Something I haven't talked a lot about is my life with seizures. My last bout with them was about three months ago and boy were they a doozy. If it hadn't been for the quick actions of my husband, a co-worker, and the neurological ICU team at Memorial Hermann, I'm not sure what the final outcome might have been. Seriously.
There was nothing at all significant leading up to this last event. The last seizure I had prior to this was two years ago. A strict medication regimen, an attempt at maintaining low-stress (insert laugh track here), and staying away from my known triggers seemed to be keeping the boogers away. At the very end I'll tell you what we think the culprit(s) was (were), so stayed tuned.
I went to work on a Tuesday, just like any other normal day, and started my normal work routine. Computer. Spreadsheets. Printing. You know, stuff. It was about 9:30 in the morning and I felt the familiar signs. For me, it's like a rush of warmth, dizziness, and sleepiness that starts in the back of my head and slowly spreads to the front. Eventually a wave of darkness takes over and along with it - motionlessness. Like being trapped in my prison. Most of the time I have the wherewithal to be able to call out for help. Of course, this time was different because I was all alone in my office. So the next best thing I could do was call my husband.
By the time Victor answered the phone I was non-responsive, only answering in short grunts and breaths. Alarm bells started going off in his head and he kept talking me through the seizure. These are what they look like - peaceful, sleeping Laura. But it's really a disconnect in my brain. A hardwired reset that takes everything back to zero. After a minute or two he started to panic. I had never been out longer than that and he was still counting the seconds. I believe this episode lasted closer to four to five minutes. When I came to, my speech was slurred and my right side was nearly paralyzed.
I knew better than to panic. Past lessons taught us about TIA's (trans ischemic attacks) and we were no stranger to them. Eventually I became clear headed enough to give him my nearest co-worker's phone number who showed up in a matter of minutes. Once my friend arrived, he decided the best course of action was to call an ambulance and they transported to me Memorial Hermann.
In the ambulance, I told the paramedic I felt another seizure coming on. This one was totally different. My body seized up in ways it never had before. Over and over and over. I remember the air getting pushed out of my lungs so forcefully that the noise coming out of me was nearly unrecognizable as my own voice. I was administered some medication and shortly after it stopped. I wasn't scared. I wasn't concerned. I was nearly relieved it was over.
My husband and both my bosses met me at the hospital. I was immediately admitted to the neurological ICU. I had scans completed, blood drawn, and evaluations done. A possible clot was found in my brain. The only question about it was whether or not the area was a congenital defect - the blockage wasn't a blockage but an area where the veins actually just stopped - or a blockage. No one could tell. Go figure.
We decided to accept the clot buster medication known as TPA. If I had a stroke, it could save my life. If not, I might just be easily bruised for a while.
A little while later I had another seizure. Victor was with me in the room. He noticed my left foot twitching shortly before my whole body convulsed. It was the same macabre dance as in the ambulance. He ran to get the doctors and nurses. They administered some drugs and kept asking me a bunch of questions. I think I answered them, but I don't really remember. Later, after the seizure, Victor overheard a nurse saying something an anxiety attack and had to bite his tongue. That must have been some anxiety attack.
I was in the hospital for two days. They wanted me to go home with a walker. I was able to walk, though very unsteadily. I was out of work for two weeks and so was Victor so he could take care of me. I couldn't shower myself for a few days and needed assistance. I couldn't go up and down the stairs alone for a few days. I was extremely unsteady for about a week.
Eventually my nervous system calmed down. My balance returned. My strength returned. Was it muscle memory? I don't know. The official diagnosis was Todd's Paralysis - a temporary paralysis after a seizure. No stroke, thank God.
The cause? We'll never know for sure but here's the theory:
1) I took 100 mg of my anti-seizure medication. I took it in the form of 50 mg pills. My pharmacy, without telling me, switched me to 100 mg pills. For a short time (anywhere from 1 week to 3 mos) I was double dosing myself. I have taken the double dose of that medication before back when I was having a lot of seizures, but it's been a while. As soon as I realized my mistake I corrected it. I told the EMT and all the doctors at the hospital about the mistake.
2) My insurance company no longer wanted to pay for the name brand of another medication I take that peripherally helps with seizures. It is not that medication's main function, but is a happy side effect. The insurance company asked the pharmacy to switch me to the generic.
3) This all happened at the same time.
In the end I was on three months driving restriction, which was awful on everyone in the house. I had to increase my seizure medication after all. And if I don't answer my phone, all my co-workers start to worry about me. But it could always be worse.
I want to give a special thank you to my company for feeding me for the first week I was out. And for everyone who helped give myself and all my kids a ride when we needed help. And especially for all the patience and understanding during my time of recovery. I am truly blessed and thankful for your all.
Till next time, friends...
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stress. Show all posts
Sunday, November 17, 2019
Friday, September 1, 2017
Impact of Hurricane Harvey
Hurricane Harvey was a devastating storm that hit the Texas coast line near
Port Aransas and Port O'Connor on Friday August 25, 2017. While we in the
Houston area knew we would be on the dirty side, we never expected
the impact of what that would mean. I'm sure you have been watching the
news or have lived through it, like we did, so I'm not going to rehash all the
details. I'll just briefly tell you where we stand.
We live on the North-West side of Houston. The water, during the thickest part of Harvey, got within feet of my home. My neighbors were not so lucky. In fact, friends down the street from me kayaked to my home to stay the night after rain water reached knee-high depth in their house and it became impossible to stay. Across the street I see carpet sitting on curbs. I was on the phone with my sister all weekend checking on her and vice versa.
We got stranded in our neighborhood for three days due to high water all around us. My husband did an amazing job of preparing for the hurricane and we had plenty of food and water. Our home never lost power or water services so we just waited it out.
My husband works for AT&T. He could return to his garage on Tuesday but they were
unable to work because all their service areas were inaccessible. The next day more employees able to return to work and they went out to assess the
surrounding areas. Thursday, they tried to get some work done and return
services to their customers. Friday is much the same.
It seems that the only thing lost during Hurricane Harvey is my job. It is currently three feet under water. My parent company, JEA Senior Living, could not have been more gracious. They tried place all their Houston employees in their other senior living communities. However, I made the difficult decision that commuting to either Austin or Bryan College Station is not practical for our way of life. Austin is nearly four hours away and Bryan is nearly one and half hours away. That's if I'm lucky with no traffic.
On the bright side, I may be able get unemployment relief through FEMA due
to a disaster. Part of my personality is to plan my life out for as long as I
can. I had a five-year plan. Hurricane Harvey blew that out of the water and
now I'm having to reassess that plan. But I have my home, my family, and my life. So,
I think I have very little to complain about.
Till next time friends...
 | |
| My Mailbox - Laura Romero |
We live on the North-West side of Houston. The water, during the thickest part of Harvey, got within feet of my home. My neighbors were not so lucky. In fact, friends down the street from me kayaked to my home to stay the night after rain water reached knee-high depth in their house and it became impossible to stay. Across the street I see carpet sitting on curbs. I was on the phone with my sister all weekend checking on her and vice versa.
We got stranded in our neighborhood for three days due to high water all around us. My husband did an amazing job of preparing for the hurricane and we had plenty of food and water. Our home never lost power or water services so we just waited it out.
 |
| Creeping up my Yard - Laura Romero |
It seems that the only thing lost during Hurricane Harvey is my job. It is currently three feet under water. My parent company, JEA Senior Living, could not have been more gracious. They tried place all their Houston employees in their other senior living communities. However, I made the difficult decision that commuting to either Austin or Bryan College Station is not practical for our way of life. Austin is nearly four hours away and Bryan is nearly one and half hours away. That's if I'm lucky with no traffic.
 |
| Nearly as High as it Went - Laura Romero |
Till next time friends...
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Breakthrough Seizures
Sometimes life throws you a curve ball and you have no choice but to catch it, hit it, or dodge it. I had been seizure free since April of 2014 and then, at the end July, I had one of my spells. I have non-epileptic seizures. I never fully lose consciousness and I don't jerk or twitch, I just sort of shut down for a minute. I lose control of my body. I can't move or respond to what's going on around me. It's almost like a reset button has been pressed.
I happened to have a neurology appointment a few weeks after the initial event. My neurologist and I talked about the possible return of these seizures. She told me that sometimes people just have breakthrough episodes. No one can predict them nor can we control them. It's unfortunate but at least we can limit their recurrence.
I'm on a relatively high dose of Topamax already, an anti-seizure medication. I also take Lyrica for neuropathic pain. It has an anti-seizure medication in it as well, so no need to change any of my medication. There are triggers, however, for seizures. Stress, lack of sleep and excess alcohol consumption can all contribute to breakthrough episodes.
Unfortunately, there has been no lack of stress around here. From home repairs, car repairs, back to school expenses and now the victims of bank fraud, life has definitely kept us on our toes this year. Lack of sleep? Well, I do my level best to get a good night's sleep every night because lack of sleep contributes to a higher risk of migraines and so does an excess of alcohol. But I'm human. So I don't always sleep well and I don't always stick to "just one" drink.
The good news is, I haven't had another breakthrough seizure. The bad news is, I'm on three to six months no driving. Three months because I never lost consciousness, up to six months depending on how I feel. If I feel I am not putting myself or others at risk I can start driving again in November. Just in time for holiday travel.
I happened to have a neurology appointment a few weeks after the initial event. My neurologist and I talked about the possible return of these seizures. She told me that sometimes people just have breakthrough episodes. No one can predict them nor can we control them. It's unfortunate but at least we can limit their recurrence.
I'm on a relatively high dose of Topamax already, an anti-seizure medication. I also take Lyrica for neuropathic pain. It has an anti-seizure medication in it as well, so no need to change any of my medication. There are triggers, however, for seizures. Stress, lack of sleep and excess alcohol consumption can all contribute to breakthrough episodes.
Unfortunately, there has been no lack of stress around here. From home repairs, car repairs, back to school expenses and now the victims of bank fraud, life has definitely kept us on our toes this year. Lack of sleep? Well, I do my level best to get a good night's sleep every night because lack of sleep contributes to a higher risk of migraines and so does an excess of alcohol. But I'm human. So I don't always sleep well and I don't always stick to "just one" drink.
The good news is, I haven't had another breakthrough seizure. The bad news is, I'm on three to six months no driving. Three months because I never lost consciousness, up to six months depending on how I feel. If I feel I am not putting myself or others at risk I can start driving again in November. Just in time for holiday travel.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Fun Friday
My husband has Thursdays off right now so we used that day to run our errands. I also enjoyed an evening out listening to my son's band concert. (He was amazing, as always.) So while Thursday was a little bit busy, it was nothing out of the ordinary. Until that night. I was sitting and watching television after the kids had gone to bed. Nothing unusual there, but suddenly I felt an incredible pressure on my chest; like someone was standing on me. Then it felt like someone was squeezing my rib cage together.
I got up and walked over to husband, who was standing in the kitchen, and told him I didn't feel well. It didn't occur to my to take my nitroglycerin because I wasn't in severe pain. There was just a squeezing sensation. A little later I felt dizzy and there was a throbbing in my temples followed by a headache. Then I couldn't talk. My speech was slurred and I was having severe difficulty finding my words. My right arm and leg were weaker than usual and were experiencing pain.
I suppose any other person would have gone to the hospital right then and there. But not me. These symptoms, especially the aphasia, come on pretty frequently and without warning. So we decided to go to bed and wait it out. When I woke up, I felt pretty much the same, sans headache, and still couldn't speak.
Victor took an unscheduled day off, helped me get the kids ready for school and acted as my interpreter all day. We called the neurologist. She suggested the symptoms were brought on by a seizure or by a migraine and to monitor the symptoms. If they got worse, head to the ER. We called the cardiologist. He said that it sounded like on aura brought on by the headache and that he would head to the ER if symptoms did not resolve in the next few hours.We waited about another hour and decided to go to the hospital because the aphasia had never before lasted more than an hour and we were heading into hour 12.
I hate heading to the hospital whenever I experience a neurological event. One of two things always happen. One, I am not taken seriously. Or two, I am made into a science experiment. On Friday, I they took Door Number One.
After all the tests (electrocardiogram, chest x-ray, CT-scan of the brain, blood work), I am told everything is fine. There was no reason for my symptoms and I can go home as is. With no relief for the chest pain and no explanation for the event. They tried to relieve the pain with both morphine and toradol but to no avail. All I was told was that when patients come in with chest pain with no reason that can be pinned down, they usually chalk it up to stress and anxiety.
I'm not going to deny that I have stress in my life. That would be stupid. I have three kids, a husband, a mother in law and a dog to take care of. I do all the laundry, all the cooking, a large majority of the cleaning, I can't drive till October, I hate being a housewife but I love writing everyday, and I probably won't ever get to back to work ever again. But my kids are a huge help around the house, my husband takes me out whenever he can, and I don't feel particularly anxious and overly stressed. In fact, I have had less migraines in the last few months than I can remember ever having in recent years thanks to changes in diet and household environment. I have had a definite problem with chest pain since my heart surgery in 2010 that we are just now getting under control. And we are only just now starting to under the repercussions of my stroke in 2010. So while stress may have played a part in Friday's events, I feel like it was not the whole story.
This week I am focusing on creating a healthy environment. I feel better when my house is clean and smells nice therefore I am taking that little extra effort to make sure that my house is the way I like it. I am making doubly sure I am eating right, drinking plenty of water, exercising and keeping a daily journal to help get out anything that is bothering me. At this point, I will do anything to keep my heart and brain healthy and working together like clockwork.
I got up and walked over to husband, who was standing in the kitchen, and told him I didn't feel well. It didn't occur to my to take my nitroglycerin because I wasn't in severe pain. There was just a squeezing sensation. A little later I felt dizzy and there was a throbbing in my temples followed by a headache. Then I couldn't talk. My speech was slurred and I was having severe difficulty finding my words. My right arm and leg were weaker than usual and were experiencing pain.
I suppose any other person would have gone to the hospital right then and there. But not me. These symptoms, especially the aphasia, come on pretty frequently and without warning. So we decided to go to bed and wait it out. When I woke up, I felt pretty much the same, sans headache, and still couldn't speak.
Victor took an unscheduled day off, helped me get the kids ready for school and acted as my interpreter all day. We called the neurologist. She suggested the symptoms were brought on by a seizure or by a migraine and to monitor the symptoms. If they got worse, head to the ER. We called the cardiologist. He said that it sounded like on aura brought on by the headache and that he would head to the ER if symptoms did not resolve in the next few hours.We waited about another hour and decided to go to the hospital because the aphasia had never before lasted more than an hour and we were heading into hour 12.
I hate heading to the hospital whenever I experience a neurological event. One of two things always happen. One, I am not taken seriously. Or two, I am made into a science experiment. On Friday, I they took Door Number One.
After all the tests (electrocardiogram, chest x-ray, CT-scan of the brain, blood work), I am told everything is fine. There was no reason for my symptoms and I can go home as is. With no relief for the chest pain and no explanation for the event. They tried to relieve the pain with both morphine and toradol but to no avail. All I was told was that when patients come in with chest pain with no reason that can be pinned down, they usually chalk it up to stress and anxiety.
I'm not going to deny that I have stress in my life. That would be stupid. I have three kids, a husband, a mother in law and a dog to take care of. I do all the laundry, all the cooking, a large majority of the cleaning, I can't drive till October, I hate being a housewife but I love writing everyday, and I probably won't ever get to back to work ever again. But my kids are a huge help around the house, my husband takes me out whenever he can, and I don't feel particularly anxious and overly stressed. In fact, I have had less migraines in the last few months than I can remember ever having in recent years thanks to changes in diet and household environment. I have had a definite problem with chest pain since my heart surgery in 2010 that we are just now getting under control. And we are only just now starting to under the repercussions of my stroke in 2010. So while stress may have played a part in Friday's events, I feel like it was not the whole story.
This week I am focusing on creating a healthy environment. I feel better when my house is clean and smells nice therefore I am taking that little extra effort to make sure that my house is the way I like it. I am making doubly sure I am eating right, drinking plenty of water, exercising and keeping a daily journal to help get out anything that is bothering me. At this point, I will do anything to keep my heart and brain healthy and working together like clockwork.
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