Nutritionist, ER…and a port?
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Kayla Bowden
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Kayla Bowden
Hello everyone! I’m going to try to make this short and sweet!
I am going to Emory on Thursday to see the nutritionist because I am not tolerating my formula and I am also dehydrated again. They’re going to do their initial assessment in person and then I should be able to do virtual visits after, so less trips to Atlanta hopefully!
On to the ER - I woke up Sunday in a lot of pain right at my tube site. The best way that I can describe it is that someone is pinching the inside of my stomach to the outside of my tube. The pain has only gotten worse and is now excruciating, and I am unable to walk without hunching over because of the pain. My home health nurse came yesterday and checked everything and said there’s no sign of infection and my stoma (skin around the tube) actually looks very healthy. She and my nutrition nurse want me to go to the ER asap to have it assessed for other issues that can happen with a tube. The issue is our local ER cannot do this, they will just stabilize me and send me to Emory via EMS. Hello more medical bills!
So I made the decision to wait until after my nutrition appointment on Thursday, and then I will go to the ER at Emory. My home health nurse and nutrition nurse are both aware of this and while they don’t agree, they understand the inability to get transportation for this kind of trip at the drop of the hat. So after my nutrition appointment I will be heading down to the ER and this will hopefully not be turning into another hospital stay.
Now on to…a port? I saw my cardiologist on Monday and he agrees that I am dehydrated. After looking at my arms where the IVs were in the hospital, he said I have still not healed from the IVs, and he thinks my veins will not tolerate regular IV fluids. He is suggesting that my nutritionist and GI doctor consider a port be put in to not only assist me with hydration, but also be available for nutrition if necessary. He said the risk of infection is relatively low as long as I access my port carefully, and don’t let any nurses/doctors/phlebotomist access my port who don’t have experience doing so. This is obviously fairly scary to me, so I am still hoping nutrition can find a way to hydrate me via my tube!
Finally, I want to praise God for his provision once again! As I had stated before, my insurance is being difficult in covering the liquid versions of some of my medications. One in particular is almost $300, and frankly we just can’t afford that. While we’re working to get doctors to jump through the hoops my insurance is requiring, someone has stepped up to pay for this particular medication for me! I am so thankful to this person and ultimately to the Lord for providing when my needs arise ❤️
Please, if you will, join me in praying for the upcoming nutritionist appointment, ER visit, potential port and of course the safety of my children while we’re away, and safe travels and light traffic! Thank you for reading and I’ll update tomorrow or Friday with the conclusion!
I am going to Emory on Thursday to see the nutritionist because I am not tolerating my formula and I am also dehydrated again. They’re going to do their initial assessment in person and then I should be able to do virtual visits after, so less trips to Atlanta hopefully!
On to the ER - I woke up Sunday in a lot of pain right at my tube site. The best way that I can describe it is that someone is pinching the inside of my stomach to the outside of my tube. The pain has only gotten worse and is now excruciating, and I am unable to walk without hunching over because of the pain. My home health nurse came yesterday and checked everything and said there’s no sign of infection and my stoma (skin around the tube) actually looks very healthy. She and my nutrition nurse want me to go to the ER asap to have it assessed for other issues that can happen with a tube. The issue is our local ER cannot do this, they will just stabilize me and send me to Emory via EMS. Hello more medical bills!
So I made the decision to wait until after my nutrition appointment on Thursday, and then I will go to the ER at Emory. My home health nurse and nutrition nurse are both aware of this and while they don’t agree, they understand the inability to get transportation for this kind of trip at the drop of the hat. So after my nutrition appointment I will be heading down to the ER and this will hopefully not be turning into another hospital stay.
Now on to…a port? I saw my cardiologist on Monday and he agrees that I am dehydrated. After looking at my arms where the IVs were in the hospital, he said I have still not healed from the IVs, and he thinks my veins will not tolerate regular IV fluids. He is suggesting that my nutritionist and GI doctor consider a port be put in to not only assist me with hydration, but also be available for nutrition if necessary. He said the risk of infection is relatively low as long as I access my port carefully, and don’t let any nurses/doctors/phlebotomist access my port who don’t have experience doing so. This is obviously fairly scary to me, so I am still hoping nutrition can find a way to hydrate me via my tube!
Finally, I want to praise God for his provision once again! As I had stated before, my insurance is being difficult in covering the liquid versions of some of my medications. One in particular is almost $300, and frankly we just can’t afford that. While we’re working to get doctors to jump through the hoops my insurance is requiring, someone has stepped up to pay for this particular medication for me! I am so thankful to this person and ultimately to the Lord for providing when my needs arise ❤️
Please, if you will, join me in praying for the upcoming nutritionist appointment, ER visit, potential port and of course the safety of my children while we’re away, and safe travels and light traffic! Thank you for reading and I’ll update tomorrow or Friday with the conclusion!
Comments
Debbie Murrhee
Ina Metcalf
Jordan Cooper
Kayla Bowden