I'm home!

On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 14:52:51 -0700, "Circe" wrote:

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I got home from the hospital
about 90 minutes ago and have been reading all your posts and well-wishes.
First, let me say that I'm utterly humbled and *very* grateful to you all.
It is amazing to have such an incredible network of people you've never even
met who are caring about you and pulling for you. I really just
feel...humbled, maybe even a little embarrassed.

And I'm embarrassed that I was not able to get my posting sytem fixed
before now to send you my good wishes! I was pretty worried about
you, Barbara! So glad you're doing well and that you're finally going
to start managing your illness more proactively. I've got some family
who might need to do this and believe me I won't hesitate to use your
story as an example of why they should talk to their doctors .

Take good care of yourself!

Beth, mother of Margaret, 17 months

"Circe" wrote in message
news:%dlPa.744$u51.628@fed1read05...
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I got home from the hospital
about 90 minutes ago and have been reading all your posts and well-wishes.

I think I speak for everyone when I say Don't ever do that again!
I'm glad your home with a new treatment plan. Grossmont's a pretty cool
hospital, huh? I've never been there for as long as you, but they've taken
pretty good care of me when I've broken bones.

"Circe" wrote:
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I got home from the hospital
about 90 minutes ago and have been reading all your posts and
well-wishes.


Glad to hear you are ok. x
--
Andrea mom of -
Peter 7, Ellie 5, Alden 3, Joseph 21 mths & little munchie man Kamron 4
weeks!
Married to David since 2000.

/phew! you had us scared there... really bad! Glad you are home!

Anni (((((((((((Barbara))))))))))


"Circe" wrote in message
news:%dlPa.744$u51.628@fed1read05...
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I got home from the hospital
about 90 minutes ago and have been reading all your posts and well-wishes.

First, let me say that I'm utterly humbled and *very* grateful to you all.
It is amazing to have such an incredible network of people you've never
even
met who are caring about you and pulling for you. I really just
feel...humbled, maybe even a little embarrassed.

I know there've been some questions as to how I got myself into this mess
in
the first place, and the truth is, it was a bit of complacency on my part
and some really bad luck. I've been treating my asthma symptomatically for
years, and I knew what I was doing was not THE BEST treatment, but three
kids and a full-time job and the thousand other medical events we've had
'round here (big baby heads, broken arms, etc. ad infinitum) just kept
pushing that visit with my doctor off. And since I was not symptomatic
often--I could go literally days without problems--and since the albuterol
and serevent seemed to work well when I WAS having trouble, it didn't seem
like a pressing matter. Things obviously changed Monday morning.

Honestly, we don't really know what triggered this event, but I went from
a
very mild asthma attack to feeling like someone had literally shut the
door
between my upper airways and my lungs in under 10 minutes. It was
LIGHTNING
fast. I had my albuterol and my nebulizer, but because I couldn't get ANY
air into my lungs at all, they weren't helping.

The plan at this point is to get me on Advair as a 2x daily preventive,
with
plenty of albuterol as needed if I'm having trouble. I'm also scaling down
on oral steroids and taking an antibiotic prophylactically for a few more
days. In addition, the pulmonologist who saved my life (bless him) gave me
a
prescription for an epi-pen. If I had had one of those on hand when this
event started, I might have been in a bit better shape when I got to the
hospital, since it might have opened my airways enough to allow the
albuterol to get in and do some good. As it was, the only way to get air
into me was to intubate me and force it in there--and believe you me, my
lungs *know* they were forced to breathe against their will!

As we've been discussing this whole event, it has occurred to us that my
father's asthma worsened significantly when he was my age. He thought it
was
due to having his nasal passages "roto-rootered", but given that he was
39-40 and I'm 39, it seems entirely possible that our asthma triggers are
just designed to get worse at around this age. I am much more fortunate
than
he in that there are much better medications available these days to treat
asthma preventively, though!

All things considered, I'm amazed. Monday, I was at death's door and today
I'm home with my family. I am so incredibly blessed. And grateful to have
a
second opportunity to be a better wife, mother, daughter, and friend.
Thank
you so much for caring.
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [7/22/97], Aurora [7/19/99], and Vernon's [3/2/02] mom)
See us at http://photos.yahoo.com/guavaln

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
"Loose weight, feel great!" -- fair booth sign

What does it all mean? I have *no* idea. But it's my life and I like it.

On Thu, 10 Jul 2003 14:52:51 -0700, "Circe"
wrote:

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I got home from the hospital
about 90 minutes ago and have been reading all your posts and well-wishes.

I'm so glad that it's all worked out for you. It's been an
amazingly fast turn-around for you, you obviously have good health
on your side (apart from the obvious of course!) and some very good
doctors and medical staff who worked on you. Now go lie down with a
good book for while.


--
Cheryl

DS#1 (Mar 99), DS#2 (Oct 00)
DD born 30 Jul 02

Thank God you are alright. I saw aesthma and hospital and thought the worst,
breathing being fairly important.

Good luck with your new treatment!

S
"Circe" wrote in message
news:%dlPa.744$u51.628@fed1read05...
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I got home from the hospital
about 90 minutes ago and have been reading all your posts and well-wishes.

First, let me say that I'm utterly humbled and *very* grateful to you all.
It is amazing to have such an incredible network of people you've never
even
met who are caring about you and pulling for you. I really just
feel...humbled, maybe even a little embarrassed.

I know there've been some questions as to how I got myself into this mess
in
the first place, and the truth is, it was a bit of complacency on my part
and some really bad luck. I've been treating my asthma symptomatically for
years, and I knew what I was doing was not THE BEST treatment, but three
kids and a full-time job and the thousand other medical events we've had
'round here (big baby heads, broken arms, etc. ad infinitum) just kept
pushing that visit with my doctor off. And since I was not symptomatic
often--I could go literally days without problems--and since the albuterol
and serevent seemed to work well when I WAS having trouble, it didn't seem
like a pressing matter. Things obviously changed Monday morning.

Honestly, we don't really know what triggered this event, but I went from
a
very mild asthma attack to feeling like someone had literally shut the
door
between my upper airways and my lungs in under 10 minutes. It was
LIGHTNING
fast. I had my albuterol and my nebulizer, but because I couldn't get ANY
air into my lungs at all, they weren't helping.

The plan at this point is to get me on Advair as a 2x daily preventive,
with
plenty of albuterol as needed if I'm having trouble. I'm also scaling down
on oral steroids and taking an antibiotic prophylactically for a few more
days. In addition, the pulmonologist who saved my life (bless him) gave me
a
prescription for an epi-pen. If I had had one of those on hand when this
event started, I might have been in a bit better shape when I got to the
hospital, since it might have opened my airways enough to allow the
albuterol to get in and do some good. As it was, the only way to get air
into me was to intubate me and force it in there--and believe you me, my
lungs *know* they were forced to breathe against their will!

As we've been discussing this whole event, it has occurred to us that my
father's asthma worsened significantly when he was my age. He thought it
was
due to having his nasal passages "roto-rootered", but given that he was
39-40 and I'm 39, it seems entirely possible that our asthma triggers are
just designed to get worse at around this age. I am much more fortunate
than
he in that there are much better medications available these days to treat
asthma preventively, though!

All things considered, I'm amazed. Monday, I was at death's door and today
I'm home with my family. I am so incredibly blessed. And grateful to have
a
second opportunity to be a better wife, mother, daughter, and friend.
Thank
you so much for caring.
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [7/22/97], Aurora [7/19/99], and Vernon's [3/2/02] mom)
See us at http://photos.yahoo.com/guavaln

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
"Loose weight, feel great!" -- fair booth sign

What does it all mean? I have *no* idea. But it's my life and I like it.

"Circe" wrote in message
news:%dlPa.744$u51.628@fed1read05...
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I got home from the hospital
about 90 minutes ago and have been reading all your posts and well-wishes.

First, let me say that I'm utterly humbled and *very* grateful to you all.
It is amazing to have such an incredible network of people you've never
even
met who are caring about you and pulling for you. I really just
feel...humbled, maybe even a little embarrassed.

I know there've been some questions as to how I got myself into this mess
in
the first place, and the truth is, it was a bit of complacency on my part
and some really bad luck. I've been treating my asthma symptomatically for
years, and I knew what I was doing was not THE BEST treatment, but three
kids and a full-time job and the thousand other medical events we've had
'round here (big baby heads, broken arms, etc. ad infinitum) just kept
pushing that visit with my doctor off. And since I was not symptomatic
often--I could go literally days without problems--and since the albuterol
and serevent seemed to work well when I WAS having trouble, it didn't seem
like a pressing matter. Things obviously changed Monday morning.

Honestly, we don't really know what triggered this event, but I went from
a
very mild asthma attack to feeling like someone had literally shut the
door
between my upper airways and my lungs in under 10 minutes. It was
LIGHTNING
fast. I had my albuterol and my nebulizer, but because I couldn't get ANY
air into my lungs at all, they weren't helping.

The plan at this point is to get me on Advair as a 2x daily preventive,
with
plenty of albuterol as needed if I'm having trouble. I'm also scaling down
on oral steroids and taking an antibiotic prophylactically for a few more
days. In addition, the pulmonologist who saved my life (bless him) gave me
a
prescription for an epi-pen. If I had had one of those on hand when this
event started, I might have been in a bit better shape when I got to the
hospital, since it might have opened my airways enough to allow the
albuterol to get in and do some good. As it was, the only way to get air
into me was to intubate me and force it in there--and believe you me, my
lungs *know* they were forced to breathe against their will!

As we've been discussing this whole event, it has occurred to us that my
father's asthma worsened significantly when he was my age. He thought it
was
due to having his nasal passages "roto-rootered", but given that he was
39-40 and I'm 39, it seems entirely possible that our asthma triggers are
just designed to get worse at around this age. I am much more fortunate
than
he in that there are much better medications available these days to treat
asthma preventively, though!

All things considered, I'm amazed. Monday, I was at death's door and today
I'm home with my family. I am so incredibly blessed. And grateful to have
a
second opportunity to be a better wife, mother, daughter, and friend.
Thank
you so much for caring.
--
Be well, Barbara
(Julian [7/22/97], Aurora [7/19/99], and Vernon's [3/2/02] mom)
See us at http://photos.yahoo.com/guavaln

This week's special at the English Language Butcher Shop:
"Loose weight, feel great!" -- fair booth sign

What does it all mean? I have *no* idea. But it's my life and I like it.

I *do* understand how you could've pushed your asthma aside in light of so
many other pressures. Let this be a lesson to all of us. ((((((hugs)))))
I'm so glad you got the chance to do right by yourself and will keep you in
prayers.
Teri

Circe wrote:

I know there've been some questions as to how I got myself into this mess in
the first place, and the truth is, it was a bit of complacency on my part
and some really bad luck. I've been treating my asthma symptomatically for
years, and I knew what I was doing was not THE BEST treatment, but three
kids and a full-time job and the thousand other medical events we've had
'round here (big baby heads, broken arms, etc. ad infinitum) just kept
pushing that visit with my doctor off. And since I was not symptomatic
often--I could go literally days without problems--and since the albuterol
and serevent seemed to work well when I WAS having trouble, it didn't seem
like a pressing matter. Things obviously changed Monday morning.


Don't blame yourself! As an asthmatic myself (though never having had
anything like what you had!)- it's hard to know what to do. I'm on
adavair too! and singulair and albuterol a couple of times a day.

It's hard for many moms to take care of THEMSELVES!!!!!!
You're not alone.


Marion Baumgarten

I'm so glad you're back home safe and sound!

--
Tatjana
PCOS - TTC #1 for 2 years

snip

Oh, Barbara!!! I'm *so* glad you are home! Get lots of rest, give your
children lots of hugs and relax. You really deserve it. Thank you mother for
updating us, else I would have worried even more! g I bet it feels so good
to be in your own home again.

Have a good rest of the week!

-Kara