It's amazing how the simplest things in life can snowball into something unimaginable. So many times in my life, I have been the caretaker of my children when they got sick. Just like every mother I know, you love on your children when they aren't feeling well. You hug them, lay next to them, and reassure them that everything will be okay. You are selfless and give your all to your child. You do this without regard or worry that you will get sick as well. This is exactly how the fight began...Emily came home from school with the swine flu.
During 2009, the swine flu (aka H1N1) hit the U.S. with a force that stunned the entire country. There were warnings from the CDC and vaccines were made available to those with the highest risks i.e. young children and pregnant women. Some cases were less serious than the regular flu and some not much worse. Of course there were a few cases that made the headlines as catastropic and deadly. Emily's case lasted all of 4 days...just a minor inconvenience and a nice break from school (at least in her mind!).
She went back to school on Friday, and I went back to work. Fridays are always kinda of crazy; that day was no different. My co-workers as well as myself were too busy coughing to really get much done. We sounded like a strange chorus barking out in sync and then we each had our solo moments. I'm sure others in the cubicles around us were enjoying it as much as we were. A beautiful way to end the week *sarcasm*. At the end of the day, I was exhausted feeling much worse than expected.
Being a Fiday I considered calling the doctor, but I decided to diagnose myself which I do frequently. However this time it wasn't the ebola virus, I was sure I had the swine flu just like Emily; and I would be over it in a few days. The weekend proved to be an uphill battle as I waited for things to turn in my favor. As Monday came, my fever had not subsided but had continuously increased. At this point, I realized that my medical diagnosis was probably inaccurate. This can happen when you don't have a medical degree! This realization hit hard enough that I actually picked up the phone and called the doctor. With the outbreak of the swine flu, the doctor's office was slammed with appointments leaving the only availability for the next day. No worries, I could stick it out another day and fight it on my own. What's one more day, right?
Tuesday morning came and the fever was still high...making me feel like I'd been hit by a truck. You know the feeling...your body hurts, your eyes burn, you can't sleep yet you can't stand to be awake. Your coughing hard enough you think your lungs are going to burst into a million little pieces. You're completely miserable! The old adage that "misery loves company" is true. Normally, this is when I call my mom except she was at school teaching. Yep, even in my late 30's I still call my momma when I'm sick. With mom unavailable I did the next best thing, I called Dad. Looking for sympathy and compassion, we chatted for an hour as I waited for my appointment. I couldn't have asked for him to be more supportive. He kept me preoccupied up to the point I had to leave for the doctor. He told me to be careful driving and to let him know what the doctor had to say. Funny...parents never stop being parents regardless of how old you are.
The day at the doctor's office was quite an experience. As I signed in at the front desk, I was handed a mask to place over my mouth as to not infect anyone else in the waiting room. I had never worn a mask before and was amazed at how uncomfortable and hot they were. Every time I coughed, I just wanted to take the thing off and throw it in the trash. I mean really was I going to get anyone sicker than they already were! For heaven's sake, they were already at the doctor's office. (that's my selfish side showing)After the usual symptom check with the doctor he produced the diagnosis since he is the one with the medical degree! The diagnosis...the swine flu with the possibility of pneumonia. With a prescription in hand, I was off to the lab for X-rays wishing and hoping to feel better. And it was confirmed I had pneumonia! I'd had pneumonia before and knew it wasn't going to be fun, but I would survive.
A course of antibiotics was started and I continued to feel like my energy was slipping away. I kept praying to feel better - still thinking that this would pass in a day or two. Once again, I do not have a medical degree and obviously don't understand the full course of particular illnesses. To complicate matters, I started experiencing the aura I normally get before having a seizure. The aura is strange. I feel weak - like I'm going to be sick. I get flushed and have a great desire to sit or lay down. I know exactly what is about to happen and fear encompasses my entire being. There are times when I can just breathe and talk myself away from a seizure. Of course, more times than not it is inevitable that I'm going to have a fit. They aren't too bad and only last for about a minute. The recovery time is what sucks - 24 hours until I'm back to normal.
With the fear of a seizure setting in, I called for Mike. I guess he could hear in my voice that something wan't right, because he didn't hestiate to come to my side. The moment he got to me I told him what I was feeling and needed to go to the emergency room. After quickly filling Emily in on the situation, we left for the hospital.
Amazingly the new hospital within 3 miles of the house had opened it's doors on October 3rd just 4 days earlier. The emergency room was not very busy... a few people waiting and a few coughing. The wait was extremely short for an emergency room. Can you believe it was only 20 minutes before I went to triage!
By this point my memories start to get vague, but I do remember giving the very young nurse a piece of information that should be passed on to all young women before they have children. It's not talked about often but having a mulitple babies along with some aging and a little weight gain will produce a very undesired effect when you cough. The medical term is "stress incontinence!" It means you pee a little every time you cough, sneeze, laugh, jump, etc. Now on most days, this is just a tiny amount until you throw something like pneumonia in the mix. When you are coughing with a force that feels like it's coming up from your toes and into your lungs before expelling through your mouth, the amount you of fluid released from your bladder is enough that you wished for a diaper! Now, not to be derogatory to those who need diapers, but this is a very distressing and embarassing moment for most adults as all dignity is lost. I felt strongly that the ER nurse know this information. She, the nurse, didn't quite know what to say. She kind of looked at me like I was crazy! I just trying to help...I even had an older nurse confirm the frequency of this happening to women after childbirth. Just remember to do the Kegel exercises!
I'm not sure when or how but it was decided that I be admitted (the hospital bill indicated they did more x-rays - but I don't remember). Being at a new hospital presented us with another dilemma, they didn't have any open beds because they were under staffed. This meant an ambulance ride to Seton Main in Austin. I was prepped for the ride as Mike went home to check on Emily.
The ambulance ride proved to be very bumpy. The city of Austin really does need to do something about their roadways that lead to the hospital. Once at the hospital, we weaved through the hallways, up an elevator and more hallways before landing in a room. I got situated in the bed, the nurse dimmed the light so I could sleep.
When I woke up, it was a more than month later and my memory was gone! Thus the curveball was thrown!
