So ... the day before Thanksgiving, Jonathan and I were on the way to close on our house (to refinance) and ... we had been running around that morning, getting things together to leave for Williamton and getting last minute things done. We got in the car and were on the way towards Wendell to take our dog (Romeo) to my mother-in-law's house. When we got in the car, I told Jonathan that I didn't feel good ... I felt like I couldn't breath and I felt like I was getting ready to pass out. So ... I rolled down the window (even though it was cold outside) and ... he said I leaned my chair back to lay down and all of a sudden, the next thing I knew, we were in the parking lot at Percy Flower's and Jonathan was talking to me, trying to wake me up. I had passed out in the passenger's seat. He said he thought I was just resting my head at first, but he tried to lift my head (as he was running the red light at Percy Flower's) and my eyes rolled in the back of my head. He said I then coughed all of a sudden and woke up. Now ... I've had this before during pregnancy (the morning I jumped up out of bed and was running late for my doctor's appt), but not an episode where I was just sitting down in the passenger's seat. The ambulance came and my blood sugar was ok ... but blood pressure was low. They suggested we make an appt with my obgyn so we immediately called and they were able to see us in the raleigh office at 2:50. Being the day before Thanksgiving, we were very thankful for that. We just wanted to make sure everything was ok before we left town. The doctor was very helpful and said it was probably my blood sugar - I needed to eat more proteins in the mornings - start exercising more (3 times a week for 30 minutes a day) - and drink more water, as well as 3 gatorades a day.
So ... I've been doing better ... eating eggs in the mornings ... more protein, drinking lots of water (plus gatorade).
Until ... this morning ... I was headed to Greenville for my end of year meeting with my boss to go over goals for next year, etc. (which ... my MAIN goal will not have anything to do with work ;)) ... and all about my relationship with God, my husband, and our precious new addition to our family! .........
But anyway ... I had left the house and got on I-95 and was soo exhausted and tired feeling. I had had a banana and a package of nabs and was planning on stopping at Bojangle's, as we were out of bread and eggs this morning (for my usual egg sandwich). So ... about 10 miles down the road, I started feeling really weak and started to get anxious because I was on the road ... not a good place to be when you feel like you are about to pass out (especially on I-95). So ... I KNEW it was coming on ... my blood felt like it was boiling and I rolled down the window to get some cold air ... and pulled off immediately at exit 106 and put my emergency flashers on. I remember dialing 9-1-1 but ... I don't remember anybody answering or what happened next ... it had happened again ... I had passed out. The next thing I knew, I woke up to my phone playing music (which was my ringer). The emergency services number was calling me back - I guess b/c they heard nobody on the other end when I called?? I didn't answer it in time but called them right back. They immediately got an ambulance to come check me out. By that time, my blood sugar was ok and my blood pressure was ok but they were more than willing to take me to the hospital but felt like I could get home ok since I was only about 10 miles away. They talked to me all about the pregnancy and what I needed to be doing/not doing/etc. and they didn't feel comfortable with me still heading to greenville (which I didn't either). So ... I called Jonathan and my mom and they both stayed on the phone with me, of course worried to death, while I made my way home. I called the obgyn again and ... I already had an appointment scheduled for Friday for my glucose test ... but they moved it to tomorrow morning (12/7) at 8:10. You know ... Jonathan and I have rarely EVER called 9-1-1 before ... I mean, we're ones who don't even like to go to the doctor if we don't absolutely have to, but ... I will say ... I have been more appreciative these last two months for the emergency services (paramedics, firemen, etc.) - moreso than ever. I have ALWAYS appreciated my husband as a fireman, but until you really have to call on them, week after week, you don't realize how truly awesome they ALL are. My husband was actually on a call and wasn't able to answer me when I called him this morning ... but I told him ... "you know?? you were out helping somebody while somebody else was helping me ..." Somebody who was able to get to me much faster than he would have been able to from Cary.
Thank you, LORD JESUS, that you are our comforter and healer and protector. God, we KNOW that you are in control and I THANK YOU for keeping us both healthy and safe.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Crazy couple of weeks ...
Ok soo ... as of my last post ... we were waiting on answers for Jonathan's chest x-ray.
Well ... a LOT has happened since then. That same day I wrote the last post, I got a call that night (when I was staying with my grandparent's in Williamston - b/c I had to work down that way) from Jonathan at work, saying that he had had an attack while out training and they were at the urgent care. Well ... urgent care couldn't do anything, so they took him to the emergency room in Cary. When I got this call, I IMMEDIATELY got on the road and thankfully made it to Cary as quick (and safely) as possible. Since I was about an hour and a half away, Ms. Debbie and my mom went ahead and met him up there. I am SOOO thankful for his "family" (captain and other firemen) at the firestation b/c they stayed right with him and kept me posted until I got there.
To make a long story short, they did a chest x ray first and it was clear. Because they didn't have an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat Dr.) at that hospital, they came back in and said they were sending us home ........... ummm, excuse me, "WHAT"?? No ... we were determined to leave there with answers!! ... Luckily, they contacted the ENT at the wakemed in Raleigh and they told them not to let him go home ... that they would need him transported there to do some tests. Soo ... in the meantime, they did a CT scan of his neck (all was clear - praise Jesus!) We then waited until about 4:00 AM for the transport unit to come get him and take him to wake med in Raleigh. As soon as we got there, the ENT came right to us. He did a scope down Jonathan's nose and throat and all was clear (THANK YOU JESUS!!) They also did another test (where he swallows some liquids in a bunch of different positions) and they showed a little bit of swelling at the bottom of his esophagus ... and a hernia. We stayed there all day, waiting for a room where they would observe him for 24 hours, but the hospital was so full that he was actually "admitted" and taken to the back of the emergency room. Late that afternoon, the ENT doctor finally came back and talked us through what they thought it was - Vocal chord dysfunction (where his vocal chords actually close when he's trying to cough/breath), hernia, esophageal reflux, and viral pneumonia. Of course Jonathan had not had an attack all day b/c he had not eaten or been to sleep (that's when the attacks normally happened ... during the night or early in the morning). They felt comfortable for him to go home b/c they said that with these episodes ... even though he feels like he's not getting ANY air during the attacks, he is actually getting a little bit ... and if he did pass out, he would "reset" himself and wake back up. Hmmm ............. not what we want to hear, but we were very thankful to rule some things out (tumors, etc.) They gave him a few different medicines (steroids, antibiotics, and acid reflux medicine), put him on a strictly "bland" diet, and gave us their card to schedule a follow up appt with them for the following Tuesday.
Of course, the next morning, he had two attacks. We called the ENT doctor and they sent us some breathing exercises to help him until we got to their office Tuesday morning. Thankfully, the attacks have, for the most part, gotten a little better. He still has them, but they aren't as severe (except for one where he had blood in his mucus). After going to the follow up visit with the ENT, we decided we still needed to go see a pulmonologist just to rule any issues out with the lungs as well. We have that visit scheduled for December 22nd - that was the best they could do.
The last 3 or 4 nights, he has been sleeping in the recliner right beside our bed and hasn't had any attacks - he has had one or two times where he "almost" had one ... but was able to breath and drink water and ween them off. At the fire station, he lifted his bed a few inches at the head and that helped him sleep as well. We are going to do the same thing here.
THANK YOU FOR ANYBODY WHO HAS BEEN PRAYING FOR HIM - GOD IS FAITHFUL!
Well ... a LOT has happened since then. That same day I wrote the last post, I got a call that night (when I was staying with my grandparent's in Williamston - b/c I had to work down that way) from Jonathan at work, saying that he had had an attack while out training and they were at the urgent care. Well ... urgent care couldn't do anything, so they took him to the emergency room in Cary. When I got this call, I IMMEDIATELY got on the road and thankfully made it to Cary as quick (and safely) as possible. Since I was about an hour and a half away, Ms. Debbie and my mom went ahead and met him up there. I am SOOO thankful for his "family" (captain and other firemen) at the firestation b/c they stayed right with him and kept me posted until I got there.
To make a long story short, they did a chest x ray first and it was clear. Because they didn't have an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat Dr.) at that hospital, they came back in and said they were sending us home ........... ummm, excuse me, "WHAT"?? No ... we were determined to leave there with answers!! ... Luckily, they contacted the ENT at the wakemed in Raleigh and they told them not to let him go home ... that they would need him transported there to do some tests. Soo ... in the meantime, they did a CT scan of his neck (all was clear - praise Jesus!) We then waited until about 4:00 AM for the transport unit to come get him and take him to wake med in Raleigh. As soon as we got there, the ENT came right to us. He did a scope down Jonathan's nose and throat and all was clear (THANK YOU JESUS!!) They also did another test (where he swallows some liquids in a bunch of different positions) and they showed a little bit of swelling at the bottom of his esophagus ... and a hernia. We stayed there all day, waiting for a room where they would observe him for 24 hours, but the hospital was so full that he was actually "admitted" and taken to the back of the emergency room. Late that afternoon, the ENT doctor finally came back and talked us through what they thought it was - Vocal chord dysfunction (where his vocal chords actually close when he's trying to cough/breath), hernia, esophageal reflux, and viral pneumonia. Of course Jonathan had not had an attack all day b/c he had not eaten or been to sleep (that's when the attacks normally happened ... during the night or early in the morning). They felt comfortable for him to go home b/c they said that with these episodes ... even though he feels like he's not getting ANY air during the attacks, he is actually getting a little bit ... and if he did pass out, he would "reset" himself and wake back up. Hmmm ............. not what we want to hear, but we were very thankful to rule some things out (tumors, etc.) They gave him a few different medicines (steroids, antibiotics, and acid reflux medicine), put him on a strictly "bland" diet, and gave us their card to schedule a follow up appt with them for the following Tuesday.
Of course, the next morning, he had two attacks. We called the ENT doctor and they sent us some breathing exercises to help him until we got to their office Tuesday morning. Thankfully, the attacks have, for the most part, gotten a little better. He still has them, but they aren't as severe (except for one where he had blood in his mucus). After going to the follow up visit with the ENT, we decided we still needed to go see a pulmonologist just to rule any issues out with the lungs as well. We have that visit scheduled for December 22nd - that was the best they could do.
The last 3 or 4 nights, he has been sleeping in the recliner right beside our bed and hasn't had any attacks - he has had one or two times where he "almost" had one ... but was able to breath and drink water and ween them off. At the fire station, he lifted his bed a few inches at the head and that helped him sleep as well. We are going to do the same thing here.
THANK YOU FOR ANYBODY WHO HAS BEEN PRAYING FOR HIM - GOD IS FAITHFUL!
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