I had my third ER visit on Sunday after my ketones were at 80 per the test strips Alere (the home health company) provides and my weight had dropped another 3 lbs. They gave me 2L of fluids with glucose and 4 mg of Zofran (on top of my 1.4 mg/hr with the pump AND the 1 mg bolus I’d had on the way to the hospital) and sent me home better hydrated but feeling about the same.
But yesterday I felt amazing! I ate! Real people food! And drank! Whole glasses of water! And DTD with the incredibly patient Daddy in Training for the first time in weeks.
And then this morning I woke up and felt like crap again. I always feel amazing the day after they jack me up with fluids, but the next day it’s like it never happened. I just can’t get ahead. I can’t even maintain! I’m still losing weight, I can barely eat, and any liquid splashing around in my stomach is torture!
I called my Alere nurse today and told her I just cannot keep doing this. They already had to get a pharma consult to get me on the dose I’m at on the pump, so I’m guessing going up much more isn’t a good option. Plus I keep having to go back to the ER, at $150 a pop when Alere is supposed to be able to do my fluids and insurance is already paying for it — but they can’t do it on an emergency basis, just as part of a regular schedule of care. Gee, that’s helpful.
So now I’m waiting for her to call me back. She’s talking to my doc about putting in a PICC line so I can have fluids all the time and become a functioning human being again. Concept, right? But I’m a little freaked out about the PICC line. Should we try regular IV fluids first or go straight to the PICC? Will I have the pump AND the PICC or just the PICC? Is this really a good idea?
I know it’s gotta be better than driving 30 min each way to the hospital and dropping $150 several times a week, but I’m still kind of freaked out. Guess waiting is the only option right now…