Good Morning Everyone:
Over the last week, some folks have either text me; sent an email, or called me to find out why I did not attend the weekly breakfast that I normally attend this past Wednesday; why; I did not make it to attend Services in Milton, NH this past Sunday, where I was supposed to sing. Why I had to send my wife and oldest daughter to cover the prison ministry this past Saturday. I have also been asked why I have not been posting anywhere that I normally would.
I would like to fill in the details as to what's been going on with me over the past week.
It all started Thursday, a week ago today; I was sitting on my bed working on my laptop about 4:00 PM, when I felt the urge to blow my nose. It was all downhill from that point. The loss of blood that I experienced was something like I had never had happen before. It could not be stopped. My wife Lynne said that I needed to go to the ER, so out the door we went. The doctor who was checking me out stated that she needed to pack my nose to control the bleeding; she informed me that it would be painful and uncomfortable; THAT, WAS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. It felt like she was loading a shell into a cannon, which I thought it was going to come out the back of my head. I would not wish that type of pain on anyone. To make matters worse, the plug was too big and would not fit properly. A second plug was also inserted, but that was also too big. They went searching for a small plug, and the one they came up with was still too long, which they left hanging out the end of my nose. All this time I went through three boxes of gauze pads trying to get the bleeding to stop. Finally, after three hours, the bleeding was under control, plug was in and the two small inflatable balloons were inflated making my nose throb with pain, and they sent me home. One thing I did not mention is the fact that when they put the last plug in; the Dr. asked the nurse to hold my head still as she rammed the plug up my nose. It's a natural reaction to pull away when your body is under attack.
I continued to lose blood over the next few days; could not sleep due to the worry of catching the dripping blood. This took place from Thursday through Saturday night. Lynne told me that at that point, that I was not clear in my speech. Lynne called our two daughters (I thank the Lord for my wife and two daughters) They came down and drove Lynne and I to the ER for the second time in three days. This trip was the result of Lynne calling her primary care Dr. who was on call that night, and she told Lynne to take me to the ER. I also had the sweats and chills to go along with everything else.
Now; at this point, I hope that I get my fact straight from what I remember. I was unsteady on my feet from being weak; my speech was off. My BP was way up; Heart rate was 147, INR (Coumadin) numbers was 3.8, which should have been in the low 2’s or even in the 1.something. They sent me for a CT Scan, which showed that I had a sinus infection due to the foreign body in my nose, which shut off my right tear duct causing my eye to continually water. Anyone who know me, knows that I have a White Coat Syndrome, and don’t like hospitals either. They ended up giving me meds to reduce the heart rate, which worked, I believe that they also gave me a shot of some antibiotic to counteract the infection. I thought for sure they were going to keep me overnight, but after a while, they shipped me home with a antibiotic scrip to pick up.
So from Saturday night until Wednesday morning, the dripping; though it had slowed, was still a nagging issue for me, along with the sleepless nights. Lynne had been told to make me an appointment at a local ENT Dr. office (Oh Great! Another doctor to visit) on Wednesday morning. I must say that Dr. Bie was excellent; very gentle and took his time explaining everything he was going to do, and the reasons why. Let me get this story over with…….after leaving the ENT office; I had my first full meal (which I finished) in 6 days; the result was approx. 15 Lbs lost (a good thing) Last night was the first night in 6 nights that I only woke up once. Thank you Jesus…...it was so good to be able to sleep again. I have to put meds in my nose three times a day, but the dripping is almost a non issue; Hopefully I can return to work next Tuesday, if all goes well.
I want to thank the Lord for having His hand upon me; A big SHOUT TO MY WIFE Lynne for being by my side through this testing period. And; of course; A BIG SHOUT OUT TO MY DAUGHTERS for coming to help their dad. I am asking for continued pray for a full recovery, and that working with my doctors will result in not having this issue happen again.
Here is a before and after picture of my beautiful (LOL) nose:
On the Mend:
