On the Road

It has been a nightmare, but at least we woke up and it is nearly over. I came home from work 2 weeks ago and Mr. W. was incoherent. He was sitting on the edge of the bed and he could not answer my questions. I dressed him and took him to the emergency room (thank goodness we live on Long Island, the Land of Nail Salons and Hospitals). We went to a different hospital this time.

After pulling some strings (thank you dear friend and neighbor), we were seen by the head of the Emergency Room immediately. Mr. W. was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, complete pleural effusion and a collapsed lung. He was not getting any oxygen to his brain! The surgeon inserted a chest tube that night and the next morning he was rushed into surgery to clean out the inside of his lung and his whole chest cavity. They also had to remove a portion of his lung that was infiltrated with dead tissue. He came out of surgery on a respirator and with 2 chest tubes. The surgeon told me he would be in the hospital for 3 weeks.

3 WEEKS??? NO WAY! I stayed by his side, day and night. I was his caretaker, his advocate and his mouthpiece. I am happy to say we were out of the hopital in 8 days. He still has a lot of pain and he is still very weak, but he will definitely recuperate better at home.

Thank you for all your prayers. Thank you to my kids who pulled together in a way I never thought imaginable. Thank you, God, for a wonderful outcome.