Thankful for Simple Solutions

In the end, this hospital visit was different and help was found. Tonight I am thankful and hopeful.

It wasn't an easy three days for sure. I was fortunate that my care at Swedish Hospital began in the ER with Dr. Marty O'Brian. He's one of the good guys. Unfortunately, one of the few good guys. He recognized there was a problem, admitted me, and started the quest to actually help me. My days & nights were filled with spinning rooms, good & bad caretakers, more fainting, multiple tests, dreaded labs, Lee's calming encouragement, and finally ~ an answer.

Everyone loves a good strobe light test
when the room is already spinning! :)

The hospitalist, Dr. Brigham requested help from a neurologist and a cardiologist. This was obviously a good call, the problem was that she didn't call on MY doctors. I needed help from the doctors that know my history and current treatment plan. Pulling in new doctors isn't always as helpful as one may think. The neurologist had no interest in communicating with Dr. Round. I'm not a pro at confrontation so it just turned into a stressful battle to be heard. My family and Lee were my rocks in this. I'd been beaten down and they gave me the strength and encouragement to fight for what we knew was best for me. The neurologist didn't take it well that I insisted her plan be placed on the back burner, but she finally accepted it. In a wonderful twist of fate, the cardiologist was a friend of my dear Dr. Fenster. Talk about a ray of light in what was becoming a very dark hospital! Dr. Cho consulted with Dr. Fenster and together they discovered that the syncope was being caused by some heart abnormalities. He prescribed and new drug for me that would increase my blood pressure and hopefully keep me on the conscious side of life. :)

Here's to hope & simple solutions.

Who do I turn to?

I am so fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life. I am certain I would not have made it this far without them. The past few days, I've really been leaning on my loved ones and reminded once again how different my National Jewish doctors are.

Saturday, Lee and I were shopping. I felt a wave of dizziness as the salesman was helping him. I didn't think much of it and just leaned against the counter until it passed. Minutes later, we were in the back of the store. Everything the salesman was saying seemed to be mumbled. I remember the room flooding to blackness. I opened my eyes and realized I was on the floor. The room seemed to be spinning and I was nauseous. Lee was next to me, calm, but ready to act. I felt completely humiliated, out of control & confused, but I also felt safe knowing he was with me. We spent the rest of the afternoon taking it easy & quietly hoping it was a one time thing.

Assuming it would be a one time occurrence was my mistake. It happened again at work in my classroom Sunday afternoon. The dizziness seemed to be more frequent. I was feeling more out of control and unsteady. Somehow, I made it through work Monday without incident. Luckily I had a follow up appointment with my neurologist, Dr. Round. When I described the episodes to him, he said he didn't think it was seizure related & recommended that I visit a primary care doctor. I was at a loss. This summer, Dr. Olson and Dr. Pearson spent a ridiculous amount of time convincing me that syncope is a BIG deal. Now it's happening again & I feel like I shouldn't shrug it off. I tried to tell a doctor & it resulted in me feeling like a drama queen. I didn't get it. It seems my body didn't either. It happened again twice that evening. The first time ended in a not so graceful tumble down the stairs into the basement door. I couldn't escape the spinning room even when I was lying down or sitting still. At a loss for a better option, I agreed to go to the ER. After a few tests and many questions, the doctor concluded they couldn't do anything for me. He kindly recommended moving slowly and sent us on our way.

I felt like I was reliving a nightmare from my past. How could this be nothing? What was wrong with me? Was I overreacting? Was I being a baby? What a waste of time and money. I was disgusted, completely frustrated with my body, and a bit scared about it happening again. What if it happened at work? How could I stop it? Who could I turn to for help? I didn't know what to do so I just tried to stay positive. I knew I needed to stay calm and just hope I would be better in the morning.

Unfortunately my powers of positive thinking didn't work on my body. I did all I could to get through the morning carefully. I changed routines so that I could remain as stationery as possible while the kids were with me. Walking to the lunchroom was almost more than I could handle. I felt myself getting dizzier and more unsteady with each step. I knew I just needed to get my lunch from the fridge and make it to the table. I could do that. I opened the fridge door and carefully stooped to grab my bag. The room started to go black and I felt flushed. I remember grabbing the door, taking a slow breath, & chanting in my head that I could make it. I recall slowly moving from the fridge..... I came to surrounded by voices and a huge commotion. It had happened again. I was on the floor in the lunchroom. My head was hurting, I felt confused, and I was freezing cold. There was nothing I could do to make it better. Someone called an ambulance and before I knew it the EMTs were rolling me away. I felt like I was abandoning my students and my responsibilities. I was heartbroken. I just wanted to do my job. I had done everything recommended and couldn't stop it from happening. What hope did I have that this trip to the ER would be any different? I could only think of how worried Lee, Mom, and Dad would be. Being rushed to the hospital from work is a big deal. How could I make this better for them? I just needed someone to help me...

More bloody drama

Bottom line - I'm losing my patience and getting very tired of waiting for this bloody drama to end. It seems that Dr. Kern, Dr. Olson, & Dr. Toribara all agree that it's time for an iron infusion possibly coupled with a blood transfusion. What's the problem you say... Well it's the condition of my body & the cautious nature of Dr. Feiner.  Ugh! Wow do I get sick of being considered delicate. I'm just not down with that label. I wish someone would just take the risk and move forward. My NJ docs are insistent about Dr. Feiner performing the infusions be of the high risks involved with my medical conditions. he refused to move forward until they performed a capsule endoscopy proving one more time that I don't have a source of blood loss.

Can I say I think I might die if I ever have to drink that electrolyte concoction again!?!? Oh yes!! Note the drama queen is coming out in me, but I believe it's true!!!! That stuff is like prison level punishment. I mean, I don't like many drinks anyhow, but that stuff is another level beyond disgusting. Bleh! Bleh! Bleh! There must be a better way for the good of all mankind!

After suffering through the endless liters of torture it was finally time or the test. I must say, National Jewish really is on board with some breakthrough research. I had to swallow a horse pill sized camera with a bright blue flashing light. Then they strapped a belted monitor to my waist. The camera moved through my body throughout the day taking two pictures every three seconds. The pictures were uploaded to the monitor every fifteen seconds creating eight mind-boggling hours of breathtaking footage! ;)

What a Star Trekish experience that was! Now, I just need to wait for the results.......