh, dear!
    I wish you both a fast recovering! Please stay well there and hope my prays from Belarus will help you somehow! But i am absolutely sure they will!
    Warm hugs to you and you Matt!

  17. Prayers for both of you! Thank goodness Matt is on the mend. I feel like you are family. Please let me know if I can do anything for you. I am not that far away and I have family there. Hugs!

  18. What a story, Kristi! WOW! So happy to hear that you and Matt are on the mend! That sounds like a very scary experience…poor Matt! Glad you were there in the hospital to care for him.

    1. You certainly both had a hellish
      Week. Praying for Matt’s quick recovery . God bless you both.

  19. Blimey. That was a rough old ride.

    Thank goodness you were on the ball at the hospital!

    Best wishes to you both.

  20. I’m so sorry for all you’ve been through! Matt is lucky to have a great wife like you to advocate and care for him.

  21. That had to be so scary. One cannot be in a hospital safely it seems anymore without an advocate. That is why it must be torture for those who have hospitalized covid family members, unable to make sure that what seems inconsequential to hospital staff (temp in Matt’s room), can be very consequential! I have severe life threatening allergies, including latex. When going into surgery years ago I had a sign pinned to my gown that said allergic to latex. Already medicated pre-op. if kbj wasn’t there when they put on latex gloves and approached me…… I can give many examples from my experiences and those with my late husband hospitalized with a brain tumor. Thank goodness you were there, and I pray that you and Matt recover quickly and remain healthy. Best wishes to you both.

    1. So true! It scares to hear of a loved one in a hospital without an advocate. I can not believe that the temp in Matt’s room was 84!! WTH? And no water? That is maddening.

  22. That must have been so scary for you and Matt! I’m so glad he is getting better! Rest up, we don’t need to see any projects until you’ve both fully recovered and have rested up!

  23. It’s interesting that the nurse hadn’t seen a case of the flu this year! So glad Matt is better, and blessings to you both for a quick and complete recovery.

  24. Oh my gosh Kristi. How scary. I’m so sorry. And I’m so thankful to hear that he’s doing better. Prayers for his continued improvement.

  25. Praise God you are both all right!! Thankful that you could be there to help Matt with whatever he needed! Praying for continued good recovery now.

  26. So glad you are both home and Matt is improving. Please take care and hope you both get lots of rest. Sending hugs and prayers to you both.🙏🏻❤️

  27. Thank you for taking time to explain to us your blog family! We care about you and Matt! Sending love and prayers!

  28. Kristi – I can’t imagine the nightmare you two have been through! We are all out here praying for your relief and quick recovery. Thank you for sharing this with us. We will do what we can to help and support. You are not alone. All the best…

  29. Your ordeal brought tears to my eyes. I am glad to hear things are better despite your exhaustion.

    Warm love to both you and Matt.

  30. You are a strong woman that does not give up, and that is one of the main reasons I like your blog. Hope you and Matt continue to be on the mend.

  31. Oh my gosh, how scary! I am so thankful you both pulled through this, especially Matt. He sure doesn’t need anything else to take him down.

  32. Prayers for both of you. I can’t believe they put him through that, I am damn mad! I’m just glad he is better, hope you two got some resy

    1. What an ordeal! Thank goodness you were there to be Matt’s advocate. Sending positive healing thoughts your way. Take care!

  33. So glad to hear you made it through.
    We are recovering from rolling sickness, but just sleep deprived now. Our LO began daycare after a 3 mo break (furloughs). They moved her up from a room with 4-5 infants, to an almost full room of walking toddlers (and ours doesn’t walk yet, but is strong and can independently move and grove). So the daycare funk cycle began.
    Our kiddo just wants cuddles for: sickness, being overtired from a growth spurt, missing “her people”, and more for a few weeks.
    We (adults not kiddo) even tested when we got sick because the daycare required it. The flu is definitely not eradicated. Stomach bugs are up, from many returning to workplaces, rules relaxing with open breakrooms. My husband has caught two stomach bugs. There are many “new cooks” learning food safety (wash your hands!) with shared spaces vs private homes from eating in.

  34. Wow Kristi, I’m so happy that you’re both past the worst of it. It’s a crying shame that we can’t trust our hospitals to properly look after loved ones we might have there, but that’s sadly our world now. Sending positive energy to you and Matt.

  35. That was scary to read so can only imagine what it was like to experience. I hope you are ok and your husband too. He is lucky you were there for him. It sounds like it could have been a different outcome. Best wishes.

  36. Kristi, I am so sorry you both had to go through this, but I’m happy to hear things turned around and he is on the mend. My husband and I have both found you cannot go to a hospital alone. Everyone needs a family member to help and watch things. We have caught things things wrong before as well. They are just understaffed and too busy to catch everything.
    Try to get some rest as well….you’ve been through a stressful time. Best wishes to you both.

  37. I too have MS and totally understand all the issues that can flare up due to infection, heat, and dehydration. I’m glad he’s on the mend and pray for supernatural strength to bring him through! I too just went through an extremely weakening episode that lasted for about 6 weeks. I am thankful for a God who is with us in the “going through“ of things-no matter what that might be! Take care! 8)

  38. How scary that was! Very thankful that you are both on the mend, and especially that you were there to advocate for Matt and keep an eye on everything to protect him. Blessings and prayers to you both.

  39. When you got to the part where you said they took him for a CAT scan that is when my prayers started. All I could think was omg they are looking for blood clots. Very common with covid 19. I am so glad you are both ok. The anti viral stuff you guys took probably helped. Take care. We are all praying for you guys.

  40. I’m very thankful that Matt (& you) are ok. But OMG, an 84° room?! Did they not have another room to transfer him to? I’m afraid I would’ve thrown a chair through that window! I’m naturally heat intolerant & start hyperventilating @ 76°. I would have passed out long before 84°! I know from experience that being a caretaker is the worst job you’ll ever love, but sitting with a loved one in the hospital is pure torture! It’s unbelievable how hard that is compared to doing the same thing at home. But you’re right, the devilish cots & necessary nurse interruptions really zap you.
    I hope y’all are on a supplemental regimen. I’m immunosuppressed so I take Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, B12, C, D3, E & a Probiotic. They keep me covered pretty well despite me not having had the flu shot since ’08. And that’s the last time I had the flu! The only thing bothering me right now is our lovely yellow pine pollen that us Southerners enjoy so. And Zyzal takes care of that. I rattle when I walk…
    Blessings to you both & be well!

  41. Matt, I’m so sorry to hear of your ordeal this past week. I am very relieved that you have such a caring, loving wife. I will pray for you as others are doing…you are surrounded by angel wings and prayers…so many prayers.
    Kristie, I’m very glad that you were able to be with Matt during this time. I believe you were very brave to have handled it as well as you did. You too are surrounded by angel wings and prayers. God bless you both.

  42. Is flu A prominent in your area Kirsti? In Australia we apparently had a very low incidence of flu last season because many of us were in lockdown and people were very compliant with masks etc. Heading into our winter it will be interesting to see what happens this year. Many people get vaccinated for the flu here and many employers sponsor it. Glad things are improving for Matt.

    1. It’s not prominent at all. That’s why the doctor and all of the nurses were so incredibly surprised at his diagnosis. And the one ER nurse literally said that she hadn’t seen the flu all year.

  43. I am glad you guys are feeling better. I am very glad you were able to be with him in the hospital. We are the best defense to our loved ones getting the correct care when they are not a “normal” patient.

  44. So sorry you two had to go through such an ordeal! Glad to hear he is on the mend and he had you to care for him.
    Take care and take it easy.

  45. I hope that you and Matt are on the mend and gaining strength each day. That was a very scaryweek, for sure.

  46. I am so glad Matt is home and is starting to feel better. Home is the best place to heal.

    Glad everything is looking up. I have missed your posts.

  47. What a terribly frightening experience for you both! I am so glad you came out of it relatively unscathed. Plenty of rest and liquids (and food) is the order of the day. Stay strong and know that soooo many of us are sending you prayers and love!

  48. I am so sorry to hear that you went through all of this. I am just going to keep praying for both of you! God Bless you both as well. Virtual hugs being sent.

  49. I’m so happy to hear Matt is on the mend. What very frustrating care. It’s good you were able to advocate for him!

    I’m not sure if you’ll see this suggestion but I hope so! A camelback backpack style device with a bladder and a bite valve is invaluable when someone is weak and in need of a drink! My grandma said it was like she died and went to heaven after we brought her one in the hospital. Might be something for you to consider for Matt, even if only for use when he’s feeling sick.