A week ago (June 5th) I went in for a routine physical. The next morning I was in the ER.
On Thursday I went to my Dr for a scheduled checkup and she didn’t like my BP (blood pressure) so she gave me a prescription and ordered my labs which I did on the way out. The results came in early Friday, my wife was very unhappy and frantically googling to tell me how bad they were haha. I thought all of this was kinda cute/funny, all good wives are like this. 15 minutes later my Dr called and said GO TO THE ER NOW! IMMEDIATELY! There was no laughing. So straight to my local ER I went. When I arrived they hooked me up and were blown away with my BP results taking them several times in different ways and by different people in disbelief. 261/160, not even my highest as I would also start freaking out a bit. I didn’t really understand at the time, like ok let’s calm down and take some medicine, it’s fine I don’t even feel weird or anything. So things started happening – lots of IV medication and fluids but it seemed the results weren’t good enough or acceptable. Still hovering around 200/140. This is when I got my first talk with a Dr. She told me at some point later that day I was going to need to be transferred to a bigger hospital with more recourses, as my local ER didn’t have the means or the specialists available on site. (While I was told some things, none of it seemed or was worded seriously enough that it got my attention). I was transferred late that night to Allenmore Hospital in Tacoma. Same situation different place, quickly got me hooked up and time for more meds. The next day is when everything changed. A Nephrologist (Kidney Dr.) came in to meet with me. After a few minutes of chatting and questions he laid it on me, and rightly so. My kidneys were failing and barely hanging on – stage 4 kidney failure. I had now learned why all the fuss and urgency. The news hit me like a ton of bricks, emotions in all directions. I learned I would likely need dialysis in the near future and need to be put on the donor list soon. There was no drug or treatment that was going to change the way my kidneys are, and it was my kidneys forcing my BP out of control and it wasn’t ever going to come down naturally. Lots of medication and 5 days later I walked out of that hospital the same as I walked in, feeling fine just with a lot more on my shoulders and heart and in my head. While my BP is still scary high with more and stronger medication needed in the immediate future, it is so good to sleep in my bed and be with my girls and family and friends. My life has changed and will never be the same. This part is probably a long ways from fully setting in. Diet, lifestyle, financial costs are only a few of the things forcing change in my daily life. I’m sorry for the length of this post (novel) I’ve always been a here’s the short version but then you get the extended version of the long version kind of story teller haha. This was extremely hard for me to write as I tend to keep quiet about my life especially on a personal level. I feel, at least physically very normal. I love all of you and appreciate your thoughts and prayers. This truly means the world to me and my family.
If you know me then you know this next part is almost impossible for me. I’m going to ask for your money hahahahaha. I find it hard to ask anyone for anything even the slightest bit of help. I’ve never shied away of handing my help out to anyone at anytime, but this feels so wrong to me and I’m really struggling with this more than anything at the moment. I’m going to ask you donate to help my family with funds for current and future health needs. PLEASE know that I will not judge or care in the slightest if you don’t donate, I will not be looking or checking to see any of this, it isn’t my style.
Thank you to everyone who took the extended time to read this, I truly appreciate every single one of you. Writing this was easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I love you all.
-Steve
