weekend from hell

Friday started out like any other day. I got up, went to work, and was having an okay day. It was pretty hectic with all the tornado weather, but still okay. I didn't get my lunch break, which sucks. It always sucks when that happens, because they don't realize that when I miss my break that essentially means I miss lunch that day since I no longer eat lunch at work because I am a vegetarian. 

I was finally getting a short break around 2:30. Then all the sudden - bam! - I feel like crap. It was so sudden. I've never felt that bad that quickly. I can too easily remember that pounding headache that made my eyes and ears hurt, and those shuddering body aches that made me so weak I could barely walk around. 

I went back to my group where a co-worker told me I looked flushed. I took my temp and it was 101.4. Well crap. I left work early and went to go get some medicine. 

By the time I pulled my car into the carport I was sure that I was dying. I couldn't even get out of my car. That might seem like an exaggeration. But, it's not. I was just hurting so bad everywhere. I was shivering and shuddering uncontrollably, my entire body ached, and I've never felt that kind of fatigue before. My throat was hurting and my head would not stop pounding. So, I just sat there, tilted my seat back and turned the heat up. I was in this weird sort of daze, like nothing was real. I was delirious, no doubt. Probably induced by the high fever. 

I can only imagine what was going through my hubby's head when he got home and discovered me in a half-conscious state still in my car. 

He opened the door, pulled me out of the car, and helped me get to the couch. That's when I just started crying. I just felt so terrible. I cried and cried and cried. Then, I was angry at myself for crying because it made the headache worse. 

My fever was up to about 102 at this point. The hubs forced me to take a bath and then helped me get ready for bed. I took some medicine and crashed in the comfort of my own bed at about 8:00pm. 

I awoke the next morning, feeling like I've never felt in my life and sweating to death from my fever finally breaking. I turned my head to see what time it was: 8:35 am. I tried to sit up and couldn't. I wanted to cry again. 

On top of the sore throat, headache, body aches, and fatigue... I could feel the asthma flare up. My lungs were so sore. It hurt to breathe and with every breath I could feel the rumbling wheezes in my chest. Great. 

I tried to sit up again and couldn't. I whimpered in misery. The hubs came in, I guess he'd heard me. He helped me sit up and then talked me into trying to eat something. I managed to make my way to the bathroom. When I looked in the mirror it was frightening. 

I was pale in the extreme and my skin looked clammy. I had the darkest, purple-ish, blue circles underneath my eyes. My eyes. My eyes were red and swollen and bloodshot. My hair was matted against my neck and face and then scattered out wildly around the rest of my head. I moaned again. 

I had said that I wanted some pancakes. But, I was so weak that I couldn't even use my fork to cut up pancakes. Pancakes! The hubby offered to do it for me, but by then all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. And so I did.

I awoke again at about 12:30pm. The hubs had left to go do some things with co-workers. After a few attempts I was able to roll out of bed. I was starving. I ate some tost with peanut butter on it and half of a banana. 

Then I stumbled my way to the couch where I remained for the rest of the day. 

The fever kept coming and going which was so annoying. I'd be unbearably cold for an hour and then sweating the next. My body seemed to be getting weaker instead of stronger. 

I went to sleep early again. I awoke early Sunday morning and for the second time in one weekend was sure I was going to die. My throat was so swollen I wasn't sure if I'd be able to talk. My sinuses had become so congested that I couldn't breath through my nose at all. My chest felt heavy and my lungs felt too weak to work the way they should. My body ached in a way I didn't know it could and I was so fatigued I wasn't sure if I'd be able to move at all. I whimpered and moaned a little with each breath, I couldn't even help it.

The hubby stumbled his way to the bed and then laid down beside me and wallowed in agony. I started crying again, feeling terrible that I must have passed whatever I had to him. Only his wasn't what I had. He was suffering from severe pain in his lower back/abdomen. I told him that we had to go to the hospital and he easily agreed. 

In a very clumsy, zombie-like state I managed to get dressed for the first time since Friday, and even tried to brush my hair before making a sloppy effort at pulling it all back into a pony tail. I grabbed some water, a bucket (I was feeling nauseated), my big coat and made it out to the car. 

We checked C into the ER, I was going to hold off until the Urgent Care opened, I really wanted to avoid that whole ER visit thing. 

However, when they were doing triage with C the nurses were looking at me like they thought I might die at any second and urged me to sign in so they could treat me. They also made me wear a mask. After about a half hour, the Express Care had opened and the hubby went to go check me in. But, they made me go to triage first.

They took my temp and it was 103, my pulse ox was 90. The lady didn't believe it could be that low so she asked me to take my mask off. It went up to 92. I told her I on a regular basis displayed severe asthmatic symptoms. She told me I was the sickest person there and that they'd put me ahead of everyone. And before sending me back out into the waiting room they stuck a small q-tip like object up into my nose to do a flu swab on me. It hurt like heck! I swear, that lady must have walked away with some of my brain on that thing. I hope it wasn't an important bart of my prain  ;)'

Even with the boost, it still took them an hour to get me into a room.

The first nurse that saw me in there, treated me like the plague. She had on gloves and a mask and told me that I'd tested positive for Influenza A. Apparently the most severe type of flu. Wonderful.

She listened to my lungs and was shocked by all my wheezing. I slowly started to feel like a guinea pig as several people stepped into my room just to listen to me. Geez. Haven't any of these people ever dealt with asthma?! 

Finally they got Cory set up in the room next to me and a doctor came in to see me. Me and that doctor had a very short lived, passive-aggressive relationship. 

First thing he asks me is if I'm pregnant. I answer no. He stressed how hard the flu can be on a developing fetus and asks me again if I'm pregnant. I answer no again and stress that I'd just had my period and I'm pretty insane about keeping up with my whole cycle. He looks right at the nurse and orders a pregnancy test. It annoyed me. It was negative, of course.

They gave me meds to bring down the fever and gave me four - four! - back to back breathing treatments with an oxygen hook up. They also started an IV to give me fluids and the ever so wonderful... steroids! *grumble*

The doc comes in again after all that and listens to me again. My pulse ox was steadily hanging around 94 and my heart rate was high around 130. He told me he was going to refer me to admissions. I told him I'd rather go home. 

He studies me for a moment and then says, "Unfortunately, people do still die of asthma... and the flu." 

Then, he turned around and briskly walked from my room. Someone came to take me for a chest x-ray after that. 

I had a patch in my lungs that they told me could develop into pneumonia but looked a little too thin to be quite diagnosed as pneumonia. So they labeled me with, 'mild pneumonia.'

The doc came in to talk to me again. He explained the people with chronic lung problems - such as myself - can often get pneumonia and other problems with the onset of the flu virus. He stressed again that he'd like to keep me overnight to monitor me. However, he made me do a peak flow and I was testing in the 83%, so with that number he said he wouldn't twist my arm too hard to get me to stay. Now, if I'd been below 80% he said that he would. I asked him what he would do for me that I couldn't just do at home. And he pretty much said nothing other than the monitoring and just immediate care if I should need it. 

Look, I know I'm sick. Really sick. I mean, I've thought I was dying twice. But... I'd rather go home and rest and come back again if I need to than get admitted to the hospital. And, so, he released me. 

The hubby - God love his heart - has kidney stones :(  The severe onset of pain was due to one moving through his kidney. It dropped into his bladder and they said he'd pass it within 72 hours. 

He passed it this morning. It was small, 2mm. He confessed that it honestly wasn't that bad and that it'd been a lot more painful when it was moving through his kidney. 

He has several more. The doc said that people can pass stones up to 4mm. The largest one they located in his kidney is 3mm. So... we'll see. We got a referral to a Urologist and setup an appointment for this Wednesday. 

I also got a referral to an allergy and asthma specialist that I suppose I'll try to see soon. 

As for me, I'm about the same today. The fever is getting sparser. Thank the Lord! Those fevers really knock me down. I've only had 2 fever outbreaks today. And... I'm outta work for this week. I know it'll be hectic for the co-workers... but I can promise you... no one wants what I have. 


p.s. In my feverish state of delirium I apparently asked the hubs if zombies were real, he chuckled at me and told me no. However, I slightly argued claiming I'd seen one. He's telling everyone, so I might as well make a joke of it. Guess it's time to stop watching The Walking Dead. Ha! 

We've sure been a pitiful pair :(