Well I had a lovely ride in an ambulance to the ER this afternoon and have just arrived home.
Did you ever notice just how many sticky electrode monitoring pads they glue to your body?? Every time I think that I've removed the last one I discover another. I just found one on each leg! I didn't even know that the EMTs had put them there until I went to change my socks (I couldn't wait to get out of my germy hospital clothes) and there were two more 'trodes. Damn, I sure wish I had shaved my legs today....ouch! Plus it was just my luck that the day I don't take a shower and am turning all of the unpleasant shades of the rainbow (think puce, chalky and pea green) I end up with the most gorgeous tech-in-training along for the ride. The head EMT also thought it would be amusing to lift up my shirt to attach a million electrodes while the new guy was sitting inches away from my chest. Yah, he's not getting any flowers.
So I get the full work up including an IV while en-route and proceed to get blood and urine labs which were normal and then off for a CT scan of my head. Since they didn't have any neurosurgeons on staff they ended up just getting me to stabilize and ruled out stroke and told me to keep my follow-up appointment with my doctor tomorrow and with the neurosurgeon in December. I was then allowed to have the IV removed and sent home with my mom. Since I had missed dinner at this point we went through Dunkin Donuts drive-thru for a coffee and a chocolate donut. Yummy!
It's amazing what a girl will do for a chocolate donut!
Hahaha, I guess my post was about as scattered as I felt last night. :)
I've been having vertigo, dizziness, nausea and headache which they figure is from the arachnoid cyst but this past week the headaches became severe and I called my doctor. She wanted me to come in today, Monday but they still couldn't get me in any sooner with the neurosurgeon. Then this weekend I started having a tingling sensation like pins & needles in my lips. When it spread to my tongue, roof of my mouth and down into my throat I got scared and called my doctors office. The on call doc said it couldn't wait until my appointment today and that I had to call 911 for ambulance. I was scared enough to go with his advice and although I called my mom first I called 911 and had the police and ambulance here in minutes. They had to be sure it wasn't stroke which I guess is why they needed to get my blood pressure down and the IV fluids and such. I think my blood pressure was just spiking due to the pain in my head and the stress of the situation.
The up side is that it wasn't stroke. The down side is that the tingling hasn't gone away and my doctor and the ER folks couldn't do anything for me but run tests. I'm still playing the waiting game for the neurosurgeon but at least I have a CT scan to add to the MRI I'll be bringing to that appointment! :)
**Oh, and they think the tingling is from the cyst putting pressure on the glausopharygial nerve.
***And yes, the EMTs were that cute! :P
Posted by: Gimpy Mumpy | November 20, 2006 at 03:19 PM
Am I missing something here? Just why did you have to take a trip to the ER? (Don't tell me the paramedics are that handsome!) And just what do you mean, stabilize? Come clean with your recent medical history, girl, the world awaits.
Posted by: charlesdawson | November 20, 2006 at 01:51 PM
I hope you're doing alright and that the donut was worth it. Next time just go get the coffee and donut okay?
Posted by: rainypete | November 20, 2006 at 12:17 PM