Tuesday, Mark and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary in a way that I would never, ever recommend to anyone. It started off innocently enough. I had made reservations to take Mark to a screening of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. While Mark had been feeling under the weather on Monday evening, Tuesday he seemed better enough, no fever, to make the trip to NYC.
That was our first mistake. The train ride was no issue but the walk uptown seemed to do him in. He walked over to Subway to grab a water while I took our place in line. The next thing I hear is my name being called from the corner, "Joyce is there a Joyce in line?' Not good news.
Mark had felt faint, tried to lower himself to the ground but fell backwards into the counter. He wasn't unconscious but certainly not all there. The ambulance arrived, assessed and suggested the hospital because of the head injury. We opted for NYU Medical - closer to where we needed to go for the train, closer to Jess and just a more familiar area for me.
The EMT's were great. Once we arrived at NYU, we couldn't get in. All of the codes on the doors had been changed. The technician actually pried the doors open and we held them that way to be able to move the gurney through.
Once inside Mark received care and a room very quickly. Almost right away the blood results showed low sodium levels, signs of dehydration. They hung fluids, started a drip and then ordered more tests based on the neurologist assessment and others. He received a CT scan and an MRI. He disappeared for hours.
Volunteers kept stopping by to see if Jess and I were where we were supposed to be, it was comical. Everytime we asked about Mark they would tell us, he's checked in at MRI, he's checked out of MRI, now he's checked into MRI, just crazy. I am grateful that Jess was able to keep me company. The emergency room is a very lonely place especially with Mark being taken all over the hospital for hours. At one point they wheeled him through the cafeteria because they could not figure out how to get him back to the emergency room.
I should mention that Tuesday was the grand re-opening of the emergency room at NYU. It had been destroyed during Sandy and was finally finished. Although, as we soon discovered, most people could not figure out where anything was, I guess that didn't have a run through before admitting patients.
Mark tested positive for the flu which meant that they needed to move us to a private, sealed room. Which they did while he was still being moved from MRI to radiology and back. I felt like Jess and I were in a fish bowl!
The day moved very slowly. At about 10:30pm, 8 hours into our visit and the realization that we would soon miss the last train to NJ, I asked them to make some decisions. Mark's sodium levels were not increasing and they had no reasoning as to why. They recommended admitting him and the continuation of fluids promising a private room because of his flu diagnosis. He wanted to go home, I was afraid to leave and accept responsiblity for getting him on the train, the 90 minute train ride and the 40 minute drive home. So, we admitted him.
Unfortunately, there was never a bed available in the hospital so we stayed in the ER, all night. Very uncomfortable. It was very cold, very noisy and we were in the fishbowl. Each of us was able to grab a few minutes of sleep here and there. At 6:30 I asked for the nurse to take the blood and his vitals so that we could start the conversation of getting him released. Jess texted me around that time to see if we wanted breakfast, you see there is no food available in the ER, we opted for no food and a quick release. Albeit, not so quick.
It's a good thing we started the process at that time, Mark was finally released at 8:30. His sodium levels a little improved. His neck in a brace due to ligament damage sustained as a result of the fall. A mask covering his face because of his flu diagnosis. He looked a little worse for wear, I chose not to photograph him in that state, he can thank me later. As we left the building the workman were still putting the finishing touches on the entrance which was looking pretty fancy. We wove our way through the workman and hailed a cab back to Penn Station.
I glanced up, through the cab window, to see the Empire State Building piercing through the clouds. Jess would be arriving at work and we were finally on our way home.
Lessons learned:
- Do not travel to NYC if you are not 100%. (Even if it is to see Elizabeth Warren on Jon Stewart!)
- I have the best daughter in the world. She showed up at the hospital bearing food and canceled her birthday celebration to sit with me while Mark was lost in NYU.
- Be more proactive early on, I am sure had I been more aware of what was happening earlier on we could have made our way home on Tuesday, against doctor's orders, but we would have been home and Mark would have had food and sleep which are necessary to his getting better.
- Don't be afraid to ask for what you need.
- Always carry throat lozenges.
- Water is not enough to hydrate.
- Never ignore a charley horse. (Always listen to your wife!)
So, that's the long and the short of it, more the long. We are home and have been for over 24 hours. Mark is scheduled for a followup with our family physician tomorrow. I did not get the flu and I will be back at work tomorrow. From where I sit, life is pretty darn good.
