I still feel like my spouse's health scare ordeal was surreal. Not trying to rhyme, folks, sometimes, it just happens. In the March 13, 2023 post titled "Grateful for My Spouse, Family, and Friends," I did not go into much detail about what happened. I was just glad that the situation was over and handled. I don't think I have had much time to breathe or to really think about it much. My training as a counselor did not allow me to sink into the story-telling mode of "what could have happened." I am using Gestalt therapy to guide me into staying in the "here and now," thus denying my psyche to venture off into fallacy land. Until recently, that is. For the past few days, I have thought about the negative repercussions that could have ensued had my spouse's condition gone unattended and undiagnosed. As I mentioned in that March 13th post, a case of food poisoning around February 27th led to gastroenteritis and severe dehydration by the time we took her to a walk-in emergency care clinic on March 5th. That is when and where the medical staff ran several tests and discovered that my spouse's creatinine had reached a dangerous level of six (6). Her kidneys shutdown which medically presented as renal failure. Her condition was comorbid because of her type 2 diabetes condition. We didn't ignore my spouse's ails. We actually took her to an appointment on March 3rd with her primary care physician (PCP); she called and they managed to schedule her for a last-minute appointment. The PCP was the one who initially said it was probably just a stomach flu and added that it was viral, so we had to let it run its course. He did not run any tests since my spouse had had a regular check-up with him just two days earlier on March 1st and lab work had already been done and such, but the PCP did prescribe meds for nausea and stomach cramps, etcetera. I had an 8 a.m. appointment at the same facility that morning on March 3rd, but with the nurse practitioner (NP). I drove home to get my spouse for her appointment just two hours following mine. The PCP insisted there could be no food poisoning. Two days later early Sunday morning, as we opted to take my spouse to the walk-in clinic, we thought it would be a routine visit. We thought we would avoid the overly crowded hospital emergency room and go to a walk-in clinic so she could be seen faster and we could return home sooner. Boy, were we wrong. Signature Care (SigCare) was the facility we chose. Thankfully they ran several tests and even reran others to make sure what they were seeing was accurate, which unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) turned out to verify what they feared: the creatinine levels were much too high. SigCare arranged for my wife to be transported via ambulance to Midland Memorial Hospital (MMH). My spouse spent several days at MMH, but her care and treatment were sublime and life saving. Maybe I am being too dramatic. Her life was never at risk, per se, of ending, but her overall health was at risk of permanent damage - especially to her kidneys. Had the high levels of creatinine not been discovered when they were, my spouse could have ended up needing dialysis or a kidney transplant. So, yeah, excuse my theatrics - or not - I don't care, but I believe I am justified to have worried about losing my spouse. The way I have been feeling these past few days is probably related to finally allowing myself to contemplate the "what ifs" and such. I just need to chill and let myself process the whole ordeal, and I, too, shall be fine. I do plan on getting an appointment with an endocrinologist (as will my spouse to help her manage her diabetes) to better handle my thyroid issues. I also plan on returning to the heart doctor who collaborated with the endo since thyroid issues tend to create heart-related issues. The way my chest has been pounding lately is the same as when my thyroid issues were first diagnosed all those years ago. Getting older sucks as it just starts inciting health issues. LOL. Still, I remain grateful for my health and for that of my spouse's; we could each be so much worse off. She was a wonderful patient during her week-long stint at the hospital and home. She loves her job, and she is great at her job, so she was so ready to return to it last Monday, March 13th. She had an award waiting for her upon her return. The DPS Regulatory Division recognized her hard work as region supervisor by issuing her a citation award for her desk and a monetary raise. Like I stated in today's post title, she's a rock and a rock star.
