Sunday Salon / Sunday Post – A Week or Two in the Life of Dollycas

The Sunday Salon is a Facebook group that has become an
informal week in review gathering place for bloggers.
It is also a place to share our thoughts about things of a bookish nature.
You can also link up weekly on Readerbuzz.

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by
Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer
~ It’s a chance to share news~
A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received, and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE!

A Week in the Life of Dollycas

I am so happy to be back home after a really scary time but I still have some healing and treatment ahead.

I was thrilled to see that Mr. Dollycas kept you updated and he also did an excellent job keeping all the Great Escapes Tours going.

The infection in my arm turned out to be a very aggressive variety so I was glad someone took the bull by the horns and told me to get my butt to a larger hospital better equipped to handle it. The orthopedic surgeon didn’t mince any words and told me surgery was the only way to save my arm. He also ordered an MRI, which I failed at badly and was unable to complete. He then switched his order to a CT which I could do all day. That and the X-rays gave him the perfect road map for my surgery. They called it irrigation and debridement which means he scrapped all the bad bone and tissue out and filled in the space with healthy tissue and did some repairs to my tricep muscle which has been iffy since my accident in 2001.

All during my stay, I was receiving IV antibiotics. During my surgery cultures were taken so the exact type of bacteria could be determined and the antibiotics could be tailored to it. I would have to stay in the hospital until that could happen. Knowing I would be continuing taking antibiotics for several weeks after my release a PICC line was placed in my arm Saturday morning. I really appreciated this because due to all the blood being drawn and the continued failure of IV lines due to my thin veins my good arm looked and felt like a train wreck.  On Monday, the cultures all remained negative so I was cleared for release after I had received my daily doses of antibiotics. We arrived home late in the evening after a pit stop to pick up a pizza which I had been craving since my appetite decided to return.

Tuesday a home health nurse arrived to teach us how to administer my antibiotics. Mr. Dollycas rocks it! What started out as 1 session a day has now grown to 3. The dosage remains the same it is just spread out throughout the day. I have a follow-up appointment with an infectious disease doctor this week to see how I am progressing and if any changes to my meds are needed. I also have a follow-up with the orthopedic docs to evaluate my incision. Amazing as it sounds since the surgery I have had no pain. A couple of twinges but nothing requiring medication.

While I did have a very trying 10 days in the hospital that started with a 5 1/2 wait in the Emergency Room just to see a doctor, and a couple of phlebotomists that need a lot more practice, the care I received was excellent. The nurses and CNAs were amazing. They were patient, and kind, and were never rushed. They helped me through the tears, made me laugh, and are people I wish I could get to know outside of the hospital. They got to know my family, despite the crazy COVID visitor rules. Daughter #2 didn’t leave my side until Thursday when I sent her home. They shared parts their lives with me. I had breast cancer in common with one and she really helped me see that if I could battle that this infection was not going to break me. Her brother, also a nurse on the floor, had quite the conversation with Mr. Dollycas about sports all while taking care of my needs. Another nurse with vast experience was a true comfort to me encouraging me to take things one day at a time and not to stress about the entire situation. Lastly, there was a CNA, who will be taking her RN test soon that felt like a daughter to me. She could make me laugh and understood my tears. She witnessed a phone call between me and my husband explaining to him some blogging details that had us all rolling in laughter. Every time she walked into my room she lifted my day. She is going to be a fabulous RN. They all work on a hard floor which includes hospice, cancer patients, and other difficult cases but they were all so positive and encouraging. The floor doctors, my surgeon, his team, and the infectious disease docs were all great too. I was blessed to be in their care.

The one drawback was the insurance craziness. I could have stayed in the hospital for the next 6 weeks basically just waiting for my meds to be administered and because I have surely met my deductible most everything would have been covered by my plan but because I decided to recover and receive treatment at home, saving thousands of dollars, I am hit with a hefty co-pay for the antibiotics. It just boggles my mind. Maybe with medicare allowed to negotiate drug prices I have hope that this may change for others in the future. Right now, the bills have not yet started to roll in so I am focused on my health and getting my life back on track. Plenty of time to worry later. Maybe Publisher’s Clearinghouse will show up at my door with a big check. 🙂

Since Wednesday I have been working on getting the book tours up to date and making a dent in my emails. If you are waiting to hear from me I am doing my best to wade through them all. This week I hope to get back to booking tours and getting my blog posts going again. I have been reading so I have several reviews to write, many with giveaways. The best thing is Mr. Dollycas has learned a lot about what I do and loves setting up Rafflecopter giveaways! With his help I should be back to posting daily, promoting books, and organizing tours as normal soon. Of course, he does have his own day job to fill his days but because of this stupid infection he is again working from home and we are spending our days just a few feet apart as we did during COVID.

How was your week?

Weekly Rewind and New Arrivals will return next week!

Happy Reading!  

Your Escape Into A Good Book Travel Agent