Barbara WintroubI was recently reminded that stuff happens. When one least expects it, our life can be turned upside down.
The Short Story
If you are wondering why you haven’t heard from me for a few weeks…there is a very good reason. I would be happy to regale you with all the details, but I will try to keep it short. You see I was the recipient of a wonderful gift from a new male friend. He kindly gave me the stomach flu he had gotten from his grandchild. (Frankly, I would have preferred flowers or a nice dinner….) After several days of…I will spare you the details….I was unable to concentrate, severely dehydrated and nearly delirious. Said friend, came at my beckoned call to take me to Urgent Care. He patiently waited in the living room as I attempted to prepare for the trip.
He claims he heard a thud. Me, I have no idea as I was unconscious of the floor in a pool of blood. Fortunately for me, he called 911 rather than CSI and I was whisked off to the local hospital. I was in and out of consciousness throughout this process, unable to answer the paramedic’s simplest questions.
They did a CAT Scan and found I had a subdural hematoma. Note to self: your brain isn’t supposed to bleed. Hoping that it would repair itself, they stapled my scalp and sent me to ICU for observation. 24 hours later, a second scan found that, in fact, my brain healed itself. Note to self: thank you brain! While I had to spend two days more in the hospital it could have been much worse.
Left the Hospital
When I left the hospital I was given a long list of things NOT to do:
• Don’t lie flat
• Don’t lean over
• Don’t lean back
• Don’t move quickly
• Don’t drive
• Don’t, don’t, don’t
The only “do” on the list, was sit up in a chair and rest. Oh goody!
As it turns out I had such severe vertigo that I really couldn’t do anything. I consulted a cranial surgeon who after a few
nauseating tests sent me to a physical therapist who knew something called the Epley Maneuver. Specifically, I was taught to follow the sequence shown in this cute drawing until the room stopped spinning. I would do this 3 or 4 times a day. Frankly, it wasn’t a whole lot of fun…but by the fourth day I started to experience some improvement. After a week I went back to the physical therapist and he referred me back to the physician. She tested me as well, and confirmed the desired level of improvement and gave me a new exercise to do. Whenever possible, I was to walk forward and move my head back and forth as if I was scanning labels in a grocery line. As I write this it has been about one week of doing this new exercise and I am starting to notice some improvement.
What’s Next
What’s next? I don’t know yet. Of course, we all want to know why I fell. Was I just really dehydrated and weak because of the flu….or did something else happen? Inquiring minds want to know. Stay tuned and I will update you in future posts.