About migraines, nausea and uncontrollable floating arms.

I’ve been working on a Howdygram post for the last several days but had no opportunity to wrap it up or publish it. Why? Because I’ve had a couple of bizarre medical emergencies — or “Incredible Medical Escapades” — going on behind the scenes here, the second of which brought me perilously close to ending my own life due to overwhelming helplessness, hopelessness and pain.

Let’s begin.

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ESCAPADE #1.
It’s been an outrageous week here … even though I don’t remember most of it. However Sam and I were both wide awake at 4:30 Tuesday morning when the first escapade began. My symptoms included:

1. Low body temperature around 94°.
2. Intense dizziness.
3. Vertigo.
4. Queasiness.
5. Feeling cold and clammy, then hot and clammy.
6. Uncontrollable floating arms.
7. Loud rhythmic moaning.
8. I desperately wanted to puke … and said so.
9. Feeling like I’m ready to pass out.
10. Actually passing out for real.

Item #10 finally kicked in after I squirmed and suffered in bed with #1 through #9 (I have no explanation whatsoever for #6) for almost an hour. By the time I passed out there was a cold rag on my forehead, a plastic bowl wedged under my chin in case I vomited, I’d removed my glasses and the room was pitch black. Sam told me I was completely unresponsive for more than six hours, at which time Patty — my new hospice R.N./case manager — showed up for a weekly checkup.

Sam and I are still very freaked out by all of this. The only other time I was unresponsive at home was way back in March 2018 when I had a severe urinary tract infection, a high fever and sepsis, and Sam had to call 911 to get me to the closest hospital. Now that I’m under the care of a hospice, though, rushing me to an E.R. is no longer an option. Instead, now whenever there’s an emergency we just call the hospice and they’ll send an R.N. to make sure I’m safe and comfortable right here at home … in my very own hospital bed. And then whatever happens, happens.

ESCAPADE #2.
This one started on Wednesday not too long after a morning visit from my hospice C.N.A. for a routine bathing session. The first symptom was pain on the back of my head, like a “sore spot.” Then it turned into pain behind my eyeballs, followed by pain in my head and finally severe throbbing that only subsided if I used both hands to put pressure on the sides of my cranium above my ears. Nausea was next … and the bowl under my chin. Sam had to shut the lights, close the blinds, and stop all noise and sound. I had a KILLER MIGRAINE. I treated it with Sumatriptan (for migraine pain) and Ondansetron (for nausea). Both worked eventually, but Sumatriptan didn’t do enough and I needed a second tablet one hour later with a gigantic dose of prescription-strength Acetaminophen (Tylenol). The migraine plagued me on and off for 18 hours, intermingled with occasional burning urinary tract spasms — yes, they’re back! — and regurgitating into that bowl.

I felt so miserable and defeated that I strongly considered an overdose of pain pills to bring my misery to an end. And then all of a sudden everything got better and I ordered Chinese food.

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I think I’ll publish this post now so you’ll know I’m still here. I’ll try to write more tomorrow, okay?