2800 miles and dehydration

So, what does driving 2,800 miles in 6 days and then returning and working hard outside on a hot humid day get you?   Well, in my case a trip to the ER on Monday afternoon.  I had some more trees to finish up and it was very hot and humid out.  I was in a hurry to finish the job so we could get out of here on Wednesday for a trip in the motor home to Concord, NC and attending our daughter & FSILINC's 30th wedding anniversary celebration.  Bad move on my part.  Even though I was drinking a lot of water, dehydration had set in and it floored me.   I won't go into the fine detail, but needless to say Gerry drove like Jimmy Johnson getting me to the ER in Waynesboro, PA.

By the time we got there I was feeling a little better but was still disoriented and had them admit me.  Whenever an old man my size comes into the ER they immediately think one thing.  Heart problem!  They did an Xray and then a cat scan and thought they detected a clot in my lungs.  Things went down hill from there.

They admitted me to a room and started poking, giving me shots, weighing me ( this seemed important to them ) and put me in a bed.  The first night was wild with nurses and everyone including the janitor coming into my room wanting me to do something.  Shots galore and not the kind you drink.  I didn't get over 30 minutes of undisturbed sleep at a time during that night.  The next day was more tests and head scratching by the doctors.  Now they weren't sure it was a blood clot since everything else seemed ok.  

Finally, today they decided to do another cat scan with the iodine being put into my system from my right arm.  This time there wasn't a clot to be seen and they decided it was a false read from the first night.  I went from having to be on cumadin and another drug to being cleared to leave the hospital.  Whew, close call.  

I came home this afternoon and have been feeling fine and now am ready to hit the hay and get a good night's sleep.  Now you may understand why I decided to take off from writing the blog since I didn't know how things were going to turn out.  

My tree cutting days are over and just in time.  We have two nurses in the family, a daughter who spends a lot of time in hospitals, a concerned wife, two other children and others who have volunteered advice to me on this matter.  I have heard it all and will take heed in the future.

We had planned on leaving today in the motorhome and taking our time getting to North Carolina, but since it is too late, we will be driving the car down and staying in a hotel for the weekend.  Then we will move to one of the kids' place for a few days and return to the cabin.

These were my last few days, how were yours?