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Words I Never Wanted to Know

With Ted being in the hospital and all, I am finding out a lot of things I have no desire to know.  Some of these I had a little bit of knowledge of, but, I have a lot more now.

I am finding myself very familiar with the Jordan Valley Medical Center.  Whereas, I used to get lost coming back from the cafeteria, I now can make it back without a problem.  I know that the retail pharmacy has fountain diet coke with the crunchy ice and every size is a dollar - it costs more in the cafeteria.  I know where to go to get a free newspaper.  As we sat in the surgical waiting area, all alone as everyone else was gone, we joked about the locked door across the hall.  Our Grey's Anatomy fantasies in full gear and discussing how we thought that behind the locked door were doctors and surgeons sneaking away for sexual adventures.   I walk up to the CVICU and push the button  to gain admission and they are automatically opened to me now - they know who I am.  I am on first name basis with about a quarter of the nurses there.  I adore the nurses - mostly because they adore Ted.  Amanda tells Ted and me today that Ted is her very best patient - she is sincere when she says it.  She knows he will not try and pull the respirator out - unlike most patients.  It's an automatic reaction when you are struggling to breathe to want to grab at the thing you think is causing you the problem.  She actually was going to take the restraints off of him, but, he "told" her not to.

Anyway - these are some of the things you never want to have to learn the meaning of:

Oxygen saturation:  the level of oxygen in your blood stream.  It should always be above 90% - but, it really should be closer to 100%.  Ted's was 78 when he first walked into the emergency room.

Empyema (EM - PI - EMA):  collection of pus or infection between the lung and the inner surface of the chest wall (pleural space)

Pleural:  the thin membrane that envelops each lung

Thoracic surgeon:  a surgeon who performs surgery on the heart, lungs, esophagus  and pretty much anything else in the chest.  They are probably very expensive.  I really didn't like Ted's - at first - he has grown on me.  Mostly because I now see a caring man who rubs Ted on the shoulder and calls him "my friend".  I no longer want to punch him in his ego driven face.

Ventilator:  a machine that is designed to mechanically move breathable oxygen into and out of the lungs.

Suction:  the device attached to the ventilator that allows the nurses to remove fluid and build up out of Ted's lungs - the stuff he can't cough up.  Its distressing to watch, as it is somewhat painful, but it helps him.

Restraints:  soft cloth restraints used to keep patients from injuring themselves.

Tachycardia:  an abnormally rapid heart beat.  Ted suffered from a tachycardia issue at the beginning of his surgery.  He is on medication to make sure he doesn't have another problem.

Central line:  an IV line that is inserted into a large vein, typically in the neck or close to the heart.

Propofol:  a short acting, intravenous hypnotic agent.  It's an anesthesia.  It became famous when Michael Jackson was administered fatal doses.  That is what they are using to sedate Ted.

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