This was me before I went to the Dr.s office..(After, I looked at this pic and thought.. silly girl.. didn't even know what she was in for..)
So.. it was spinal tap time and as Joseph and I made our way to the Dr.s office
I was so nervous that I barely said anything. There were so many thoughts in my head.
As we got into the office and I signed in I thought, "OK, we're just going to do this, get it over with and get home to me lying in bed and it will just be OVER."
A lady named Kathy came and got me and took me back to an office and told me exactly what was going to happen, we even practiced how I was going to have to sit hunched over, hugging a pillow, then laying down on my side and getting back up very carefully.
Then another lady came in and they were numbing the site..
She tried one time, couldn't get to it..I started crying because it was so uncomfortable and I was so nervous. Then all of a sudden my whole right side started to tingle and go numb. Then there was shaking. (Freaked me the heck out! More panicked crying) She decided to stop and try again in a different location. So now I'm really freaking out.. more numbing, then again, numb, tingle, shaking. this happened three more times... even having another doctor come in and try. They then decided to send me to the hospital to get it done under fluoroscopy (x-ray) I was so drained and depressed after they told me that that I couldn't even look up. I felt like it was my fault, like I did something wrong and they couldn't get the spinal fluid.. Joseph came in the room after waiting in the waiting room for an hour for what we were told was only going to take 30 minutes. He looked at me, a mess from crying and just came over and hugged me. When they told him that they couldn't get it and were sending me to the hospital to have it done he was so mad. We left and my back felt like
someone had just stabbed me with a knife a bunch of times. My leg and right side kept twitching.. it was weird. I felt so depressed and down, all I could do was cry. I thought it would just be over and done with.
The next day they called me and told me they scheduled me for the hospital on Friday.. All I thought was, I can not do this again, I won't. I told Joseph he could drive me to the hospital but I would take off running as soon as he stopped the car.
(Me waiting in my lovely hospital gown. Oddly enough, before the Valium)
So we got checked in and were waiting in the transition area for quite some time. 45 minutes before I got to take the Valium they called in for me.. that's when things really felt ok. haha
Next thing I know they are wheeling me back to this room with a huge x-ray machine..
They basically put the machine over my back while I was laying down, he took a picture of exactly where he needed to go, drew on me and then numbed me. I was so busy looking at the x-ray of my back and telling them I wanted copies of it that I didn't feel a thing!
Next thing I know he said, you're done, and he put a band aid on me. I remember telling them that they were awesome and I wanted to hug them cause it didn't even hurt. Haha!
That was it, I had to lay there for two hours before I was on my way home.
That night, I felt fine.
The next day.... began the worst headache I have ever had... Sitting up, laying down, ice on my head, on my side, nothing made it better.. not even medication.
Well, it was the weekend so I couldn't call the Dr. and I just wanted to see if I could take care of it myself cause I thought I could. Monday rolls around and I've thrown up whenever I get up and feel like I was dying. I called the Dr and she said that I should try taking 2 different meds every four hours. (which probably would have worked had I not been throwing up every 10 minutes) She said to call her back if I was still bad in the morning and she would get me set up for a blood patch.
I woke up and I felt ok, I got up, went to the bathroom, even got a lil something to eat.. I thought I was out of the woods..
Nope.. Wrong..
My headache came back full strength and so did the throw up.. It was bad. I'd take a drink, throw it up. Take a bite, throw it up. Look at something, throw up.
So I called the Dr who tried to get me scheduled for a blood patch. They called me back to tell me that they could get me a consultation (cue me start to cry) for the next day with an anesthesiologist in Peoria to see if she could do it. After hearing me cry and tell her I don't think I will make it to tomorrow, she put my call through to my Neurologist. She said she could call me into the ER and I should go there and get it done.
That's what I did.. I called Joseph at work and told him we needed to go to the ER and he was home in minutes and we were speeding to the ER.
I was crying and thrashing the whole way there..
So we make it there, I barely make it out of the car and into the ER... Joseph gets me a wheelchair and pushes me out of the way, facing the security desk.. I keep telling him, I'm going to throw up!! I need something to throw up in!!" Suddenly, it was.. up.. and sitting in my mouth. The security guard yelled at Joseph that he'd better hurry! I looked over to see him running to me with a bucket... he handed it to me and there was no stopping me.. GROSS.. in front of everyone!! I kept saying I need to lay down!! I was trying to recline in the wheelchair but it wasn't working.. throwing up through giving them my info and then we were off to a room..
Made it to the bed and I was a little better.. I looked over and Joseph and the look on his face was unforgettable.. he looked so scared, nervous, freaked out! Poor guy.. he said he felt like he almost had a heart attack.. It was pretty freakin traumatic. Talk to some Dr.'s, then this girl comes to move me to a different room.. gets me in a wheelchair and guess what... Started throwing up again, she didn't know where to take me so we wandered the halls with me throwing up.. fuuun.. then a nurse was like, you were supposed to take her on the bed to the new room! Oh thanks.. Joseph looked ticked!!
I get to new room and get an IV with...Morphine... Oh yeah..and some nausea medicine.. Wouldn't need it if you just let me lay down! Crazies!
So then the Dr tells us that he can get us an appt with an anesthesiologist the next day at one.. or I could stay at the hospital and wait for the on-call anesthesiologist to come in and wait to see if her can do it in between one of his other patients. Cue the crying..
We eventually just say we want both, we'll stay until 7 when the Dr comes in and if that doesn't work out then we will go the next day.. This all happened at around 2.. We waited and waited.. got more morphine and then around 6:45 this Dr comes in and says he's the anesthesiologist. Tells us the risks (that made Joseph freak out) and then said he'd be back to do the blood patch!
Within 10 minutes I had a guy getting blood out of my arm and the dr putting it in my back. I literally felt the headache stop. The body works in mysterious ways!!
Bandaged up and had to lay there for two hours.
It was so crazy, the whole experience was insane!!!
I am just so lucky to have the best guy to help me and that made sure I was ok. I don't know what I would have done without Joseph.
Also getting to talk to my mom and his mom helped a lot! Love those ladies!
I know a lot of people prayed for me and I am thankful for them too!
I'm also thankful for the comfort I got when I would pray for it.. It was a rough week and I know Heavenly Father was there for me.
Oh... and the results came back...EVERYTHING was NORMAL.
Gotta love it! Got to Freakin' love it..
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