Tuesday ended up being a stormy day.With quite a few rocks.
In retrospect, the storm had been building for a few days. I thought I was crazy. Turns out it was legitimately not well.
I had felt some exhaustion over the weekend, with headaches and nausea. Sunday night my friend Andrea Bishop came. Monday we ran around Temple Square and had lunch at the Garden. I had a hard time keeping up. My legs ached, my head hurt, my lungs burned. I prayed and took pills and went to bed, hoping to wake feeling better. I did okay in the morning, but quickly got worse. I sat through meetings and couldn't keep thoughts straight. I soon found I could hardly stand... and then I could barely walk. I felt like such a wuss. I wanted to go home and sleep. But I didn't want to overreact. So I called the Teledoc. I outlined my symptoms and that I had AND that I had received a flu shot the week previous. He told me to go to the ER immediately. Anna and Boo took me.
Since I couldn't move, they for me right in. Anna stayed with me. And I started a battery of tests; a CT scan, MRI, Spinal puncture, blood tests, chest xray, urine testing, EKG and minor neural testing. There were doctors and interns and residents and neurologists and nurses and techs. A stream and parade of experts each evaluating the piece they knew best. And they made a decision; I had Guilaan Barre. A very RARE side effect of the flu shot. Like a 1 in 2 million rare. They had to report me to the CDC.
The disease is basically where the myelin sheath, or the insulation, around the peripheral nerves is attacked by your own body and it disintegrates. Hence the weakness and loss of control in the legs and arms. Mostly legs, but arms too. The treatment was 5 days of intravenous immunoglobulins. I spent 4 of the days in ICU.
It was scary. And it actually could have been much scarier. I think because I was at work, because I had people around me who noticed and cared, that I got there before it became worse. about 25% of people with the disease have their airways compromised as part of it, which is why they kept a close eye on things.
Acknowledging that it was so much better than it could have been leads to a good point; the other part of my blog... singing in the lifeboat amid the shipwreck.
And there were so many blessings!
- Boo and Anna took me.
- Anna stayed with me
- Boo gave me a wonderful blessing when I was admitted.
- So many visitors; Bryndel (twice), Marcus (twice), Kay and her daughter, Minerva, Boo, Juan, Anna, Bill. Chris Bray, Debbie (several times), Ashante, Stefyn, Disa, Colby, Greg, Erin, Anna McCarty, Grandma Thacker, Gary, Pam...
- Support at home for my monkey posse:Megan, Tara, Grandma, Becky, Lexi Day, Bishop Robinson, Jessica Reynolds, Bryant and Adrienne, Stefyn (again)
- Prayers, thoughts, healing vibes, everything else, flowers, magazines, chocolates and offers of support and prayers from coworkers and ward family and family from afar.
- Really great view from my room!
I am so, SO blessed.
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