Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Pneumonia

Wikipedia definition:
Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the lung.[1] Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolar inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid. (The alveoli are microscopic air-filled sacs in the lungs responsible for absorbing oxygen from the atmosphere.) Pneumonia can result from a variety of causes, including infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites, and chemical or physical injury to the lungs. Its cause may also be officially described as idiopathic—that is, unknown—when infectious causes have been excluded.

Typical symptoms associated with pneumonia include
cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty in breathing. Diagnostic tools include x-rays and examination of the sputum. Treatment depends on the cause of pneumonia; bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics. Pneumonia is a common illness which occurs in all age groups, and is a leading cause of death among the elderly and people who are chronically and terminally ill. Vaccines to prevent certain types of pneumonia are available. The prognosis depends on the type of pneumonia, the appropriate treatment, any complications, and the person's underlying health.

We took my dad to the hospital yesterday. Chest x-rays confirm bilateral pneumonia. They're also administering more tests as the days go on to look for additional issues. Hopefully nothing else will come up. Thus far I have been very unsatisfied with the care he has been given, primarily due to the lack of communication between hospital staff, "our computers are down." This is not an answer.
Yes, I came out here to take care of my dad. I found out he was sick Saturday night and flew out Sunday morning.
I'm still evaluating my feelings on the whole thing. There is much to feel. Waves of emotions pass through me. Spending time with him I've been writing a lot of things down about this experience, from humor he tries to share with his stoic nurses to my feelings to medications and circumstance. I may post some of this soon. Reading about the illness is scaring me, so I'll leave for now.
More to come.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

you saw my vote for J.Garner, right? you'd look GREAT with your hair like that!

i casn't believe your HERE (NM), Santa Fe?!?! no call, no visit??? :-( trace

Anonymous said...

Mariah,how's your dad? Let me know if I can help. Is he at UNMH?-Rich

Unknown said...

How's your dad doing?