Nov 5, 2010
My Story
I got released yesterday from Careplex Hospital where I spent a
week, 8 days, not my choice.
I want everybody to know what great people have been
assembled there to take care of us unfortunate ones to
have to be admitted…from the Doctors to the nurses down to
the food service personnel were all incredible, just can’t
say enough but I’m going to try…I was admitted for what
looked like Congestive Heart Failure believe I had almost
all of the symptoms except 2…..I want to thank Dr. Osbourne in the
ED and Tom my Tech for doing a great diagnosis, fluid in my
lungs for the past couple of months had now gone to swollen
feet, ankles and lower legs..
I was admitted to the Cardiac floor where the Cardiac
team started ruling out possibilities, my heart tests came
back as my heart was doing just fine, the pressures were
what they were supposed to be, yah for me. I had been
telling them I thought it was medicine induced, something
that I have been taking for the past 3-6 months was causing
major complications in me….at this point I was really worn
out from the meds, coughing 24/7, having to sleep in my
recliner straight up every night for months, could’t lie
down in any position because I would start coughing,
sometimes it would be so bad I would throw up…My
Cardiologist, at that time, continually kept putting me on
Beta-blockers. The only problem was I couldn't take them.
Every one of them caused me to cough like I was a smoker for
40 years...I have never smoked a day in my life. As soon as
I stopped taking the Beta-blocker, within 24 hours the
coughing would stop. After the 6th one I stopped taking it
but this time it was too late, the lungs were 30-40% full of
fluid, the feet, ankles and lower legs had fluid built up in
them also. Plus my sinus meds stopped working. I had called
to talk to my Cardiologist to tell him I just could not take
these Beta-blockers and he said I want you back on them...I
was furious, I finally told him that wasn't going to happen,
end of that conversation. The past 2-3 months I was being
seen by him and his Nurse Practioner, they were keenly aware
of all of the problems or symptoms, the coughing 24/7, not
being able to sleep unless it was vertical in my recliner,
fluid in the lower extremities plus the breathing
problems.
Dr. Mohammed took care of me from the ED to discharge and
he did an incredible job, I owe him my life, that’s how
good of a job he did, always studying, always asking
questions, most importantly, Dr. Mohammed actually listened
to me at every step. I knew exactly what he was doing and
what my next steps would be….Incredible job for a great
Physician….as did his partner, Dr. Mulugeta. At one point
we were still trying to rule out the last 2 possibilities
and he was leaning one way and other Docs were leaning the
other, I told him that He had my complete confidence and had
brought me to this safer point so just go with his gut
instinct because I trusted him completely, he had already
proven himself to me, he was on top of everything, he did
not miss anything.
He was always out at the desk doing extra studying,
coming back and asking questions which I provided with full
answers..
Unfortunately I did not present him with either a simple
diagnosis or simple symptoms, there were multiple
complicated problems and now after several months the
problems had compounded.
As the tests started being run and results came back the
real problem was being narrowed down. Coming down the home
stretch, it was revealed that Norvasc 2.5 had caused these
complications. Thanks Dr. Banks, one of my other
Cardiologists!!! My wife & I watched
the CHF video and were amazed to see that most of the
symptoms I had, wish I had known that months ago…..Dr.
Goldberg, my Pulmonologist, made some great discoveries also.
There was a restricted air passage, blocked by about 35%
which he was able to treat using a steroid inhaler instead
of an invasive procedure.
I can’t say enough about my Nurses, Crystal Jones,
Cassie Verlander, Pat, Charlotte, Temeka, Lisa, hopefully I
didn’t miss a lot of them because they were incredible.
What a great team of Nurses that have been assembled here at
Careplex.
I can honestly say that without them and my incredible
Physicians , I probably would NOT have survived this. As it
was, I sincerely did not think I was going to be coming home
from the hospital this time, I was just that sick. But
Thanks to my Physicians, my Nurses, even down to Jerome in
Food Service, having to get creative with me because I had
completely lost my appetite, but Jerome came though also,
this is what Sentara has tried to create from day one, and
they have truly succeeded…….Dr. Ridley was on call over
the weekend with me and Sunday he noticed that the potassium
IV was causing me to retain more fluids than I was getting
rid of, we changed it back to pills and the fluid loss
really started then. I asked Dr. Ridley if he would take
over as my new Cardiologist and he agreed he would. Prayer was what finally pulled me out
of the dungeon and headed back to healing…..I had hundreds
of people sending HUNDREDS of cards, emails and prayers,
especially my Wife and my Senior Pastor Joe Hunt, WOW.
I’m back home and feeling great, lost 20 lbs…. A nap
after Adult Bible Class & Church had me waking up
feeling like I was 30 yrs old again…I'm back to being able
to sleep in my own bed, even naps in the afternoon
occasionally.
Bill Warren
