An Unfortunate Surprise

December 11-15, 2024                                                  Most Recent Posts:
Blue Springs State Park                                     For David, Happy Birthday
AdventHealth Fish Memorial Hospital   Kayaking at Blue Springs State Park
Orange City, Florida

My previous blog was a jump forward from December to honor David’s birthday.  The one before that, links above, was about kayaking on Tuesday December 10.  On that 3 hour kayaking trip I saw a lot of great things but came back unusually tired.

I thought that was because of the 8-10 mph winds on the river.  But that evening, I was coughing and blowing my nose.  When I took my temperature, it was 100.4 and I thought, well no wonder I don’t feel well.

On Wednesday my temperature went up to 102.4 so I took two tylenol and worried I might have covid for the 3rd time which would push back my being able to get the vaccine in January.    At around 7:45pm I was finishing some noodle soup and crackers (thank goodness for my journal) after lying around all day.  When I got up from sitting to put the dishes in the sink, I felt unstable.  Not dizzy exactly…woozy, wobbly, off balance and then sick to my stomach which I NEVER am.   I staggered back from the bathroom to take my blood pressure thinking it might be too low.  But it was 176/104.

I called 911 and vomited until they got here and all the way to the hospital in the ambulance.   My BP soared to over 200 in the ambulance. They started an IV.   I’m thinking now how caring and wonderful they were and how grateful I am.  What would I have done without them. 

I spent 4 nights and days in Adventhealth Fish Memorial Hospital in Orange City while they tried to figure out what had happened.  They did a CT scan, an MRI, EKG and more.  Test after test after test.  No stroke, no heart attack, no covid, no RSV, no diabetes. 

Cardio consults, Nuro consults. I was marked with yellow socks and a yellow wrist band so for those 4 days and nights I could not get out of bed even to go to the bathroom 6 feet from my bed without calling for help.

Eventually they discovered what they said was a “spot of pneumonia” in my left lung and put me on IV antibiotics. They diagnosed the wooziness as Unilateral Vestibular Hypofunction.  Try saying that fast 3 times.   Have any of you ever had this?

I developed laryngitis the day after I got to the hospital. It continued after I was discharged with a continuing oral antibiotic, a steroid, something for the cough, a nazal spray and I can’t remember what else.  My discharge directions came with standing and eye exercises to do daily and directions for a follow up in 4 days.

They also discharged me with plenty of bruises on both arms.

Some drugs still in the bags.

THANKFULLY  friends Loretta and Jack from Moose River in Vermont live nearby and came to the hospital to get me, take me to CVS to get all the meds and return me to Winnona.  This picture is from when I visited their home only a few days prior to my hospitalization.  What wonderful friends to come to my rescue. 

 

To date, I am still doing standing and eye exercises for the UVH.  Mostly because I’m not sure when I can stop them.  The info on the follow up appointment for me 4 days after I was discharged said someone would call that morning to set it up the tela-appointment  and then the doctor would call at 1:00.  Neither of those things happened.  I waited all day. 

The next day I called the discharge doctor, the nurse supervisor and the doctor who was to do the follow up.  Got none of them.  The follow up doctor was on vacation for a week.  I left messages with secretaries and on voice mail for them to call me.  So far in the 3 weeks and 3 days since then not one of them has contacted me.

When I got back, I had 3 days left in Blue Springs.  I’d sadly lost 5 days to this problem.  I was able to walk down and see the manatee but I had to make sure I was strong enough and well enough to pack up and move on Wednesday after getting home from the hospital on Sunday.  

I was, and I moved on December 18th to Alafia River State Park where I was happy to have a pull though. 

Where did this stuff come from?  Will it return?   Is the pneumonia totally gone?  
No idea.  To date, I seem fine and am switching “the exercises” to every other day.
It was all a very shocking surprise.

In my next blog it’s back to normal life and more fun things like my holiday visit to see Carrie and her family.