reflections

Programming, interrupted

Eric Matthes

Sep 26, 2024 — 2 min read

MP 115: A surprise trip to the ICU instead of a planned trip to DjangoCon.

Content notice: Discussion of a serious medical event; the discussion is not overly graphic.

This week has gone a lot different than planned. I was supposed to be at DjangoCon this week, but instead I spent the weekend in the ICU.

Last week I had an elevated heart rate whenever I had any minimal amount of exertion. I had to sit and rest after climbing a single flight of stairs. I'm used to climbing mountains on a regular basis, so that was really concerning. I thought I was fighting a virus with few other symptoms, because I'd been feeling run down and had a really mild fever at one point. A visit to urgent care showed no indication of a need for emergency intervention. But a blood test at the end of the week indicated possible clotting in my blood, and I was told to go to the ER.

It turns out I'd been walking around with a bilateral pulmonary embolism. My lungs were mostly blocked, but my overall fitness level let me walk and talk with no other symptoms than an elevated heart rate as long as I wasn't exerting myself too much.

stuffed Corgi in foreground, with flowers in front of hospital room window in the background — Small gestures mean so much when medical stuff happens. My son brought me his stuffed Corgi to sleep with while I was at the hospital, and it melted my heart.

I won't go into more detail, but that's why this week's post is not directly about Python. I'm deeply grateful for the medical providers I saw this weekend, for my family and friends who supported me in ways that go so far beyond words, and for the people I've come to know in the Python community. I didn't miss programming over the weekend, but I sure missed the people I've met through programming.

I'm on the mend, and next week's post will be back to a technical focus. Experiences that touch on your own mortality are always a kind of reset, and I've been fortunate to have just a few of them in my life. Each time, I've been happy to note that there aren't a whole lot of changes I need to make. I love the people in my life, and I love the work I'm engaged with.

I wish you all well.

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Out of the frying pan...

Amend your git commits

Django from first principles, part 18