This morning I was 'I'd-rather-die-than-continue-living-like-this' sick. My mom picked me up to take me to a massage therapist for a cranial massage because I had a migraine that was so bad I couldn't drive myself there. We stopped at her house where my dad and my brother-in-law, Fred, gave me a priesthood blessing. I felt significantly better immediately. Half an hour after that my cranial massage began and an hour later I felt like a new woman. Within the span of 2 hours I went from feeling like I'd rather die than have to continue feeling my head hurt so badly, to feeling like I could do anything because my whole entire body felt so good.
I highly recommend priesthood blessings. And cranial massages*.
Here's my recent medical history:
Last 5 months: Heart pain has come and gone, but can't seem to find root cause.
Last month: Heart pain increased in duration and intensity. So tired I thought I must be pregnant (I'm not, though!). Doctor prescribed Ibuprofen 800 mg for pain and inflammation.
Last couple of weeks: Felt really weak and tired, heart pain increased to almost constant.
Monday: Feel pain in my lower back, where my kidneys are. Go to doctor to see if it's a UTI. It is. Get meds. Start taking them. Talk to doctor again about heart pain. He orders Echocardiogram. Scheduled for Thursday. Throughout the day pain in lower back increases and I'm SO tired. Trouble standing up straight because my back hurt so much.
Tuesday: Wake up feeling worse, not better. Must stay in bed most of day. By Tuesday night I was really hurting, but thought maybe I just needed to wait until I had one more dose of antibiotic in me before I'd see improvement. Slept at my Mom's house because I needed to be taken care of. There' s just no one like your mom when it comes to being taken care of. Not only are moms naturally caring, but they are empathetic and good at anticipating needs. I'm so glad my mom is nearby.
Wednesday: Endure pain until 7:00 a.m. when I finally told my mom I needed to go to the hospital. She got ready and took me to the ER at LDSH. My dad and Rob joined the support committee as soon as they could. It took 4 extremely painful, time-consuming tries to get an IV (if Ron is every your nurse at LDSH, ask for someone else!). They did blood work, checked my urine, did an abdominal ultrasound to check my organs ($cha-ching$), an EKG ($cha-ching$), a CT scan to see if they could identify anything wrong with my chest that would cause the heart pain ($cha-ching$) and gave me IV antibiotics (2 grams Rocephin) and fluids. Diagnosis: Pyelonephritis (kidney infection). Oh, and I have a kidney stone which may or may not present itself some time in the future. And then I was instructed to come back the next day for some more fun. I went home, hopeful that I would soon be on my way to recovery. I stayed in bed pretty much the rest of the night, in serious pain. I guess 'soon' is relative.
Thursday: My sister, Jenny, was elected to take me to the hospital this time. She offered, but I consider her the unlucky 'winner' because it's so not fun and takes way too much time. Husband was working on digging a trench for our new cement porch. My awful headache that began when they injected some kind of dye for my CT scan (also when I began vomiting bile) was getting worse, not better. It was in the top left side of my head - no where else. Weird, I know. My kidney pain was much improved, but was still hurting somewhat and I had other random pains in my body that didn't seem to be connected to anything else. When I told the ER doctor he looked at my (I swear!) like I was making stuff up to get more tests. I am not that kind of ER patient! I might have gotten a little mad at Ron and yelled at him to just get the doctor, but that helped me not have to see him as much, so I don't regret it. He did, however, have the nerve to come back and give me two shots (one in my leg and one in my hip) which were very painful and I got a huge bruise and swollen hip). The doctor also offered some other kind of ultrasound - not because he thought I needed it, but because (it seemed) he thought I wanted more testing. Needless to say, I refused that one. The migraine shot and the melt-under-your-tongue medicine didn't help the migraine at all, but they were done with me, so out I went. I took my Lortab religiously but to no avail. That darn headache just wouldn't leave and I had a lot of trouble sleeping; I suffered through the rest of the day and night. The good news: no heart pain for the entire day! The bad news: it could take more than a week before I feel as well as I usually do because the inflammation in my kidney was so far progressed.
Friday: At my wit's end, I tried to conjure up some migraine-alleviating options. I remembered my friend had a cranial massage once when she had a migraine, so I asked Rob to schedule me one. I asked Aubrey if she had any Excedrin Migraine since I had been told caffeine might help and I don't drink anything with caffeine in it. And when Jenny called to check on me she offered to find some people to give me an other blessing. And now - as if by magic - I am almost normal. I am still really tired and weak and a little nauseous, but I can function! Thank the Lord for good health.
And now a word to my really great friends & family: Thank you SO SO SO SO much for everything you did to help alleviate my pain and help with the kids and figure out what was wrong and for prayers offered and housework done, etc., etc. I don't know how people make it through stuff like this when they don't have extended family around to help. I feel so blessed to live near both my parents, both my sisters, one brother, and my in-laws! (side note: I still wish my other brothers lived closer!).
The difference between a good friend and a really great friend is that a really great one not only sees what could be done to help, but does it without being asked and without asking permission. It turns out I have some really great friends and family!
P.S. Because I have been on Lortab most of the week and it makes me super groggy, I keep finding out things happened while I was medicated that I don't have any recollection of. So, if you told me something between Monday and today (Friday), or if I told you I'd do something, you might want to talk to me about it again...just in case!
*I got my professional cranial-sacral massage from the owner of Renaissance School of Therapeutic Message (who happens to be my neighbor).
3 comments:
Wow!!! I hope you're still feeling better! I've been really worried about you. If you need anything or get worse again, call me. I'm SERIOUS.
I am glad to hear you are feeling better. I get migraines but they usually only last a day or so. I think Excedrin Migraine works pretty well and I take Tylenol PM and that usually helps me a lot. The heart pain is really scary though. I sure hope that you continue to heal and be back to your old self soon :) xoxo
Natalie,
I haven't read your blog in months. I'm sorry you have been sick but am glad you are feeling better!
Caffeine usually helps a headache. Avoid hot baths, physical activity or anything else that will raise your blood pressure when you have a headache.
I've been very lucky in life and have had great health. I haven't been to a doctor in decades other than 15 years ago for a sprained ankle and once for a few stitches when I fell and cut my arm. I don't spend more than $5-10 a year on over the counter medicine. I have never gotten a flu vaccination. Most winters I don't get a cold. I've been lucky.
Here's an easy way for each of the adult family members in your extended family to possibly get $100 free. It's not much individually but if you all did it it would be about $1,000. If that money was pooled together you could really do something fun with it as an extended family.
https://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/shared/marketing/page/135035_geta_bonusg&ID=0000011515&MSC=IQ12613012
This seems like an easy way to make $100 if you don't currently bank with Chase and you open a checking account with $100 by the end of this month. You then make 5 debit card transactions (they could be for only $1 each or less) and in 10 business days Chase puts $100 into your account. The catch is you have to keep the account 6 months and every month make at least 5 debit card transactions. But that would be easy. Just write it down on a calendar and make them all on the same day each month for tiny amounts. Then when 6 months is over cancel the account.
Pass this information on to your extended family members.
I wish I knew if your mother has a special day other than May Day (May 1). I bought something for her on my last trip to San Francisco and have been waiting for a good time to send it to her. San Francisco is my favorite city in America to visit. The last decade I've been going there at least once a year.
Brian.
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