A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Diane Atwood, a former health reporter for WCSH 6 in Portland and now writes her own blog about health and wellness called “Catching Health.” Please check out her blog.
Here is her story from our interview… Some of the details have not been shared until now. She is the first to write about my near death journey… Please read.
Nutrition in the ICU was very elusive for me. It is understandable that nutrition the first week in ICU was non-existent since I was mostly unconscious and had 14 IV bags of different medications plugged into me to keep me alive. Very understandable. Continue reading Nutrition in the ICU
From July 17, 2018, also known as DAY ONE, I have been taking multiple medications to keep me alive. Some are antibiotics for the pneumonia and sepsis. Some are for blood pressure. Some are for my heart. And some are for the nerve damage. Last week, first week in January, the doctor said I could stop taking the antibiotics for the pneumonia since there was no change in my lungs over the last six weeks, since my last appointment. Continue reading Medications that kept me alive
Guest Writer
Dana went into the ER in the early morning hours of July 17, 2018. At that time she was struggling to breathe and turning blue. She could not talk because she could not catch her breath.
Once the decision was made to bring her up to ICU, everything moved quickly. Once the oxygen tube was inserted in her throat and she was given medicines, she was kept sedated enough so that she wasn’t communicating.
That was scary. When the medications were lessened to see how she would do without them, she’d open her eyes and try to motion with her hands, but they were tied to the bed so she couldn’t pull the tube out or any of the wires and IVs attached to her.
After about a week of this, and this is after her near brushes with death, she motioned that she wanted to write. Someone brought her paper and a magic marker.
There were a lot of staff and family in the room at this time. We “hung” onto each word she wrote. Not being able to communicate with her, not getting responses from her, was making the situation so much more excruciatingly painful.
It was difficult for her to write since her hands were tied to the bed and so they were untied with someone on each side of her in case she went for the tube.
Her fingers had turned blue and were stiff and starting to swell so those circumstances made it difficult for her to hold the magic marker, too.
But she managed to write. The first word she wrote was, “Did,” so we knew she was going to ask a question. It took her a while to write the next two words: “I have.”
We were so excited that she was communicating!
She completed her question: “Did I have a kid?”
The room was very quiet and everyone looked at each other wondering why she would ask such a question.
If you’ve gone through childbirth you would definitely know. But she hadn’t.
Then it dawned on us that while she was in that semi-comatose state, a patient had delivered by C-section on the maternity ward and the mother was brought up to ICU for extra care. Her baby was brought up to her throughout the two or three days she was in ICU. And what do babies do? The baby cried.
The first time we heard the baby crying, we asked staff if there was a baby on the floor. They said yes. We overheard the patient’s visitors talking about the situation later in the waiting room.
Everytime we heard the baby cry, even though Dana was “out of it,” we would talk to her and tell her about the mother and the baby.
By the time Dana wrote her first message to us, the mother and baby were no longer in ICU.
It just goes to show how much patients can hear when you think they can’t hear.
This story has become one of our favorites. We all had a good laugh when we realized why Dana asked if she had had a kid!
As the events unfolded in the ICU and days stretched from days to weeks, we kept all the notes that Dana wrote to us. The notes have been organized by date and that has helped us write this blog.
I waited a week in between amputations of my toes on my left and right feet. The left foot was done first on Aug. 21, 2018, followed by the right foot on Aug. 28. The incisions on the first foot were given time to heal. I was expected to get up and on my feet the day after surgery on the first foot.
I remember that the day of my first amputation on my left foot, I wanted to get up and try walking, but the hospital was understaffed and no one was able to walk with me. I was kind of defeated (haha) that I couldn’t walk. I was bound and determined! Then a few hours later the pain hit me!
Wow, there weren’t enough drugs in the world to not feel THAT! I think my physical response to the surgery was being monitored because I had so many different bodily functions screwed up from the pneumonia, sepsis, tracheostomy, blood pressure, malnutrition, and so on.
My second surgery was completely different. I was in so much pain the second I woke up. I started to cry immediately and the nurses gave me more drugs (maybe Fentynol) and that stopped the pain for a while. The right foot was more damaged than the left, so it had more nerve damage. The pain was excruciating for the first week or so. I just had to go with the flow and deal with a lot of it. I hate to take drugs of any kind, but I will say, thank goodness I had some while in the hospital!
If you’re squeamish, you won’t want to scroll down to the bottom because I have included some of the photos of my toe amputations. I’ll give another warning before you get to the photos in case you don’t want to see them.
Aug. 21, 2018
Dana is in the OR. Should take an hour. She said her nickname can be Flipper and that she always wanted to be a mermaid when she was younger.
Dana is out of the OR. Great news! Doctor did partial amputations of each toe and big toe! The other foot will be assessed Friday.
Aug. 28, 2018
Out of surgery. Surgeon just called me. The doctor was surprised to only have to remove about the same length of toes as on the other foot. Did not have to remove the entire big toe as the doctor suspected. Removed black fingertips. No need for surgery to shorten finger bones.
Second warning
Just to lighten the mood, while I was in the hospital, I spent a lot of my time day dreaming about all the cute summer outfits that I didn’t get to wear because I missed the whole summer (just about!). Instead, I put together outfits that I would want to wear for the fall season.
I’ve inserted a cute outfit that I put together and am selling in my shop. After the cute outfit are the photos of my right foot after my toes were amputated. If you don’t want to see the photos, then don’t scroll past the cute outfit.
Be sure to visit my “shop” on my blog where I have grouped together a lot of clothes to make complete outfits just like you might see on Pinterest or in Facebook ads. But I’ve made sure that all the clothes in my outfits are reasonably priced and available for purchase. (Except for Coach bags of course!) My favorite places to shop include Hollister, Macy’s, Kohl’s, American Eagle, Amazon and a few others. Visit my “shop” online to see other complete outfits I’ve put together. Enjoy!
The graphic images are right here so stop scrolling if you don’t want to see them!
The first image is of my right foot with my five toes intact. Pre-surgery. My toes turned black due to lack of oxygen when I had the four vasoppressors constricting blood flow to my extremities so that my brain and internal organs got the oxygen that my lungs couldn’t produce on their own.
My toes turned black pretty quickly. They were already turning blue when I got to the hospital on July 17. That pneumonia was kicking my butt! I couldn’t breathe on my own and was intubated. The pneumonia was hanging on and my lungs were so full of it that I ended up with a tracheostomy. Scroll down for more images.
By the way, my toenail tips look so white because I had a French manicure on my toes at the time I went in the hospital. The tattoo on my right foot is in remembrance of my cousin Ryan Guay who was killed in a motorcycle accident while attending Harley Davidson motorcycle school in Florida. Ryan was a fun guy!
I’m just about to have the bandages on my feet changed. The left foot looks okay. Still tender and painful though.
Sutures always make an incision look scary. There are black stitches showing and iodine lotion plus a little dried blood. What you can’t see is how much it hurt.
The surgeon cuts off enough bone so that the skin from the back side of the foot can be brought up and over the toe to the front.
Even today when I try to use the treadmill, the bottom of my feet hurt. They are not completely healed.
As you can see, I’ve been through hell and fought my way back! Life lesson learned, the hard way! It has made me appreciate the little things in life and I’m grateful for them all! I always knew I was strong, but this just made me stronger! A HUGE price to pay, but I am still here and ready for my new adventures!
Thank you all!!
Hello everyone!
As you all are aware it is cold/flu season. Everyone is coming down with some sort of virus, and no body wants to be sick! Especially when you are still battling pneumonia.
I have to apologize for not posting the last couple of days; no, I wasn’t on vacation in the Bahamas getting pedicures on a tropical beach, haha! I actually haven’t been feeling well this past week, and my breathing started to get shallow and I felt “junky”. So, I didn’t fool around and went right to my primary doctor. Better safe than sorry!
My doctor did a check up on my lungs and she agreed that my lungs sounded a little more congested than she would like to hear… So without having to go through multiple tests, she prescribed me with a five day dosage of antibiotics. I have a follow-up visit at the hospital for x-rays at the beginning of next month. My doctor is being proactive, given my health history.
I am ok, just taking it easy. So my advise to you all, is don’t second guess your body and how you feel. Make a doctor’s appointment or go to your local First Care Unit. Health is important to us all!
With that said, stay warm, be safe and live healthy! Or just fly to the Bahamas and lay on the beach and get a pedicure for me! 🙂
These are some of my favorite local charities that need help all year round, but especially at the holidays and during the winter months when resources are scarce for many in our community.
I’ve donated coats to Trinity Jubilee Center and they were very appreciative.
When I was in high school I created and printed a brochure for Safe Voices as part of a graphic design class project (Safe Voices was called something different back then).
If you can help in any way at all, please contact these organizations directly. I am not affiliated with any of these organizations nor do I receive a commission from your donation to them. I am simply sharing contact information and getting the word out that you can help — it does make a difference.
Many organizations maintain a Wish List on their websites.
• Franco Center, 207-261-5240, dscammon@francocenter.org. Website: www.francocenter.org/donate
Mailing / physical address: 46 Cedar Street, Lewiston, ME 04240
• Trinity Jubilee Center, 207-782-5700, info@trinityjubileecenter.org. Website: www.trinityjubileecenter.org
Mailing address: 247 Bates Street, Lewiston, ME 04240
Physical address: 51 Spruce Street, Lewiston, ME 04240
• Tree Street Youth Center, 207-577-6386, info@treestreetyouth.org. Website: www.treestreetyouth.org
Mailing/Physical address: 144 Howe Street Lewiston, ME 04240
• New Beginnings, 207-795-4077, info@newbeginmaine.org Website: www.newbeginmaine.org
Mailing/Physical administrative address: 134 College Street, Lewiston, ME 04240
• Good Shepherd Food Bank, 207-782-3554, Website: gsfb.org
Physical address: 3121 Hotel Road, Auburn, ME 04210
Mailing address: PO Box 1807, Auburn, Maine 04211-1807
• Safe Voices, 207-795-6744, Website: www.safevoices.org
Administrative Office mailing address: P.O. Box 713, Auburn, ME 04212-0713
I love this time of year!
Getting together with family and friends, focusing on what’s important, finding the perfect gift, cooking up favorites, decorating, and watching holiday movies. Oh, and hot chocolate and cookies, too.
Have you been asked to a holiday party? I’m excited to be able to share a free downloadable game to play at this year’s Christmas party. You can print it at home at your convenience. CLICK HERE.
Have you been watching a lot of Christmas movies? Check out my list of favorite holiday movies if you’re looking for something good to watch with the family. Click HERE to go to my Christmas movies page. I have a Bucket List of Christmas movies that you can download for free. CLICK HERE.
Next I’ll be sharing a Christmas recipe that you can use when you’re going to a Christmas party. It’s one of my favorite “what can I bring?” recipes.
Have a great day! Make it sweet!
Love,
Dana
Are you planning a vacation for you and your family? A weekend get away with your friends? May I suggest Vegas?!
If you haven’t been, don’t judge just yet.
The first time I went, I was so nervous, I didn’t really know what to expect other than what you see on tv and in movies. I was thinking either glitz and glam or dirty and nasty… Come to find out, it’s pretty amazing!
Malls that have full sized aquariums inside, amazing architecture everywhere you look, restaurants, fountains galore and of course, casinos!
The casinos are super clean and for the most part, quite friendly. (Of course they are, you’re spending money)! Just walking around the casinos is fun, even if you’re not a gambler. The atmosphere is electric! The people watching, the lights, the statues, the exhibits… Although, dropping a $20 in the penny machines is pretty fun, even if you don’t win, and you get free drinks!
I’ve been to Vegas twice, I’m not an expert, but I can give my opinion, it’s definitely worth a visit! The first time I went I stayed for 3 days and 2 nights. That was perfect! Just enough to get away and enjoy your time there. You can walk everywhere and see most of the sites in the first day. And then of course have a great night!
The second visit, I stayed for 5 days and 4 nights, that was a day too long! It was a system overload. It almost got old by the 4th day… but that’s just my opinion!
The food is amazing, tons of things to do, go to a broadway show, museums, exhibits, street performers, it is never ending!
All in all, Vegas is a great vacation spot for any type of getaway! You can check out the link below on my page and see some of the attractions that are offered. Well worth the look!
The Best Slow Cooker Lasagna
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper, to taste
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 jars favorite spaghetti sauce
1 box lasagna noodles, don’t use the no-boil kind
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese
1. In a small mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese and the egg. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, brown the beef, onion, green pepper and garlic over medium-high heat until the beef is no longer pink, breaking it apart into small crumbles, and the vegetables are tender. Drain fat from the pan.
3. Add in the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 30 seconds.
4. Add in the tomatoes and sauce. Stir to combine. Let simmer for about 20 minutes to let the flavors meld together. Taste and adjust seasonings.
5. Spoon enough of the sauce to cover the bottom of the slow cooker.
6. Into your slow cooker evenly layer in the following order (take care to make sure the layers are as flat as possible):
* Lasagna noodles broken to fit the shape of your slow cooker (a little overlap is absolutely fine).
* Spoon a third of the meat sauce on top of noodles. Make sure noodles are covered.
* Add a third of ricotta mixture in small spoonfuls along with a third of the mozzarella and Parmesan. Spread evenly.
* Repeat these layers ending with the cheeses on the top.
7. You will likely have some noodles left over, using them all in the slow cooker would be difficult.
8. Cover your slow cooker with lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
9. Let the lasagna cool for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Check out Kohl’s for a new crockpot!
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