In The Valley
I fell last Friday. More like collapsed onto the floor. I was in the bathroom pulling up my pants when I got extremely dizzy and fell to the floor wedging myself in between the toilet and my electric chair. Now mind you, I have seen those ads on t.v. saying "I've fallen, and I can't get up." Not knowing that would be me.
I was in and out of it. My neighbor came, but she is a tiny woman and could not help me up off the floor. I wouldn't let her call 911 because I did not want yet another medical bill, that was careless on my part. I lay on the floor for eight hours until my soon to be ex-husband came to sign the divorce papers, but took me to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.
Once there, the staff took really good care of me. I was on DEFCON-10, to put it mildly. Being at the hospital was an issue for me. It brought me right back to 2009 when I spent ten days in the cardiac ICU. I was essentially bleeding to death with my menstrual cycle. I had lost blood like that once before in 2012 where I had to be hospitalized and I received five units of blood.
The ER doctor ran all sorts of tests on me; from chest X-rays to CAT scans. I felt so embarrassed for the doctor to see me like that. I was hysterical. I did not want to be touched down there by any man for ANYTHING! I waited in the ER for several hours to wait for them to start the blood transfusion and then get me admitted upstairs.
When they wheeled me in for the pelvic exam, I think I had an out of body experience. They took swabs, cultures and they did a vaginal ultrasound also. At this point, I knew I wasn't going home for a while. I called my sister to let her know where I was and I also made it clear I did not want my husband allowed up to see me.
I was not going to let was happening me, make him feel as though we were going to reconcile. There was too much that happened in our marriage for me to go back.
I was admitted to the ICU and it really started to sink in how sick I was. The staff doctor Bowes asked me questions about myself and how I ended up falling, all while I am a bag of water. I could barely answer her questions, I truly was terrified. I had a nurse right outside the room who monitored me all night and all I could listen to where those clicks and whirls of the heart machine and the blood pressure cuff inflating every thirty minutes.
I only had my thoughts to contend with and my imagination had gotten the better of me. As my sister would say I was off to the races. By morning the on-call OBGYN came to see me to introduce herself she had a real calming effect on me, but I was still wary of her. She tried to reassure me that another pelvic exam was necessary to get a proper diagnosis. I would not let her do the exam that first day in the hospital. I wanted my sisters there with me.
I know Dr. King was not there to hurt me, but I needed my family to see me through this. Once my older sister arrived I allowed the exam. I was cringing at the outcome. Sometimes, the longest wait is when you are in the valley.
I was in and out of it. My neighbor came, but she is a tiny woman and could not help me up off the floor. I wouldn't let her call 911 because I did not want yet another medical bill, that was careless on my part. I lay on the floor for eight hours until my soon to be ex-husband came to sign the divorce papers, but took me to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center.
Once there, the staff took really good care of me. I was on DEFCON-10, to put it mildly. Being at the hospital was an issue for me. It brought me right back to 2009 when I spent ten days in the cardiac ICU. I was essentially bleeding to death with my menstrual cycle. I had lost blood like that once before in 2012 where I had to be hospitalized and I received five units of blood.
The ER doctor ran all sorts of tests on me; from chest X-rays to CAT scans. I felt so embarrassed for the doctor to see me like that. I was hysterical. I did not want to be touched down there by any man for ANYTHING! I waited in the ER for several hours to wait for them to start the blood transfusion and then get me admitted upstairs.
When they wheeled me in for the pelvic exam, I think I had an out of body experience. They took swabs, cultures and they did a vaginal ultrasound also. At this point, I knew I wasn't going home for a while. I called my sister to let her know where I was and I also made it clear I did not want my husband allowed up to see me.
I was not going to let was happening me, make him feel as though we were going to reconcile. There was too much that happened in our marriage for me to go back.
I was admitted to the ICU and it really started to sink in how sick I was. The staff doctor Bowes asked me questions about myself and how I ended up falling, all while I am a bag of water. I could barely answer her questions, I truly was terrified. I had a nurse right outside the room who monitored me all night and all I could listen to where those clicks and whirls of the heart machine and the blood pressure cuff inflating every thirty minutes.
I only had my thoughts to contend with and my imagination had gotten the better of me. As my sister would say I was off to the races. By morning the on-call OBGYN came to see me to introduce herself she had a real calming effect on me, but I was still wary of her. She tried to reassure me that another pelvic exam was necessary to get a proper diagnosis. I would not let her do the exam that first day in the hospital. I wanted my sisters there with me.
I know Dr. King was not there to hurt me, but I needed my family to see me through this. Once my older sister arrived I allowed the exam. I was cringing at the outcome. Sometimes, the longest wait is when you are in the valley.
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