More of the Story

In the Kaiser ER, the on-call Doc refused to call my pulmonary specialist. He said he could figure out the problem himself. Only about 2 or 3 people per year are on this protocol with Kaiser Northern Calif. and so very few people understand what to do. And even if they know protocol with a chest cath, my case is different because it is a lifetime therapy, given 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Interruption will be life threatening. The ER Doc went into his office to look up the drug. When he came back to my room, he again refused to call my Dr. saying that he didn’t know if he was even available. I told him that he would be available for this. Kim took my cell phone outside to call my Dr’s. office but only got the after hours recording. Meanwhile, the ER Doc decided to wait and get a chest x-ray to see if any tubing was left in my chest. X-rays take a while in the ER....The nurse decided to take out my stitches where the cath had entered my chest. I told her not to remove them, that special care had to be taken with the site. The ER Doc agreed with her, tho and so she swabbed it once with alcohol and removed the stitches (she did put a temp dressing on it). This was after I had spent the past 3 weeks being trained to clean my work area with alcohol; I can’t have a fan in the area as it may blow bacteria around; wash with liquid antiseptic cleaner for at least 2 minutes; dry with paper towels, (hand towels can carry bacteria); putting on first one glove and then a special way of putting on the second so as to not disturb the sterility of the gloves; using a mask; using 6 different swabsticks on the area, in a circle from the insertion site out, never returning to the center with the same swabstick; letting each dry, do not blow or fan on it (bacteria); skin protectant; antibacterial dressing; and the final transparent dressing. Even with such strict precautions, infections can occur and those are life threatening.. You become very protective when your life can be literally held in your hands. And this doesn’t include what is involved with mixing the Remodulin, and the sterilizing techniques and priming involved with the drug that actually enters my body. It is a time consuming process. The good news is that if I screw up, the only one I will endanger will be myself. More of the story tomorrow....