I've just returned from 2 1/2 days at Garden City Hospital. Right now I'm not even worried about how I'm going to pay them. Applications have been filed with Medicaid. It's not guaranteed they'll cover me, but at least I'm now applied and in the system.
The diagnosis: Viral pnuemonia stage 2. Had I waited another day to go in, my right lung would have collapsed, according to the doctor. I know my cousin Denny Jr. had a collapsed lung about three years ago and it took him a long time to recover. Of course, his living habits were really on the skids; he went through more depression and a longer funk than even I did.
I went to Garden City (an independent hospital) knowing about the negative feedback that Diane gave me about the place. Every time Irene went there, she ended up transferring to Henry Ford downtown because they didn't want to treat her.
I can honestly say they treated me extremely well down there; better than they treated me at Wyandotte in 1979 (tonsils) and Oakwood in 1994 (gas buildup). The staff truly cared and lifted my spirits.
I always seem to enter the hospital during national observances. In 1979, I went in on Ash Wednesday. I went Thanksgiving Day 1994 to Oakwood, Easter Sunday 2005 to St. Mary's, and now Christmas Day 2007 to Garden City. Is there a major holiday I haven't used yet?
I'm back now, discharged after my white blood cell count went down to high normal range. I feel like I did before Christmas Eve, still coughing bad, still with headaches... but not with chills, no range of motion, or black thoughts.
Reflections of my visit follow below in the next entry.
