When she was first admitted, she had her vitals taken as well as blood work and a UA (urinalysis). With clinical proficiency, she was able to recall her vitals from her stay as all being well above average from her normal baseline. Her blood work showed a white blood cell count of 22 (above normal). When my sister told me about her UA results, she said the physician only stated they were “grossly positive.” When I asked her to elaborate on the results, she didn't know precisely the results as she didn't go into much detail with the physician but would assume that meant white blood cells, bacteria, glucose, and blood were all present in her urine. With these result in hand, the physician started her on IV antibiotics as well as Toradol (IV ibuprofen). A CT scan revealed her diagnosis to be pyelonephritis (kidney infection) as well as urosepsis. For most patients, treatment would mean a night in the hospital for monitoring while they administered IV antibiotics. My sister, unwilling to spend a night in the hospital as a patient, knew exactly what to tell the doctor to make sure she went home. Although her condition is something that should not be taken lightly, she knew because of her age the physicians would expect her to bounce back relatively quickly upon treatment. From there, she would just have to inform them she had an appetite and was not in a lot of pain, both things she had become conditioned to over the past week. She was released from the hospital that night with a prescription for antibiotics in hand.
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