On October 11, 2020, Annette called me to come to our family devotional around 8:15 a.m. I had stayed up late the night before working to complete video recordings for my online class. I went to bed around 2:30 a.m. Thus, I was more tired than usual that morning. When I heard the family start to sing the devotional song (If the Savior Stood Beside Me), I got up and went to the closet to put on a t-shirt and shorts.
I put on a t-shirt and reached up to unhang a pair of shorts to put on. I remember thinking that I did not feel well. Next, I remember that I was lying on the floor in the closet. I was sweating profusely (sweat was running off my head and face). I also remember that I was breathing really hard and fast in short breaths. In retrospect, I imagine that my heart was also racing. I do not know how long I had been on the floor.
I knew that I was not right but I did not become sufficiently cognizant to recognize a need to get up. I do remember thinking that Annette would eventually come to the closet to get ready for church.
At one point, I realized that my head was laying on a hanger. I grabbed the hanger and tried banging it on the closet wall to see if I could attract attention from someone. But I could barely hear the tapping so I knew that no one else could hear it.
Finally, I heard Annette open the bathroom door. I said something like "I am so glad you finally came in here." Annette came to the closet and asked what was wrong. I told her something about falling to the floor, sweating, and breathing hard. I may have mentioned that my chest hurt. She helped me to my feet and we walked to the bedroom.
I remember telling her something as we walked from the closet, through the bathroom, to the bedroom. As I talked, I realized that I was slurring my words. As I sat down on the bed, I said, I am having trouble talking. I think I also put my hand on my chest and saying that it hurt. Annette looked at me and said, "I am taking you to the Emergency Room."
She ran upstairs and got Truman. Truman came and put his arm around my waist as we walked to the truck. I got in and Annette drove us to the ER. She helped me walk into the ER with her arm around me. The attendant looked up and said do you need a wheelchair. Annette said yes.
I sat in the wheelchair. The attendant wheeled me to a window at the check-in desk. The nurse at the window asked what was going on. I said I fell on the closet floor. They asked me some other questions. I was not really aware of what I was saying or what they asked. I answered some questions. Annette filled in the details or corrected my answers.
They took me to a room in the ER. I stood up and got on the bed. They started by putting the sticky things on my chest and attaching wires. I was not completely aware. They were doing lots of things. They told Annette she could go park the truck. She left and came back. I know they asked if I had COVID. I told them I did in July.
At some point, the nurse said they were going to do a CT scan. I think I asked "what kind of cat?" When they wheeled the bed down the hall, the attendant walked really fast. I remember the wind rushing over me. My stomach became queasy when we went around a corner in the hallway. I said something and the attendant slowed down. When we got to the CT scan room, I said I might throw up. They gave me a bag and I removed my Invisalign braces. The nurse put them in a container and placed the container on the bed by me.
The lights were so bright. I could feel a migraine headache starting. They did a scan and took me back to the ER room. I gave the container with my aligners to Annette. Then I had dry heaves.
Lots of people were coming and going. I had no idea of how many and what they were saying. The lights were still really bright. I asked for a washcloth to put over my eyes. I was quasi sleeping. Then, the attendant said I am back and need to take you to the CT scan room again. In the scan room, I got on the other bed. The nurse said they would give me a shot in my IV pick and it would make my chest tingle. It did. On the way back to the ER room, turning corners made my stomach queasy again.
On one of those trips, I asked if I could go to the bathroom. They gave me a cup to collect a urine sample. I remember wondering what to do with the urine sample cup after I finished. I do not remember what I decided.
In the ER room, they turned off the lights (or Annette turned off the lights because I asked her to). I was kind of in and out of sleep or consciousness. I do not know which. I think a doctor talked to me at some point. I may have tried to throw up again. I had dry heaves because I did not have anything to throw up. I was sitting up on the bed. Annette came over and rubbed my back.
An attendant came into the room to say they were going to admit me. They were taking me upstairs to a room. He made a point to say we were not going to the floor with the COVID patients. We were going to a different floor. He took blood out of my IV pick line. He said that when I got upstairs, the nurses would always make a new poke in my arm to draw blood.
They must have told me at this point that I had blood clots in my lungs. I know they told me some time, but I do not remember when.
He rolled me out of the ER room. I have a vague memory that I may have moved to a wheelchair for the trip upstairs but I do not know for sure if this is true. I had motion sickness (I also had some level of a migraine headache). We had to stop so I could throw up. We got in the elevator. The nurse said we were going to level 5. I remember thinking we would be able to see our house from my room because we were on the top floor.
In my new hospital room, I got in bed. I remember that my toes were cold and I asked if they had a pair of socks that I could wear. I believe I was still a bit disoriented. But I was also starting to think about all of the work-related things I needed to take care of if I was going to be in the hospital.
Annette found out that Truman could bring some things to the ER desk and they would bring them up to me. We asked him to bring my laptop, glasses, iPad, and work backpack.
I may have slept some. My memory timeline is not crisp about this part of my experience.
After some time, my backpack was brought to the room. Annette got my laptop out. I logged in. Then she helped me write some email messages to my work colleagues to let them know I would miss my work because I was in the hospital.
They brought in lunch. It was supposed to be spaghetti and meatballs. The hospital had designated me as a heart-healthy diet patient. The lunch had no salt in the meat. It was not very tasty. I ate the roll. It was dry. I also ate some grapes. I told Annette she could eat the food.
The hospital doctor came by to tell me more about blood clots in the lungs, speculate if it was related to COVID (he said likely no), and answer questions. He said I had a little episode. I would need to take blood thinner medicine for 3 to 6 months.
Annette stayed with me until about 6:00 p.m. I slept for a couple of hours. The nurses came in at 8:00 p.m. to check my vital signs. I asked for permission to unhook my monitor cords to go to the bathroom. The nurse told me I could.
I slept through the night with interruptions every four hours for the nurses to take vital signs. I had breakfast at around 8:00 a.m. Another doctor made rounds to talk to me. She said that if I responded well through the day, I might be discharged Monday evening.
President Roeth (2nd C in Stake Presidency) works at the hospital as an anesthesiologist. He came to my room. We had a nice conversation about the sacrament. I asked if he would give me a priesthood blessing.
Annette came to visit around 1:00 p.m. She brought some games (Bananagrams, Rummikub, and Scrabble Slam). We played all of them. Annette won Rummikub and Bananagrams. We did not play Scrabble Slam correctly. So, we both won.
The hospital chaplain came by to visit around 2:30 p.m.
Around 4:00 p.m. the nurse came in a said we were going to be discharged because they could get a prescription for my medicine (Eliquis) to the pharmacy for us. The technician came to the room and unhooked all of the monitors and removed the IV pick from my arm. We were ready to check out at 4:30 p.m.
Annette had to leave at 5:00 to take Ashton to football and Addison to dance. She stopped at the nurse's station on her way out to ask about my discharge. They said they would work on the paperwork. The nurse came in with the discharge paperwork around 5:15 p.m. Then I had to wait for Annette to get back to the hospital to pick me up.
She was back at the hospital at 5:45 p.m. and brought me home.
[NOTE: I wrote much of this post on Monday morning (October 12, 2020) while I was in the hospital. The rambling storyline reflects my state of mind that morning and the random way that memories come back after an event. The last bit I composed the Sunday after I was discharged. I read the post again on November 8 (the day it was posted) and made few minor grammar edits. I decided to leave the ramblings as originally written.]
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