I know MS and stroke are not related and they are not caused by the same thing. But, why me?
On Sunday, July 27, I woke up and took a bite of watermelon and couldn't keep it in my mouth. I thought, 'I feel like those old ladies who have had a stroke.' But didn't think much of it because a lot of times parts of my body don't work when I first wake up.
Then I looked in the mirror. My face was all twisted but still wasn't too alarmed because MS has cause so many weird things to happen. After an hour or so, I called my son. We couldn't get face time to work but he said maybe I should go to urgent care. He was out of town so he called his father. He was so casual about it and asked, "what could it be?" I said, "well these symptoms could be a stroke."
So he came to pick me up. When we got to ER I didn't have to say anything to the admitting clerk. They sent me straight into triage. Now I know how true emergencies are treated. Everything was done instantaneously. IV in, on the gurney, straight to CT scan. They said, 'we are in a time window.'
There was no brain bleed but they still admitted me. I got to ER at 11:00am and taken to my room at 3:00am. Got to sleep at 5:00am and they woke me up at 7:00am. Sent me in for an MRI without contrast and as the afternoon dragged on, I became more a more exhausted. My neuro was on vacation so her partner ordered the tests. I finally got to fall asleep and went into one of those unwakable sleeps states that many of us are familiar with.
Then, at 4:00pm this neuro comes in and screams, "you've had a stroke" I thought, 'ok, I'm not surprised now please let me go back to sleep'. But, noooo. He started screaming my name and giving orders, lift your leg...and on and on until I had no choice but to wake up. At least the nurse was at my side to experience this abusive treatment. I told him, " I am one of Dr. Hanna's patients and expect to be treated as such."
Then my PCP comes in. He told me I would have to go to a rehab program. I said, ok. What I found out was that "rehab" is a euphemism for nursing home. They wanted me to sign a paper agreeing to restraints. They said it's just so we can put the side rails up when we clean your bum. I said, "no thank you."
The air conditioning system was so dirty I felt all the life being sucked out of me. My oxygen saturation was 88. It was over 90 degrees in the room. A lady who had been there for two years became hysterical if anyone tried to close the curtain so the sun was beating in.
Needless to say, at 7:30 Am the next day, I was on the phone with everyone I could manage to get me out. Now I'm back home(what a relief) but I am left with the horror inside me. What if I have to end up in one one those places? They are like death camps. Even the pitchers of water look like the urns they put ashes in. It would be a terrible way to die. I'm scared.
On Sunday, July 27, I woke up and took a bite of watermelon and couldn't keep it in my mouth. I thought, 'I feel like those old ladies who have had a stroke.' But didn't think much of it because a lot of times parts of my body don't work when I first wake up.
Then I looked in the mirror. My face was all twisted but still wasn't too alarmed because MS has cause so many weird things to happen. After an hour or so, I called my son. We couldn't get face time to work but he said maybe I should go to urgent care. He was out of town so he called his father. He was so casual about it and asked, "what could it be?" I said, "well these symptoms could be a stroke."
So he came to pick me up. When we got to ER I didn't have to say anything to the admitting clerk. They sent me straight into triage. Now I know how true emergencies are treated. Everything was done instantaneously. IV in, on the gurney, straight to CT scan. They said, 'we are in a time window.'
There was no brain bleed but they still admitted me. I got to ER at 11:00am and taken to my room at 3:00am. Got to sleep at 5:00am and they woke me up at 7:00am. Sent me in for an MRI without contrast and as the afternoon dragged on, I became more a more exhausted. My neuro was on vacation so her partner ordered the tests. I finally got to fall asleep and went into one of those unwakable sleeps states that many of us are familiar with.
Then, at 4:00pm this neuro comes in and screams, "you've had a stroke" I thought, 'ok, I'm not surprised now please let me go back to sleep'. But, noooo. He started screaming my name and giving orders, lift your leg...and on and on until I had no choice but to wake up. At least the nurse was at my side to experience this abusive treatment. I told him, " I am one of Dr. Hanna's patients and expect to be treated as such."
Then my PCP comes in. He told me I would have to go to a rehab program. I said, ok. What I found out was that "rehab" is a euphemism for nursing home. They wanted me to sign a paper agreeing to restraints. They said it's just so we can put the side rails up when we clean your bum. I said, "no thank you."
The air conditioning system was so dirty I felt all the life being sucked out of me. My oxygen saturation was 88. It was over 90 degrees in the room. A lady who had been there for two years became hysterical if anyone tried to close the curtain so the sun was beating in.
Needless to say, at 7:30 Am the next day, I was on the phone with everyone I could manage to get me out. Now I'm back home(what a relief) but I am left with the horror inside me. What if I have to end up in one one those places? They are like death camps. Even the pitchers of water look like the urns they put ashes in. It would be a terrible way to die. I'm scared.
Please, vent all you want!
Glad you were able to get out and go home!!! (Can't help it, but I have the same fear of one day ending up in a place like that back in my mind.)
Comment