Remote Living and a miserable weekend

[peternap]

There's a thread in the building section on remote living.

I had a miserable weekend and in fact, got nothing done on the house at all.

I wish he would think about all the problems related to living in the sticks but that forum isn't the place to do it.

First problem...I have a bad heart and a worse temper. When I get mad these days, I tingle from head to toe.

Second problem. I have a bad knee that was broken in two places years ago. For the last 6 months, it's been getting increasingly painful. Now, the pain (and I mean unbelievable pain) is spreading into my calf and ankle.

Third problem. I have a habit of cutting myself or geting punctures and not paying attention to them. I usually don't remember how I got them. This weekend I found a puncture in the muscle mass between my shoulder and chest. Must have been a nail because it's about an inch deep and blood poisoning has set in. That side of my chest is swollen like I gained 10 pounds. I lanced it and it wasn't any fun!

Well...I went and found my trespassers, they made me mad and I took them to the magistrates office. Later I developed a fever, knee went out and I was short of breath. Even if my knee was OK, I couldn't have walked more than a half mile.

I don't like doctors much so I didn't have to worry about that but it did take me most of the day to get home today.

Remote can get pretty lonesome sometimes.

[Sassy]

Peter, how are you feeling?  You SHOULD go to hospital if you still have infection & are running a fever - you could get septic (blood poisening)  MtnDon can tell you all about that - your vital organs could shut down... please get seen if you are still sick! 

[MountainDon]

Yeah, Peter. It could be time to see a doctor. Better that than the other professional... the guy dressed in black.

I developed a bad case of sepsis last year in June. It was a result of a complication for another colon related problem. I had virtually no warning of any serious trouble. I say virtually because the night before it hit me I did have a strange case of a slight fever and some chills. But they passed and not being one to run to the doc for every hangnail or sneeze I went to bed as usual. That was a Friday night.

About 6 Saturday morning I awoke with such a severe case of the shivering shakes it was all I could do to get dressed. I woke my wife and told her we were going to the ER. If I had been alone I could have been in bad trouble as I don't think I could have punched the n umbers on the phone pad with accuracy.

Anyhow, K drove me to the ER. It's only about 7 minutes from our suburban home. It's brand spanking new too and when we got there not another "customer' in sight. All this time I was shaking, shivering, teeth rattling, very hard to talk. They hooked me up to a saline IV as they thought I was a bit dehydrated. The doc  figured it had to be an infection of some kind, but didn't know what. He advised starting an IV anti-biotic and transferring me to the main hospital. (Our town of 80K is right across the river from big city ABQ, and we don't have our own hospital yet, just the ER and doc offices, xrays, CT  MRI machines, etc. Hospital is coming in a year or so.) So I got an ambulance ride across the river and downtown. Was feeling pretty good by then.

So they checked me into the ICU, all hooked up to monitors, etc. Then about 10 AM or so (that's what my wife tells me) the alarms go off! I recall the room being full of hospital people; nurses, doctors, interns. Everyone but the janitor. I also recall a doctor right up close in my face telling me he's going to insert a "special" IV in my neck... forget the exact details he told me. But it's purpose was to enable them to give me an infusion of drugs if needed. It was needed. My BP dropped to something like 80 over 40 or thereabouts. So my wife tells me; I don't recall at all.

In the end I was diagnosed with sepsis, a full body infection of a twelve syllable streptococcus strain. I spent 6 full days in the hospital, had a couple CT scans, and innumerable blood tests. I had developed 2 abscesses in my liver from the infection. That required the insertion of a drain and a bag. I had that for a couple weeks after being released. I also went home with my own special PIC-line IV in my arm... a catheter ran up the vein towards my chest. I gave myself anti-biotics by IV twice a day for a week, then once a day for another 4 weeks, in addition to the three times a day pills for a couple weeks.

So, it damn near killed me. The thing that causes some thought was I had plans to go 4-wheeling in Utah with a friend that very weekend. We would have left Thursday night and had plans to be in an area of Canyonlands National Park known as The Maze. It is very remote, over trails that you need a very good 4x4 to travel. There is no cell phone service in the place we planned to make camp. However, Bob had a last minute family emergency and could not go. I didn't feel like going solo.

It was a good thing I didn't go alone; I have many times before. If we had gone that weekend I really don't know if I would have survived. The only thing that could have maybe somehow tilted the odds in my favor is that my friend is a radiologist and travels with a small reasonably complete medical kit, including some strong antibiotics.

To top it all off I thought I was never going to regain my strength. It was well into late summer before I could feel slight improvement in stamina. It was fall before I was able to get back to thinning forest in the mountains for more than just an hour or so a day, before needing a nap. I got whacked real good.

So Peter, I hope this all goes well for you and you don't suffer any lengthy trials.

[MountainDon]

This all crossed my mind when Hal made his "remote living" post.

But hey, I've made that UT trip and another just as remote since.

[peternap]

Thanks Guys (gender non specific Sassy )
I just woke up..It's about 1:00 am here. Blood pressure aand pulse are down so my heart's settleing down but the infection isn't much better. I guess I'll have to go to the Doctor in the morning, He doesn't like me any more than I like him

Knee's better now that I have my brace on.

My point was that this stuff happens. It's getting all to common for me. Many people  don't think about common medical problems that just won't go away. The heart issue is almost routine and the knee/leg are an everyday problem. Throw in something as simple as an infection that gets into the system, and rural living takes on a whole different challenge.

Even if I were inclined to go to the hospital, the nearest one to the farm is a half hour after you get to the road. From what I'm told, they are really just a big clinic and serious problems have to go another half hour away.

Now that I'm back in town, I'm 10 minutes from one.

All this time I was shaking, shivering, teeth rattling, very hard to talk. They hooked me up to a saline IV as they thought I was a bit dehydrated.

I've been through this before with infections Don, although never as severe as you apparently had. The shaking is interesting in a morbid way. It's not like the shakes that come from a flu inspired fever. Seems to come from down deep almost like it belongs there.

This all crossed my mind when Hal made his "remote living" post.

But hey, I've made that UT trip and another just as remote since.

I'm not trying to say that he shouldn't take the plunge. He just needs to be prepared for problems that come up. This is a good example of issues snowballing. Had I stayed for any reason. I couldn't bring wood in much less split it. I have gas heat that can be used as a backup planned for the cabin, and gas in the camper now. I can also cook with gas.
The backups are something that need a lot of consideration.

[MountainDon]

My point was that this stuff happens.

Right on, Peter. $hit happens. It seems to happen or accumulate more the older we get. 

I hope the Doc and a dose of antibiotics will get you on the road to recovery quickly as far as the infection goes.

Aren't knee braces a pain in the neck? I buggered my left knee twice; once in a motorcycle misadventure, and again in a race car misadventure many years ago. It never really bothered me much until about 5 years ago; 40+ years after the events. 

G/L

[peternap]

Doctor at 10:30

[glenn kangiser]

I was wondering.  G/L, Peter

[CWhite]

Peter, I am glad to hear you're going to the doctor too.  Hope it turns out to be an efficient visit for you, and  your feel better soon.
Christina

[Sassy]

Peter, Glad to see you are still kicking...  Something like that can be pretty dangerous...     Keep up posted on how you're doing, you know, ya'll are family!   

MtnDon, I know about the knees!  A few months ago I was limping around, tried to use knee brace, that was awful, used crutches, that, too, was awful, used a cane... felt like an old lady  finally got an injection of steroids in the knee - worked wonders    The year before got an injection in my hip because I could barely walk, that also worked great, now I need one in my left shoulder (everything is on the left side & I am left handed    ) 

Don't like to get the steroid injections, but they have worked so well for me & only get them once a year - so figure its better to be able to function than not.

Never knew knee pain could be so bad!  Gave me a better perspective of what the patients go through...

A lot of people move back to town when their bodies start playing traitor.  We are a couple miles from a small hospital & they can air-vac you out if need be. 

[peternap]

Thanks everyone. It went about the way I expected. The Doctor knows me personally and in fact we are friends....unless it's in his office. He becomes the enemy then

The infection is bad and among other things is causing breathing problems. After the usual fight about going to the hospital, he wrote a prescription. Then the usual fight about heart surgery. I won again.

Then the knee and leg. My knee is shot and he thinks replacement is in order. The problems with my leg is due to diabetes (Duh....I paid him for that).

As usual, he wants me to go to the hospital for tests.....No thank you!

He just doesn't understand my feelings about the hospital. I'm entering the age where all my friends and family are dieing.
For the last couple of years I've spent time with people who go to the hospital for something and never leave. 6 months or so ago a close friend went into the hospital for minor heart surgery. Complications set in and he was there for several months, hooked up to life support and over medicated. They sent him home and within a week, he was dead. Never really got out of bed and I'm not sure he knew who he was.

Another friend went into the hospital for hip replacement. Had a stroke and died the next day.
Another one bumped his head, went to the hospital, had a stroke and died a week later.

Another last year went in because of knee surgery complications, had a stroke and lived but never left the hospital. After 9 month they gave him medication to clear up his confusion. Turned out to be a clotting agent too and he died.

I'm in no hurry to go but when I do, it's going to be on my terms. I am still convinced that hospitals kill more seriously ill people than they cure.

[Sassy]

Weeelllll, Peter, there are "super" bugs in hospitals - after all, that's where sick people go... so if you can keep from going in, you are probably better off.  Sometimes it can't be avoided.  Then we have the people who LOVE coming to ER - we'll see them at least on a weekly or more often basis    Granted some patient's conditions warrant frequent visit but sometimes... 

I'm there because I work there - I do enjoy it most of the time & find it rewarding.  Usually only get sick once a year, & then not very bad except for a few weeks ago...

Hope you get better soon!   

[peternap]

OOPS...didn't know you worked at a hospital Sassy. No offense intended!

[Sassy]

You didn't offend me!  Glenn is just as bad as you are about doctors & hospitals.  In fact, he's been to the doc a couple times since we've been married - going on 11 yrs!  I don't like to go to them myself.  Except when I can't walk anymore  .  Can't understand why so many people love going for every little thing 

I'm an RN at the Veterans Hosp & work in ER - yes, a "FEDERAL" employee  ya gotta wonder where I've gotten all my radical ideas 

[peternap]

Well now that I have my foot in my mouth, I guess I'd better go into detail. Just like my friend and Doctor says...what can I do....let's go hunting.

It's not the Doctors that are the problem or the hospitals or the insurance companies or even the government. It's a combination of all of the above and throw in a few lawyers to boot.

The superbugs don't bother me as much as being in a bed in a stupor. The last hospital visit taught me a lesson. I gave orders to the Doctor and wrote on the admission form.."No Pain Medication". I wanted to wake up and know where I was. I woke up and saw a bag of morphine plugged into my IV. The hospital insisted he prescribe it for legal reasons.

Somehow our medical oversight groups have missed something. Our Airedale is like one of the family. He developed Melanoma and the Vet said there was no hope. After searching the net I found Merik had come up with a Vaccine for people that the FDA wouldn't approve. It was being used on an experimental basis by one teaching hospital in NY, for dogs.

We signed him up. Cost a fortune and had to drive 6 hours each way every two weeks for treatment. But....it worked! We treat our animals better than we treat our people.

There are so many good things out there that we could be doing. Instead, we medicate and confine and eventually, the patient goes away....one way or the other.

I had a fellow who worked for me years ago. His wife was a VA nurse. Every time any of them got the sniffles, she'd have them pumped full of antibiotics. Most sickly bunch I have ever seen and I know it's because none of them have an immune system left.

God had a pretty good plan when he built us. We need to try to work within that framework rather than override it.

[Redoverfarm]

Peter didn't know you had a problem.  Hope you get it straightened out soon.

This topic regarding remote living is something that alot of people do not give alot of thought to.  I live in a very rural area of the state. 942 sq miles and only 9,000 population.  But we are only 4 hrs from DC, Northern Va, Baltimore MD and 3hrs from Richmond,VA.  There is a daily influx of people coming into the county looking for property.  The nearest critical care is over an hour away and major truma is 2 hrs.  I guess they are fed up with the hustle and bustle of metro living and think this place is the answer to their dreams.  Yes it is nice but generally they are only looking at it from a vacation experience and don't realize the potential problems when they get older and require more frequent medical care.

Peter I am sort of like you and Glenn when it comes  to Dr's and Hospitals. I probably put off going until it is a last resort. Sometimes I should but don't .But I survive.  I don't like to take medicine and rarely do.  Sometimes I am forced to take it and it seems like it usually works fairly well.  I guess my body was never exposed to it or my imune system must be working fairly good.

Anyways G/L Peter .

[peternap]

Sounds like your real near me Redover. I see the influx of city people too. Some come for weekend places because the lakes are in the next county ....but a lot come because of the taxes and lower cost of living. Very few of the latter last long but they manage to sell the property to yet more city people.

Thanks for the concern. I'm feeling better today. I think the antibiotics are doing their job. This is one of the few times I felt I needed them.

I had to laugh the other day (talking about city people)

The county courthouse area consists of a very old courts building, a few small (10x20) buildings, a couple of office trailers and 3 old historic homes. The county manager told me a couple from NY City bought one of the houses. After a couple of weeks, they petitioned the county in somewhat threatening language, to put a fire hydrant next to their house. Problem is that there is NO county water.

I noticed the house was for sale.