The day didn't go as planned

 My plan for Monday was to go to lunch with Marc and Hannah. Later that afternoon I planned to go for a walk and dig my weights out of the garage. I want to start getting in some weight training while I am feeling well. Don't worry, I had no intention of jumping back into 20-25 lb weights. I was planning to start small at 8 lbs...despite some family members telling me I was aiming too high and should go with 5 lbs. Muscles have a memory...just in case you didn't know. I think I can handle 8's. 

Well, my plans went awry real fast! 

<insert migraine> 

I will start by giving a very brief history of my migraines. I get them. They are bad and have sent me to the ER in the past. My migraines tend to come with stroke symptoms, slurred speech, one sided numbness, and inability to think. I can even get them with all the symptoms, except the headache. I know my triggers and can identify the headaches as they come, which allows me to try and treat before they get to this point. I also have taken magnesium regularly for years. This is helped tremendously. However, I haven't taken it since surgery, because it can have an effect on...well poop. I wanted to let my remaining colon regulate itself before adding it back in. I don't know the trigger of this one. It could have been a person who went a little heavy on cologne Sunday night. I removed myself from the area until the smell dissipated. I could have been dehydrated, despite my best efforts. I could have been overtired. I don't know.  It may be all of the drugs in my body. I am a believer in the fact that God designed the body to heal itself, so I try to go that route when possible. I also believe that God gave us science and medicine, so when needed I will go that route. For the most part...cancer aside, my body has done great. 

I woke up around 3am with a headache. Yay me! By 5 am it was throbbing on my pillow and I was nauseous. Around 7 am, my bed became the bathroom floor. I remember moaning in pain and vomiting whatever liquid was floating around in my stomach. I crawled back to bed at some point and took zofran, but quickly took my blanket and pillow back to the bathroom. 

From there it was a blur. I remember texting with my nurse...so if you got a text not meant for you, sorry. I realized that some of my replies went to others who had texted at some point in the day. Marc asked if I wanted Hannah to take me to the ER...no! Hannah asleep and rush hour- just NO! The nurse said it was time to head to the ER late morning...I think. I texted my group "HOME FAM" ER...sorry you didn't know, Samantha. Caleb came in to let me know he would take me. I wanted Marc, because I needed someone to speak. I couldn't. Marc called and suggested Hannah again. Again, no! He was grocery shopping. He ended up meeting me and Caleb there. Poor Caleb was trying to drive carefully, but there are bumps and curves. Everytime he hit one I threw up (in one of those barf bag things). His lunch had just been delivered and he was trying to eat it in the car. I think he lost his appetite. Caleb got a wheelchair and got me checked in. It was at that point that I looked down at my feet (I did not have on shoes). There was a time when I asked Marc to put socks on me, because my feet were cold. I literally could not open my eyes. He put on my Mr. Bill socks. For those that don't know, Bill is my boss. One year for his birthday we all wore socks with his face on them. So, Bill's face was proudly displayed on my feet in the ER.  I could not stand to sit up, so I ended up lying (still don't know if it is laying, lie, or laid, someone help me out- edited: Thank you Mrs. Neighbors) across the bench. The triage nurse eventually came out and took me to a bed in the back. Y'all, when did the daytime ER get so nuts? There are 40 rooms, but also beds all over the hallway and 4 in 2 separate results areas that used to be for family. It felt like a war zone trying to get all the way to the back where I was in one of the 4 bed pods. EMTs were also there trying to unload patients. Crazy!

I made it to one of the middle beds in the area. I could not walk to the bed, so they had to move things to get the chair in that far. There was a fluorescent light right over my bed that could not be turned off or dimmed. Perfect place for a migraine patient. This is the first experience with a nurse at Methodist who was less than friendly or helpful. I had my eyes closed and my arm over my head, so she thought I was sleeping and didn't come to check my vitals or start labs. SIGH... The PA came in later and could tell I was freezing, despite me having a quilt with me...I was in my pjs. These pjs were not appropriate for our pajama night at church tomorrow. She got me a warm blanket or told Marc where to get one...I am not sure. The nurse kept kicking him out for some stupid reason. The PA did the standard stroke test things and ordered Chest and head CT. Marc, I am pretty sure was still annoying the nurse. I could hear him talking to anyone and everyone who would listen. Poor Caleb was still in the waiting room. Radiology came to take me to CT and got me another warm blanket. Marc was chatting up people in a hallway bed. The man in the bed said he was an evangelist and asked me to be wheeled over there so he could pray for me. I am totally still not coherent at this point, so whatever. Once back from radiology, I finally got the migraine cocktail. Y'all, they could have done this right away and sent me home, but I think this was hours later! My first of 6 drugs was the steroid. Y'all this is not the prednisone that we have all come to love and hate. this was Dexadron (not sure of the spelling). The nurse said it would get a little hot. I am thinking a quick warm up through my body like the CT contrast. Boy was I wrong! I may have screamed out my butthole was on fire! My body was hot, but every place there was an exit felt like it was being heated with a blow torch. What seemed like an eternity at the Gate of Hell was probably less than a minute. Get yourself right with Jesus, because that is not a gate you want to be at!!! Then the other 5 drugs were pushed. I finally felt a little relief and think I was sleeping an hour later when she came to give me fluids. That is about the time of the photo above. 

Maybe around 5:00...again, the whole day is a blur, I was released to go home. One the way out through the very crowded hallway, we had a collision in the wheelchair with an EMT and his patient. My nurse really didn't care. UGH...I am hoping she was just having a bad day.  Marc was waiting with the car. Caleb had left an hour beforehand. I love that boy! I can't believe he just stuck around in the waiting room for hours. I am proud of him for how he jumped up and refused to let me wait for Marc. He took me in and told Marc to meet us there. He has really stepped up. My first request when I got home was crackers...followed by coffee. I had gotten a whiff on the way down the hallway and really needed some. 

I camped out in my bed the rest of the afternoon...notice my socks! Hannah brought me dinner. I was starving...like I hadn't eaten in months! I blame the steroids. I might take to calling them "the devil." I get that drug on chemo days, but it goes in with fluids, so I did not experience the burn. Hannah brought me dinner and I fell asleep around 8. I still had a lingering pain from the head, so had taken meds and am feeling more of the migraine hangover than the pain this morning. However, thanks to the steroids...sorry, the devil, I was wide awake from about 2 to 5 this morning. I was also so hot. I felt like I had just finished a long run in the middle of the day in August. Thankfully, I was not in a public place where anyone other than my dog could smell me! Don't worry, I have since showered!

This photo of Grunt was taken somewhere in those awake hours. Poor guy is going to have PTSD and need an emotional support animal when this is all over. While I was in the bathroom, he would run in to check on me. Then he would sniff every inch of my body and the toilet. Then he would run back out, only to repeat this process over and over. When I got home, he ran to the bed and after sniffing me, he rolled all over me to put his scent there. I tried to tell him I wasn't a dead cockroach...he does that to them. During the night, he kept readjusting, but always ended up with his face looking at me. I don't think he slept unless I was sleeping. If you knew me before Grunt, you know I was not a dog person! He made me one. Out of the 8 puppies we had in the house, he chose me. He was not originally my choice. We are both social introverts. We both like our space and being alone, but like the hug and check in when needed. I remember the day he had my heart. I was upset over the death of my cousin and he cuddled with me and gave me a doggie kiss. Believe it or not, but Grunt does not cuddle. That day, he became mine! I am now a dog person and am thankful to have my big lug checking on me.