This last month has been a whirlwind of energy crashes, with one very severe one happening last night.
It's been a long time coming, and I was afraid that this one would be bad. Well, it was. I was sitting at the dinner table attempting to assist my residents with eating. I have not been able to eat well for over three weeks now, and this night was no exception. I began feeling progressively weaker as my work day went on. When I have more severe energy crashes, I begin to go "limp" and can not hold myself up. As I was attempting to assist a resident with eating their evening meal, this began to happen in my arms. So I decided to lean on this resident's geri chair for some support. My coworker and adopted Mom, Mary saw me and asked me if I thought I needed to go to the hospital. I was beginning to lose the ability to speak, but I told her no. She then went to go find our other coworker, Deb, and had no luck. She went again to check on me and at that point I was completely unresponsive, eyes fluttering, floppy as a ragdoll, and pupils dilated. At that point she went down to find our director of nursing, who was sitting in our administrators office. She said "I need your help, now. Sam is crashing and we have to do something for her. She's not responding and I need help." Our DON immediately got up and rushed up to me, by this time my friend, coworker, and neighbor Brittany was with me and holding my hand. She asked if I needed to go to the Emergency Room, I blinked once, which indicates "yes". I could not use my eyes effectively as they were still fluttering and I could see very little. They decided then to call the ambulance, but they did not want my residents to see me taken out of the dining room by them. So, they found the smallest wheelchair we had in our dental lab and my DON and adopted Mom lifted me into the chair, and brought me into the family room. Before removing me from the dining room, they removed the residents from it. Mom Mary held onto me from the time I was transferred to the wheelchair until the ambulance came to get me. The EMT working on the ambulance crew was none other than my famed physics teacher from senior year, Mr. P. I tried SO hard to communicate with him, with Mom Mary, with my DON, etc. But I couldn't. I would do everything I could just to look at a person for two seconds and my eyes would fail me almost immediately. On the way to the hospital all I could think of was "Jesus, please please help me!", "Papa, I know you're here, and Aleia, Grandma, and Riley..please watch over me." When I got into the Emergency Room, I still was unable to move, talk, or focus my eyes well. It slowly started getting better little by little. I could nod a bit after about two hours. I finally could speak a little (but very softly and scratchily (if that's even a good word) after two and a half hours. However, I'm absolutely furious with the local Emergency Department at our hospital. The nursing care was phenomenal. But the MD, in my opinion, did not do nearly any of the things that I believed should be done. With suspected seizure activity, unresponsiveness, and the weakness, I believe an EEG (Electroencephalogram), CT scan or MRI should be done. And guess what diagnoses I walked out with?! Gastritis, GERD, and Syncope with unknown cause!!!!!! What a crock of crap!!!
To make matters worse, I called Dr. P's office and expressed to them that I need to see Dr. P as soon as possible. They told me that they would have him call me and tell me when I could be seen. Yeah well, he hasn't called. I'm furious with him too. When he calls me, if he ever does, I will be informing him of what happened and request a referral to neurology and possible GI. I also want him to consult with a geneticist whose information I gave him over a month ago. I want to tell him how frustrated I am, how I've been warning him about this for weeks, and how I need results, more quality of life, and comfort.
I talked to my DON, I went into work expecting to be on the floor. She talked me into (well, she didn't give me a choice actually), taking days off until Tuesday. I have figured out my insurance and told the hospital my information to bill my health insurance. I will be taking Zantac and Zofran for my stomach issues and attempting to eat small meals frequently. Tonight Grandma is making me a grilled hamburger and I'm having some baked beans. I'm attempting a "bland" diet as well. Ugh. Yes I'm frustrated, I'm furious.
I'm sincerely hoping Dr. P calls me tonight. I can't do this anymore. Please say some prayers for me. I am not happy with this situation at all. I do know, however, I'm very blessed. I'm blessed to have wonderful Grandparents, a wonderful adopted Mom in Mary, and a very good friend/coworker in both my DON and my friend Brittany. Brittany followed the ambulance to the hospital. I will also be contacting Sister Jane about the sacrament for the sick. Hopefully this will be able to happen after Saturday evening Mass. I am also hoping to get a Living Will and Advanced Directive in place and get some more things written down about caring for me during energy crashes and what-not. Please pray for me with this, nothing about it is easy.
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