*adventures at IMC...AGAIN!*

Some of you may or may not know about my more recent hospital stay from April 7 -12th in which I was hospitalized for the same thing that i was in January. I have been trying, in vain, to describe this experience and post it here but after 4 rough drafts that just aren't convening what I wish I have decided to just post a brief overview of the events and move on. This hospitalization was much worse and more serious than my previous one and left me with much more to recover from than just whatever is causing this constant up and down of not knowing in my life.

On April 7th I woke up with the ominous feeling of not being able to move. Yes, it happened again. Scott and I had been sleeping downstairs because our upstairs rooms were being remodeled. I heard Delilah cry and fuss that she was ready to get up...this was around 2pm. Honestly I have NO IDEA what happened to the morning or if she really slept in this late. It has happened before with her sleeping until 1pm or so if shes really tired but it makes me feel sick to know that my blood pressure was so low that i was not fully conscious of what my baby was doing. luckily she was safe in her room. I managed to crawl on my hands and knees braving the horrible pain i was enduring to go upstairs, get Delilah her bottle and get her out of her room. I immediately called Scott to rush home and take me to the ER. This was a Thursday.

I arrived at the ER and was soon rushed into a room and within a few short hours, which i don't recall AT ALL, i was admitted to the 9th floor, or the Neuromuscular Floor. I soon had a team, yes a team, of 4 doctors all trying to be the one to figure out what this strange condition was and have all the glory of diagnosing a "rare and uncommon" condition. Alas, not a one figured out what was wrong.

Day 1-Friday, i started to have my partial paralysis set in. This time i was numb in my stomach, right cheek, forehead, brain (yes I couldn't even articulate a sentence up until about 2 wks ago!), lips, tongue (including my taste buds), and my legs and arms were very weak. I had to have help getting in and out of bed yet still managed to do physical therapy daily with a walker.

Night 2- My blood pressure dropped to around 60/30, sometimes dropping even lower and i was unconscious. They transferred me to ICU, placed a right subclavical arterial line (an IV placed into my artery instead of vein which had pressure valves on it to monitor my blood pressure internally as they couldn't get accurate readings with a cuff at this point) and also placed a central port that went directly into my aorta (heart). I blended in and out of consciousness while this happened and i had NO IDEA what was going on or why they were cutting me open to insert these lines. I was in a mass of confusion and this happened to be the night Scott no my mom stayed the night with me so I had NO support and the staff of nurses and doctors didn't feel inclined to call either of my emergency contacts (which i believe ICU is an emergency situation and deserves family notification).

Day 2- Saturday: I awoke in ICU only to wake enough to open my eyes slightly as if i was looking through a pair of blinders and could only see minimally. Then I was out. When i gained consciousness again i noticed no nurses were around and there was a huge sign saying not to use your cell phone. That was the ONLY PIECE of the decor that i could use to tell where I was. I fumbled for my phone and called my mom frantically as she was my last call and told her i had no idea where i was but she needed to find me and the only thing i could see was the "DO NOT USE YOUR CELL PHONE" sign. Obviously this was NOT the amount of information my mom needed to find me in a 14+ story hospital, especially as i frightened her as i had not a clue where i was at or what was going on. I blacked out again. I awoke this time to my grandparents and inlaws at my side along with Scott as they gave me a blessing. I slipped out again. Next time I awoke out of ICU and was in my room but I can not recall who or what was around me.

Night 3: My mom stayed the night and was a nazi when it came to my care :)

Day 3-Sunday: I was finally stabilized, well somewhat. Every time i got out of bed my heart rate would jump up to about 180 and my blood pressure would drop to below 100/60

Night 4: I am beyond sick of the hospital. I FINALLY GOT TO SEE DELILAH!!! She was so afraid to have me hold her since i was hooked up to all these machines and had a few IV's in me and oxygen on. I have missed her terribly.

Day 4: Monday-The doctors decided that one more thing they needed to do to test things was to do a muscle biopsy on my right thigh. They had me on "NPO" or "Nothing By Mouth" since midnight and this was beyond annoying! They came in and did an ECG and seriously it messed with me! They stuck a bunch of small needles into my body at various "energy" points and then sent an electric shock into that muscle to "restart" it so to speak. I fell extremely nauseous and just blank after that. As soon, and I mean within 2 min of it being finished the surgery tech was there to take me into surgery.

Night 5: I wanted nothing more than to go home. I started with a low grade fever and pneumonia. HORRIBLE. I had a test scheduled on my gallbladder in the morning at 8 and so again I had to be NPO and for this particular test pain meds interfer with the results so i was not allowed anything for pain for my CUT OPEN LEG from midnight until 11am when they finally got me back. I was in so much pain I was puking and crying and completely 100% miserable.

Day 6: Tuesday-I returned from the gallbladder test and continued to puke. They had to get my vomiting under control before i could have pain meds which just delayed it another 2 hours (and the test was 2 hours so I didnt get anything until around 3pm on Day 7). They came in to say the gallbladder test was normal even though it made me beyond ill and that basically there was nothing more they could do for me so they asked if i was "ready" to go home.

*ok time out* I have been in the hospital for 5 days, spent 1 in the ICU, had my leg operated on less than 24 hours ago, my stomach, part of my face, my head and other random spots on my body are numb, i need to walk with a walker, i have been poked every 4-6 hours since i have been here and i have an IV that goes straight into my heart...

YEP IM READY TO GO HOME!

So the doctors discharged me and i was to fend for myself. Luckily my grandparents spent the next week with me helping with Lilah, my mother in law too lilah a few days, my mom was there to help when she wasn't working and when scott wasn't at school or work he was there to take over. It has taken me 5 weeks to fully feel like myself again but my leg is still giving me a lot of pain. I still walk with a slight limp but that should improve as the muscle tissue regrows back together.

So all in all the doctors told Scott and my family yet again that I would NOT make it out of the hospital, yet here i am...but with no diagnosis, which is a continuing effort among a few doctors.