Monday, January 30, 2012

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP

That’s a sound I heard just before daylight the other morning. Even though I was in a deep sleep, that is a sound that will wake me. I have pulmonary arterial hypertension, a life threatening disease that affects both the lungs and the right side of your heart; and I am on an IV medication… a line goes into my chest and directly into my heart where a life-maintaining medication flows through that line and is run by a pump; I am attached to it 24/7/365. When it malfunctions it goes BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.

Upon occasion I have rolled over in bed and kinked that line, shortly thereafter I will hear a BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. I move, check the line and the beeping stops. This time that sound continued. I was thinking ‘did I forget to do my medicine last night’ – there again the pump will set off that alarm to let me know my medication is low. Now I had to get up, put on the lights and check my pump. The reservoir setting indicated that it was in a normal range. I also checked my calendar. HMMM

I checked my dining room table (that is where I mix my medicine)… no sterile drape with empty bottles of medicine, syringes and all the other goodies that go along with mixing and I mix every other day. Nothing, nada. HMMM

BEEP, BEEP, BEEP once again. Hmmm, this time it sounded further away.

I had checked the line, no kinks. I had checked and no leftovers on the dining room table (I mix late and put all those used/empty items in the garbage the next morning). The pump was at a setting it should be; and it’s still beeping. ??? O.K., so apparently it isn’t the pump. I followed the sound and it led me to my bedroom. It wasn’t the alarm clock and then again beep, beep, beep. I was getting closer. Then it dawned on me. I take my cell phone to bed with me (I use it as an alarm clock for my other meds)…. THAT battery was running low so BEEP, BEEP, BEEP!!!!

Just another adventure with having a life threatening disease; knowing enough that I checked everything out and how we learn to cope and how life does go on.

Remember to smile – it’s contagious.

Merle

2 comments:

Colleen said...

Well I'm glad it wasn't your pump at least!! Must be frustrating losing sleep trying to figure out what the heck it is, though!! lol

Teddybear said...

I was thinking it was the smoke detector. I am glad to hear it was just your cell phone and not your pump. So glad to see you writing again, Deb.