Quote:
Originally Posted by prepress
I'm not even sure there's a theme here. Maybe I'll have one by the time I'm done.
There have been three major upheavals in the last month. First was the tornado devastation in Nashville; I am from there, and know people who were affected by it, even in my old neighbohood. Next was Dan's sudden passing, a big shock (and as I said when I heard of it, I don't shock easily). And then on a more personal note, there was March 21.
I'd headed to the local Stop & Shop to take advantage of the exclusive shopping opportunity for those 60 and over in the early AM. I never got very far while there, as I began experiencing mild nausea followed by an overwhelming dizziness which put me flat on my back, along with excessive sweating. The store manager called EMTs and next thing I knew I was off to Brooklyn Hospital's emergency room. I thought they'd check me out and turn me loose that afternoon. Nope. I never got to do any grocery shopping, laundry, or trip to the bank.
I explained that what occurred was probably a "vagal response" episode, which I'd had before back in January. The vagus nerve runs from the brain down to the abdomen and is the longest nerve in the autonomous nervous system. When it's overstimulated, the result is what happened to me in the supermarket, and before in January while at home. They continued to take blood samples, vitals, and even tested me for COVID-19(!). I was admitted to the hopsital on 3/23. They decided that I was good to be sent home on the 28th but I had another apparent vagal episode that kept me there over the weekend. So they then decide I'm good to be released this past Monday, AND the COVID-19 results came back positive (!). I am, of course, on self-quarantine and trying to recover from the weight loss, lack of energy and shift in diet (no more hospital food for me if I can help it). Plus it's time to move beyond Cheerios, eggs and such to more regular food. Things seem to taste different so far, too.
I guess my point in throwing this together is the reminder of the importance of maintaining perspective. Don't take anything/anyone for granted, and don't let anyone do that to you. Many of us struggle more than we need to because our perspective isn't big enough. As best I can I try to have God's perspective on everything. That's been a big help. Even though I'm concerned these vagal issues could be a new normal, they too need to be kept in proper perspective and my responses proportionate.
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prepress, man can I relate to you. I am still reeling. First I live in Nashville and the tornadoes passed very close by to our house.
I will always remember November 13, 2017. It was the day my beloved wife almost died. I am an emergency physician. I made my living recognizing "sick" folks. I had just returned from Cleveland Tn. I could sense something was wrong on Friday but she kept on insisting she was fine. I told her on Sunday if she didn't snap out of it, we were going to the doctor on Monday. My wife is a brilliant Ophthalmologist. I had a terrible time getting her off the commode on Monday morning because she didn't want to go to the er. Finally, I said let's go to the doctors office you can have the labs drawn there. We sat in the er for 2 hours. I will never forget how she put her head on my shoulder. She walked to the bathroom and sat down to wait for it to empty. Something made me go to her side and the young man took her bp at that point. He said i can't get it. I said what did you get. He said 75. At that point I thought MY GOD!! I said she going to code! Get her on a stretcher! I raised so much ruckus I almost got arrested but it worked. But they wouldn't let me go back with her because of the disturbance I made. I couldn't even think what to do so I thought to go to the Dr.'s office and get her medical records. I got a call: potassium 8.8 creat 11. I also received an apology from the er physician. She was in the hospital 2 months. I was at her side constantly watching over her. She received excellent care. November 13 2017 is a day I will remember as long as I live.
I am so sorry about your experience and hope you get well. My wife recovered and is doing well but she will never be the same again. She has decent renal function but the illness really changed her. Life is a journey and sometimes an unpleasant one.
Best
Charles