lorrieonline's Journal

Lesson Learned Friday:

If I had to share anything I learned, it would be to have the cell phone programmed with the emergency numbers, "ice" (in case of emergency).  Important article here:  http://www.webmd.com/news/20061016/put-ice-on-your-cell-phone  (Sharing this system with everyone in the circle of friends and family would be pertinent.)

The next important thing is to have the "File of Life" available and UPDATED for such the emergency since it really could happen!  This is available online in a PDF format.  After this incident, I will definitely keep one on me.  I gave the two I had to my folks - didn't occur to me that I could possibly need such a thing UNTIL I DID!  An example of the form is here:  http://www.louisvillefire.com/pdf/File%20of%20LIfe%20Info.pdf  

Here is what Happened:

My doctor tried a new treatment for an exacerbation since I have an allergy to prednisone and the gamma doesn't seem real helpful.  Lots of money for things that aren't seeming worth it.

So, my new pills had to be made at a compound type pharmacy.  I started taking them Tuesday and by Wednesday seemed to feel pretty good, almost too good Wednesday evening.  Should have been a warning sign.  Looking back it must have been that euphoric feeling just before the allergy attack -had similar once with codeine.  Friday morning, checking out of a store on the way to work, it started.  My boyfriend just happened to be at the store too and was checking out behind me.  I told him something was wrong.  My lips and mouth were turning numb and I felt like they would be turning blue.  Not sure how I checked out.  The tremors began. 

David guided me to a bench to sit on in the store and asked if he should call 9-1-1.  I told him I didn't know and then I said I guess he needed to.  Friday was lost, nobody knew where I was and I couldn't communicate.  While I was in the ER, my work friends felt something was horribly wrong, and the phone calls started, from Orlando tthrough to Miami to my ex husband as well.  A co-worker called hospitals, my ex husband called police stations.  I felt horrible and my son is still ticked off at me and my boyfriend that he wasn't called sooner. (Had I had a program in place for just such a thing, this wouldn't have happened.)  I could barely find the words to answer the EMT questions or the hospital ER folks.  The whole incident began around 8:15 Friday morning and that whole day was spent in the ER until about 5:30pm.   Then the regular room.  All of this time I didn't know which hospital I was in and then I thought it was the next day. By Saturday morning my nurses and I were sure it had been the reaction and I was more stable - it took until 5pm to get released by an attending physician.  Being short staffed at a hospital seems a tad scary to me. 

Now, I'm just hoping that the MS hasen't progressed due to all the tremors and any deterioration to the central nervous system.  I've learned some valuable lessons and wanted to share those and hopefully it would be beneficial to my MS friends. 

Now I have to work up the nerve to go back to the store - I don't feel I'll go to the same one though - much too big and scary right now.  Still not sure I will use a cane but it will be with me in the car - very pretty one David brought to me - little pink flowers.  Still don't want to have to use one but my left leg feels very weak after all of that.

I've got Baked asparagus to make and sweet potato casserole though so I've got to get to the store.  Hope I can put this stuff together for the family get together.  Now if I could only invent a motorized chair that could get around the kitchen, at counter top height - lol.  I really hope this may have helped some of you here.  I love you all.