I Need to Share This.

It started on August 20 in the very early hours of the morning, my right side started hurting when ever I breathed, though I called our local 24/7 health line after several who suggested I go to the ER, I didn't as the pain seemed to go away. It felt like a muscle pain. But it didn't really go away. It moved just on the right side, on the 21, Sunday, I started having a fever, and the pain was not going away. I couldn't lay on my right side. On August 22, Monday, I had prepaid tickets to see an exhibit with my friend Jill (my best friend) even though I had a fever and had vomited that morning. We sat after seeing the initial exhibit, things went weird (my hearing made things sound muffled) on the way to the bathroom I ended up blacking out and then coming to on the floor. According to Jill, who had taken my arm, she had let go and at that point I wandered off and walked into a wall before falling to the floor. I insisted on staying, to keep looking around. And ended up projectile vomiting twice. My mom picked us up and took me to the ER. Jill was able to go home from there because of our LRT. It was determined I was severely dehydrated (I was given 3 liters of saline), and had pneumonia in my right lung. After 11 hours I was sent home with antibiotics.

One week later on August 29, Monday again, I was starting to feel better. I had a cough, but that was normal. My family doctor who I had two catch up appointments with said I was looking better. But on that night during a coughing fit I started to cough up blood. It got so bad my mom called 911. It stopped by the time they came. But I still went to the ER. I coughed up more blood after an x-ray. I was in the ER over night (in an isolation room because of the blood, and because when I was in grade 12 I had tested positive for coming in contact with TB). The next day I was sent for a thing where they sent a camera into my lungs. I know what it is, but can't spell it. On the way there I coughed up more blood. After that I was admitted, again an isolation room. That night, and the next morning on the Wednesday I coughed up more blood. Then I was sent for another procedure, after having a CT scan, where they went in and blocked the bleed. It worked. They kept me until Saturday to make sure things were good. I still had a bad cough though.

On Sunday, the day after I got home, I had a fever again.

Then on, September 5, Monday again, I was watching TV when my right side started hurting. This didn't go away and soon the right side of my chest started having painful muscle spasms. These made it hard for me to breath to the point I had to call 911, and was taken to the ER again. Here is where things get spotty for me. I know I was in the ER for some time, I remember my Dad had to leave because he wasn't feeling well and my Mom stayed. I remember being put into a ward room, having been admitted. I was in a lot of pain, as my right side kept hurting. What I learned was the next morning, I was taken down to the ICU. I wasn't getting enough oxygen. I don't remember this, but when the doctors were putting another iv line into my neck (because I needed more drugs) my blood pressure dropped to 33/30, and my heart rate to 200. Essentially if I didn't have the 7 doctors there to stable (resuscitate, a word actually used later on referring to what happened) me I would have died, and with that happening, my kidney's failed (but they recovered fully). I was intubated and had a feeding tube after for a while, and had a fever of 40c. My first real clear memories don't start again until the following Saturday. So apart from a lot of snippets, I only know what happened due to my parents telling me.

I was in the ICU for a total of 8 days. I had a port in my neck, they had changed it to give me dialyses, which was done on the Friday before things started to become clear. I had a chest tube which when into my back, because the pneumonia, which we thought was getting better, had gotten worse again, and filled up the inside and outside of my right lung. I also had catheter and a wire in my leg to check my blood pressure, these were both taken out in the ICU. Eventually I was taken out of the ICU and moved into a ward room, I was moved twice to other ward rooms while I was in the hospital. I wasn't released until Sept. 30. By then the port in my neck, and the chest tube were removed at different times.

I had a horrible cough for at least a month after this that was in my throat that is now gone and done. However, there is still some fluid that is at the bottom outside of my right lung that had become so thick the chest tube wasn't draining it anymore (which is why it was removed). Now it seems that it is scaring, and the pain is gone almost completely.

Alright, so I know that was wall of text, but I had been wanting to get this out and finally found the courage too.