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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsCraftygal got a bed in ICU
Craftygal was having trouble breathing and was shaking. Called an ambulance and they took her to the hospital. A little while later I got a call from ICU saying they were keeping her overnight. She was released the next day. She's fine, potassium inbalance.
That's not the point. Read the above again.
We live in a midsize city. The nearest hospital is the busiest one in town. She got triaged right away. She got straight though Emergency. In no time she was in ICU and there was a bed available.
Why? The place wasn't packed with COVID cases. People get their shots here. There's no bullshit about masking. Mandates about social distancing are in place (my church is shut down) and few people bitch and whine.
Karadeniz
(22,563 posts)iemanja
(53,053 posts)JanMichael
(24,890 posts)Here in North Carolina in our urban areas we have a pretty good vaccine rate and we also have masks most of the time. But unfortunately most of the urban areas contain most of the high-level icus and total beds so once we go over 4,000 hospitalizations in the state we are in a state of emergency spacewise. Plus a lot of our nurses and doctors and paramedics are anti-vaxxers and they get and can't be at work.
I'm glad that not every place is like that though. I'm glad the experience wasn't bad and she was able to get assistance.
mwooldri
(10,303 posts)Urban areas one thing. Rural is another. Wifey works at a hospital in Rockingham County, not affiliated with UNC. The other hospital in the county (affiliated with UNC) and the hospital in Danville VA has been regularly diverting its patients to this hospital. This hospital's ER department is nearly always full and ambulances often get diverted from there too on to Greensboro. If they had the staff they could open a Covid floor, but they don't have the staff. Phlebotomists have quit, leaving about two or three plus what ever travel phlebotomists they can get. Lab techs are getting Covid and those who aren't sick are pulling all kinds of crazy overtime. The lab staff are generally vaxxed and boosted, unless they have a medical reason (one lab tech had an awful allergic reaction, so won't get boosted but has had 2 shots). Can't speak to the nurses and doctors because wifey doesn't tell me about them, only about the lab where she works.
Bottom line: it's effing crazy. Don't get real sick in NC if you can help it.
crickets
(25,982 posts)Demovictory9
(32,468 posts)blm
(113,083 posts)RandPaulsNeighbor
(104 posts)TrogL
(32,822 posts)RandPaulsNeighbor
(104 posts)You all need to get the Wild Rose back up and running, so you can split the RW vote and turn it back into Albertastan. Kinney is dead weight.
luvtheGWN
(1,336 posts)(except for some Albertans who pretend they're Texans).
Canada evolved as an independent nation, unlike the US that decided revolution was the way to go. Canada's motto is "peace, order and good government" as opposed to "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness".
The only time you'll find any of us close to rebelling is when some nasty politicians want to tinker with our universal healthcare
RandPaulsNeighbor
(104 posts)Wild Rose was a break away conservative political party that syphoned enough votes away from the broader progressive conservative party in 2015 to allow the NDP to wrest control, under Rachael Notley, from the PC for the first time in 40 years. On his way out, the PC leader said the Province should renamed Albertastan because having the Democrats in charge is akin to communism. The Wild Rose and PC have since reunited, as the United Conservative Party, and took back control of the Province.
So, not sure what you intended with your post, but that is what I meant.
luvtheGWN
(1,336 posts)specifically.
I just wanted to explain a fundamental difference between Canada and the US, which I believe started with our evolvement and your revolution.
As for Premier Kenney -- his performance regarding the pandemic has not been stellar, largely because he needs to pander to those wannabe Texans (freedumb and all). He's unlikely to survive the next provincial election, if he even decides to run. Probably not. He'll get a nice consultant job with a law firm and sit on various energy company boards.
BobTheSubgenius
(11,564 posts)Good on you and your townsfolk!!
relayerbob
(6,551 posts)No negative meaning at all, only that I want to move there. This one is insane.
ProfessorGAC
(65,138 posts)My wife once had hyponatremia. She was pretty close to a level that causes cardiac arrest.
Electrolyte imbalances are dangerous & not to be ignored.
Glad you both listened to what her body was screaming!
TrogL
(32,822 posts)Hence, your point, exactly
ProfessorGAC
(65,138 posts)Last edited Sat Jan 8, 2022, 06:05 PM - Edit history (1)
My wife got there before, but she was being flooded with saline and;
Her urine sodium was sky high, but blood sodium wouldn't budge.
I had to do the research myself to find that a new psych med had a declared side-effect of triggering hyponatremia.
I hustled back to the hospital to insist she be taken off that drug, and replace it with the one she was on prior. I waited until the psych doctor called back & demanded this be done.
This was around 10am. By 10pm her blood sodium had gone from 100ppm ((130-140 is normal) to 110.
By the next morning, it was around 125. By something after noon, it was over 130.
Took her off the IV. Four hours later she was still in the 130s.
Took her home around 6.
Psych doctor says to me "She's lucky she married a scientist!". I have to do her work, and she decides to get glib.
We found my wife a different psychiatrist. We launched that one the very next morning.
CraftyGal65
(8 posts)I was on Effexor which raised my blood pressure so I went back on Fluoxetine {Prozac}. I. On hemodialysis so ihave to vibe careful. I missed a run due to diarrhea which dehydrated me and my potassium numbers were to high.
I cant believe how scared I was! The doctor performed a Intraosseous infusion (IO)in my right leg. My calcium numbers were to low. If they had waited for the nurse, it would have been fine as the nurse (Eric) got it 1 but 2 iVs going for me. The ICU was amazing with me. Found out the procedure that was done on me is NEVER done ona conscious person; which I was.
The doctor and I fought. We got through it. Really wish TrogL could have been there. Covid protocols wouldnt allow it.
ProfessorGAC
(65,138 posts)My wife would have gone nuts if I couldn't be there.
In fact, given the circumstances, she might have died!
Get well soon, crafty!
TrogL
(32,822 posts)They keep saying "COVID is survivable so I don't need the shot".
That's not the point.
It's an old hospital. A new addition was built that contains the ICU ward, but it was pre-pandemic so planning numbers were based on existing projected case numbers. Emergency is in the old part of the building. Hence, if there's a massive influx of COVID cases, they're gonna get swamped.
If they're swamped and my wife's still in the waiting room, she won't be on the fancy monitor that goes apeshit when she goes into fibrillation. They won't be able to rush her over to ICU and pump a bunch of stuff into her to stop it because that bed is occupied by a Covidiot.
She dies. The Covidiot lives. Gee fucking thanks.
LoisB
(7,222 posts)milestogo
(16,829 posts)I think its because the people in rural areas have nowhere else to go.
Kaleva
(36,327 posts)Over 130,000 Trump voters live in Milwaukee County.
KentuckyWoman
(6,690 posts)Some of the trouble is regional capacity, but in a normal world it works fine.
I had the misfortune of recently passing a kidney stone and ended up using the ER - which was standing room only. I was treated well and appropriately but had to keep going into the waiting area (IV and all) because no bed space.
The ER doc said they normally run 80 -90% capacity hospital wide so even if only 10% are covid patients, then add in another 10% staff out sick ... it creates a serious flow problem.
Kaleva
(36,327 posts)We are in for a wild ride.
keithbvadu2
(36,876 posts)CraftyGal65
(8 posts)I dont have Covid. TrogL thinks he it at one point. Im completely vaccinated (2 vac, booster & flu)
I was having trouble with breathing and heart. I only was taken to the ICU because I need a dialysis run to help with the low calcu & high potassium.