Friday, April 30, 2010

I'm getting too used to calling ambulances

I had to call an ambulance for Eddie yesterday. He had surgery a week ago and everything was going fine. He came up to my house and he was pale as a ghost. (this was especially alarming because he is black), he couldn't breathe, I thought he was going to pass out and he had every other symptom of infection. Of course he wouldn't listen when I told him to call his doctor.

A few hours later I took him some food because he told me had not eaten. He was worse and he still wouldn't listen about going to the hospital. I got lucky. His sister called while he was in the bathroom. Normally I don't answer other people's phones but I jumped at the chance to get him some help. I explained the situation to her and all it took was a one minute conversation with her to convince him to go to the hospital.

He still tried to get out of it but I pretty much forced him to go ahead and call an ambulance which he did. Then he told him to take him to a different hospital than the one who did the surgery but I got him to change his mind about that as well. Anyway he went to the hospital and I went to work. When I got home he wasn't home yet so I assumed they kept him.

About an hour later he rang my buzzer. He forgot his keys and couldn't get back in the building. They didn't keep him but he had a bad infection in his lungs. They gave him IV antibiotics and prescriptions to take at home and he had to follow up with his doctor in a few days. They told him he was right to go to the emergency room because he had just had the surgery and if he would have waited another day they would have had to admit him - and that is the best case scenario.

I'm glad it worked out. He is much better this morning and I will be getting some much needed rest myself.

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