Sicki Ricki

Sicki Ricki sat in her room
Sicki Ricki fell down and went BOOM
All USC's doctors, and all USC's men
Sent her up to ICU then.

heeeheee I'm like Andrew Dice Clay... only not so degrading. And as you can see... VERY bored.
I have now been in the hospital almost 3 complete weeks, and let me tell you, it is hard to stay sane in here. So you may know already, but blood -- you really need that stuff. How do I know? Well it all started about 2 weeks ago. (hehehe - just kidding with the dramatics) Anyway, I had been in for about a week, and the docs were still baffled at why my LFTs (Liver Function Test) were bouncing around so much, and did not just want to chalk it up the Hepatitis C so they decided to do a little more of an invasive test to check the bile ducts (my Bilirubin was up to 10.2 and they didn't quite trust the results of the MRCP - it's like an MRI) So they decided to to an ERCP which is when they actually go down your throat with a camera to the bile ducts and take a little looksy. They did see a little bit of narrowing of the ducts this time, about 25%, but it really wasn't enough be causing my numbers to be as high as they have been. They placed some stints there just in case and we all just hoped that it would do the trick. About 4 days went by and my numbers were still rising and I was feeling worse, with added weakness, dizziness, and something a lil gross - Black poo. I had mentioned it to one of the doctors (I thought maybe one of the medicines I was now taking was the culprit) Just a few hours later, I got up to go to the bathroom and had the spins a little, but by the time I started walking back to my bed, my head was in a sweat and the room was whirling around me, when I thought to myself... I feel like I'm gonna pass....... boom. The next thing I remember I was looking up wondering what I was doing with my arm twisted behind me on the floor. I was bleeding internally. I guess, though not common, an ulcer can form (mighty quickly) at the site and just slowly leaks blood. Mine had gotten bad enough to cause the fainting spell. (I would not make a graceful damsel in distress) After that they took me to ICU and gave me a few units of blood. The next day there was another camera down my throat to fix the "leak", another unit of blood and I started to feel a little better. I joke now, but actually those 4 or 5 days in ICU were probably tougher then the rest of the time I've spent here this stay. Not only do you feel like a fish in a bowl (there is one whole wall that is just glass facing the nurses station. I was hooked up to IV's pumping me full of fluids and antibiotics that kept me going pee every hour, and I was hooked up to so many other monitors that had to be removed every time you had to get up, that I didn't even want to get out of bed to go... which by the way, the toilet was literally 1 inch away from the glass door, with only a curtain for privacy. Nice.To top it off, no shower and the smell of everyone else sick in ICU wafting into your room... (That's all I'll say about that) By the time I got out of there and back to a regular room, I didn't even care that I was still in the hospital... well almost. (Oh, and some interesting info -- to get rid of smells you can put coffee grounds in a little bowl, it soaks up the yucky smells and makes you feel like you're in Starbucks) Any ways, it was tough, and I found myself becoming more and more discouraged. I mean they are telling me that they really don't know what is wrong but I am getting sick again, and the only thing I kept thinking was "Well let me outta here then so that I can enjoy the precious time I have left with my family." I mean I haven't even gotten a Halloween costume for River yet. I was even crying to Jason to just sneak me out and take me home... "I'll come back... eventually" but he wouldn't do it. Once I got back down to the 6th floor, where I usually stay, logic started coming back, and self-pity started leaving. This really is just a bump in the road. No one really knows when they are going to go - no matter what a doctor may think.And, there are so many out there even worse off then me, many sleeping in the rooms in this hospital. I just have to continue what I was doing, go with the flow, pray for the best, and expect anything.

Hopefully I will get out with in a few days so that I can enjoy the rest of the Halloween season. Take River to the pumpkin patch and the Disneyland Halloween bash!! But for now, I am going to call the nurse in to give me some Benadryl, wrap my feet in cold washcloths (to help with the itching) and call it a night.