[nagdu] Ed is in the hospital
Ed and Toni Eames
eeames at csufresno.edu
Fri Oct 2 12:20:47 UTC 2009
Ed got into bed on the evening of Sept. 29 about 11:30 and was
obviously feverish. Unlike the past week when he had some night
sweats, this time his body began to violently tremble. Toni gets
severe chills when she gets cold, but Ed's shaking was beyond
anything Toni experienced! Ed got up to use the toilet, and Toni
could here his feet tap dancing on the floor. She attempted to help
him back to bed, but his body was so racked with tremors, he could
not hold onto her. Thinking he might be having a stroke, she asked
him questions, which he answered in a clear voice, but was obviously
delirious. Settling Ed in Bed, Toni quickly dressed and called
911. Rushing downstairs, she unlocked the door and put Siamese Kizzy
on the enclosed patio in preparation for the door being held open and
grabbed the things she would need for her night in the ER. To her
horror, Ed had left the bed and was standing on the top of the
stairs. In panic, Toni demanded that he not move, and rushed to
escort him back to bed.
The emergency crew of six arrived in a matter of minutes and began
their examination. The thinking was that Ed was having a diabetic
low, but his glucose was slightly elevated, so with an uncertain
diagnosis, it was off to the hospital in an ambulance. The EMTs
preferred to have Ed go downstairs under his own power rather than
carrying him down in a gurney. With a great deal of effort and
guidance, Ed made it downstairs and was whisked away by ambulance.
Given the new smaller ambulances, Toni was told she and Keebler and
Latrell would be in the way, so the rescue squad was called to take
the threesome in another ambulance. Always the skeptic, Toni was
pleased to learn that the newer, gas-saving vehicles were indeed
considerably smaller than the ambulance she had ridden with Ed two
years previously.
Thank goodness, Toni had grabbed her Victor Stream machine so she
could read talking books while Ed received a series of tests and
slept on and off. When he did get settled in a room six hours later,
he was shocked to learn that he had no memory of the evening's events
or ride to the hospital.
We've had all too much with this hospital and have always been
accepted with our guides. Latrell is easy to handle, so Toni
harnesses both dogs, has Keebler guiding and Latrell walking calmly
on her left. In the room, the Goldens are out of harness and enjoy
being fussed over by the staff. Ed's cardiologist is a real Latrell
fan and jokes he comes to the room more to visit his canine friend
than to see Ed.
On Wednesday the 30, after a brief rest at home, Toni spent the day
with Ed. Every
possible test is being done to pinpoint the source of the
infection. Jumping ahead a few days, the blood culture came back as
a gram positive coci, but the exact bacterium has not yet been
identified. If anyone has had experience with this systemic blood
disease, please let us know.
Ed is in St. Agnes Medical Center and he'd love to hear from
you. Please help keep him company by calling 559-450-3000 room
581. Cards should be sent to our home, 3376 North Wishon, Fresno, CA 93704.
It's still pretty scary stuff, so please drop Toni a line for comfort
and support.
As we've said many times, friends are our greatest gifts, and we value you.
Toni, Ed and Furries (TEF)
More information about the NAGDU
mailing list