This is what I call my Hospital survival kit. Always packed and on standby 24/7, my HSK is a small carry bag I keep in my bedroom, that’s filled with everything I might need for a hospital stay.
If (or when) I get sick and have to go to the hospital, all I have to do is grab the bag and GO!
When you spend as much time in the slammer as I do, there are certain essentials you’re going to need to make your stay a little more bearable.
So what do I have in my HSK ?
*Introduction note: (See this earlier post for more details), but basically it’s a note from your personal physician summarizing your medical condition.
*List of medications: Since I’m probably not gonna be able to do a lot of talking to the triage nurse or the doctors, a pre-written list of all my medications comes in really handy.
*Extra clothing : Underwear, t-shirt , Socks etc.
*Toiletries: A few of the things that can make you feel like a human again, especially if you’ve been on the ventilator for a few days , are some clean underwear, a shave, a shampoo , some deodorant, and of course some good oral care help.
*Extra inhalers: As crazy as it sounds, an extra albuterol inhaler is an essential part of the HSK. Even though you’re in the hospital, it can sometimes take too long to get a PRN neb treatment. I can’t tell you how many times having my inhaler, saved me from crashing. ( If you carry one, my advise is not to tell them or they might confiscate it.)
*Phone and Charger: Hospitals can be very lonely places. Not to mention the hospital room phones can be pretty gross. My cell phone or computer is often my only connection to the outside world. Since I’m sometimes too short of breath to talk, texting is the way to go. And of course the camera is useful for blogging purposes ( as we all know).
* Pencil and paper: If you have a breathing problems, or wanna remember peoples name, or just wanna be able to fill out the food menu without tracking down a nurse, these simple items can be very useful. If you end up on bipap or a ventilator, they’re absolutely essential (unless you’re good with sign language.).
* Credit card and cash: Hospitals are more like prisons than you might think. It’s always good to have a credit card or a little cash on hand, in case you need to buy something.
So, what do y’all carry in YOUR Hospital Survival Kits?
Here we a have medication list, contacts and a summary of my medical history
(Get it?)
Actually, I was inspired by Kerri’s messy drug drawer posts, to straighten up my own medicine storage area. ( There’s all kinds of double meanings here)
No , this isn’t my medication drawer, it’s my medication ROOM! I have so many boxes of Albuterol/Atrovent nebules.. I could open up a pharmacy ( a 120 boxes to be exact).
Can you tell I’m a Virgo? (aka… anal retentive)
Just in time for Halloween! Some newly discovered horror show pictures.
Last week while I was clearing out my cell phone, I stumbled upon these eerie photos that my partner Douglas must have taken when I was in the hospital this past June. If you recall, I was intubated for an asthma exacerbation, but had a reaction to the drug propofol, known as propofol infusion syndrome . As a result, they had to stop giving me the drug, which made it difficult to keep me sedated while I was still on the ventilator.
These are some photos of me waking up on the ventilator during that event. You probably can’t tell from the photos, but I had the worst feeling of suffocation imaginable, but at the same time I was so doped up… I couldn’t react to it. It was awful!
When I first saw these pictures, it was kinda like deja vu. Now, they just plain gross me out, so I thought Id share them with my ghoulish asthmatic friends.
I can’t believe it ! I found the inhaler I lost 2 days ago .(at least I thinks it mine) It was laying in the middle of the side walk, mid-span on the bridge. Looked good as new . But just in case someone decided to use it, I took the medication canister and discarded the mouthpiece.
I rarely find the things that I loose on my walks. In the past year, I’ve lost the following items ;
cell phone
pepper spray
water bottle
key
hat ( flew off the bridge)
money
race bib
In a typical month I use somewhere around 550 puffs of albuterol via the inhaler. That equals about 18 puffs a day. (Not a huge amount for a hardcore asthmatic .) Anyway, each inhaler holds appx 180 puffs which means I need appx 3 inhalers per month. Well, today I went to the pharmacy to pick up my albuterol refills. Instead of getting the usual three inhalers (per month), the pharmacy clerk handed me only two. When I questioned why they were only dispensing two inhalers, she said, its not us ……Its the insurance company.
She said that the insurance company would only allow them to dispense two albuterol inhalers per month regardless of what the prescription says. WHAT??? So , now the insurance companies are deciding how much medication I deserve? Cmon, we’re not talking about an expensive drug. In fact, albuterol is cheap, much less than the $10.00 co-pay .
As it turns out, I have to get ” pre-authorization” from the insurance company to get three inhalers a month. Basically , my doctor has to beg them to give me more medicine.
I have an idea, if I run out of albuterol before the end of the month, I’ll just go to the Emergency Room and get it there. That will save the insurance company tons of money.
Can anyone out there relate to this……
You’ve been home from the hospital for a few days now, and you still can’t get all that electrode gum off your chest? It’s like a black rubber glue that won’t wash off. You have to literally peel or rub it off your skin! Ive been home for almost a week now, and I still haven’t removed it all. Hopefully, I’ll get it off before I have to go in again.
Now, take a look at your arms..lots of IV holes, patches of shaved skin and still lots of tape gum.. Fun isn’t it!
