THE 1ST POST - Where to begin...
Late June / early July 2010.
Day 1.
I came down with a cold. Not just any cold. This was unlike anything I'd ever had before. My chest felt like a brick was sitting on it, I had pulled all the muscles in my back from coughing. My entire body from my hair to my toenails ached.
I believed I had a severe case of Bronchitis (I've had it several times in the past) so I booked an appointment to see a "Medical Centre" Doctor for a prescription. At this stage, we had no real family doctor - there had never been the need. I had a local surgery that I visited to have my Blood Pressure prescription filled - I usually saw whatever Doctor was on.
The Dr at the Medical Centre disagreed with my own diagnosis and declared that I had a "very bad cold" and sent me home with instructions to take lots of Panadol and Cold and Flu tablets. (he wrote down the specific type to get)
He knew of my history of high blood pressure, but he told me they would be fine to take as it wasn't for the long term. *note - Dr did not take my Blood Pressure at this appointment. Mistake # 1.
Day 3. I was on a downhill spiral beyond my control. I remember crawling into bed and Mark piled quilt after quilt on top of me and I still had out of control shivering. A short time later I was ripping off the quilts and was burning up. I tossed up whether to go to hospital (felt silly since it was "just a cold") My back and ribs were aching like nothing I'd ever experienced. We jumped on Facebook at some silly hour asking about after hours doctors and everyone quickly replied with suggestions. That contact with my friends (which I was so grateful for) made me decide to get a doctor out to the house. Incredibly, she wasn't far from the house and she was there within 1/2 hour. She believed that I had a full blown version of the "Flu". She gave me something stronger than Panadol so I could sleep, encouraged me to keep up with the Cold & Flu tablets and visit a GP the next day. *note - Dr did not take my Blood Pressure. Mistake # 2.
Days blurred together. I started the very slow process of recovery. I postponed sessions, but knew I had deadlines and a Wedding coming up very soon. I was so incredibly weak. I was stressed and pushing myself too hard. I wasn't eating or sleeping well and my weight was the worst it had ever been in my life.
Wedding Day. It was a long drive to the Sunshine Coast and I'd left it too late to find a substitute shooter.
I never imagined that I would STILL be so weak. The plan was to drive myself and Mark would stay home with the kids. I would stop at Caloundra for the night on the way home and make the rest of the journey the next day.
I stayed in bed as long as possible and almost collapsed when I showered. I was sooo tired.
My cough was terrible and would send me into spasms that would send me running to the toilet just in case I would throw up.
We scrambled to make a plan B. There was no way I could drive. We had to drop the littlest children with my Dad and the bigger boys would come with us.
We called into the Pharmacy when we left as I had run out of the Cold and Flu tablets.
The Pharmacist was astounded that I had been taking the Cold and Flu tablets with my history of high BP. She strongly, strongly recommended that I don't take anymore and she gave me something mild to help control my coughing. I believe this Pharmacist saved my life.
I slept the entire journey and to this day I still don't know how I photographed that Wedding.
We drove home to Brisbane and spent a couple of days home in Brisbane before we drove back up to Caloundra for a holiday. I was still working too hard, not eating right and not looking after myself. I drove to Brisbane and back for a session and back again to assist at a Wedding. I was pushing myself too hard when I should have been resting. Physically I felt okay during the Wedding, I was looking forward to driving back to Caloundra afterwards for a family dinner.
When I arrived at Dinner I was overcome with a one-sided headache. The pain was intense. I couldn't work out if it was my jaw, my teeth, my ear, below my ear. Just a horrible, horrible headache? I left dinner quickly and sent Mark out to find a late night Pharmacy - I told him "Get the strongest pain killer they will give you" Mum found me out a heat pack and I spent the entire night rolling on the bed in pain, counting down the hours until the next pain killer (even though they didn't help) and re-heating the heat pack over and over.
I didn't sleep the entire night and by sunrise I was sitting at the kitchen table sobbing in pain. It was a Sunday. We were away from home and had no clue where to get Medical help. I dressed and Mark and I left to find a Doctor. I suspected a middle ear infection (I've also had lots of those in the past) as the pain seem to radiate from below my ear, but was affecting the entire right side of my face. We sat in the after hours doctors for hours. I dozed and was actually quite groggy from the pain killers.
We were finally called in to see the Dr - she looked in my ears - declared them to be clear and diagnosed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporomandibular_joint_disorder
I specifically told her about my High Blood Pressure and she prescribed a drug to help with the TMJ. *note - Doctor did not take my BP at this appointment. Mistake # 3.
I took two doses of the Drugs to help with TMJ. I spent the night on the couch watching a movie with all the family and as I was watching I noticed the subtitles were a little hard to read. I had left my reading glasses home in Brisbane, so put it down to that.
I later lay in bed and tried to read a book and again I found it hard to read.
For some reason, I decided to look in the mirror at my eyes and was frightened when I immediately saw that my pupils were unequal sizes. My left pupil was large and my right pupil was tiny. I stopped all medication and we drove home to Brisbane early the next morning.
7 Comments:
I've sat here Rach and read this through fully *twice*... the first time I was honestly in tears, my heart feels SO badly for you and what you've had to endure. :(
The second time I was angry... so very angry at the doctors that didn't take your BP! My hubby has very high blood pressure and been on BP meds since his early 30s so ten plus years and we have learnt a thing or two about young people and BP. I kept reading thinking WHY haven't they taken your pressure? And... OMG they gave you cold n flu meds (Michael almost died taking that literally with his BP meds, you just can't take that in combo) I won't keep on about that or my BP will rise LOL I guess we have learnt here that in the end we have had to take on the responsibility for asking more questions when he goes in. *sigh* They take his BP and I say "What is it?" They say "Fine" I say "No WHAT is it?" Hmm, like I said I've gotten more forceful about it all. ;)
Not sure if you have one Rach but one of the best things we did early on in the first year was to buy a good BP kit for home. My hubby has to take his pressure each day to monitor it as even on meds he is sometimes not good. I'd really recommend that, if I had a second one here I'd express post it to you today... honestly!
You're totally inspiring honey, you are doing so well with the healthy eating... I. Am. So. Proud. Of. You.
Love and heaps of hugs xx
Chrissy, you hit the nail on the head. I knew I had high BP....because the Doctors told me so. It meant nothing to me. They were numbers.
It started in my early thirties. I took medication because they told me to. I had high BP....so what?!
Now I know. I can tell you what my BP has been almost every day for the last 6 months :) I've taken responsibility for what I've done to myself and now I'm trying to fix it.
Yes, I have my own machine, thanks to my wonderful Dad who went and bought me one as soon as I was released from hospital.
We will never know if the weight / Blood Pressure caused the Dissection of the Artery....but it doesn't even matter anymore. (took me a while to get to that point) If it was the cause, it was going to be the cause of something else.....and I don't want to go near another hospital bed for a long, long time :)
Soooo relieved to hear you have your own BP monitor Rach!! It just makes it so much easier to gauge things especially if you are having any moments of feeling "not quite right" iykwim. I hear you about the "just numbers" thing too, Michael was a bit that way at the start, a few scares later and we take it more seriously these days.
I hope you stay right away from those hospital beds for a long time too. :) :) :)
I am shocked and stunned that not one doctor took your blood pressure! OMG! Proves there is something seriously wrong with our medical profession when they can't even do the basics.
Amy, I feel guilt/naive/ignorance when I think about that and have to accept some responsibility for not asking for it to be checked.
(never imagined in a million years the consequences)
Perfectly normal feelings Rach, but remember they are the professionals and remember how you were feeling at the time.
I had to ask the GP to listen to T's chest/back last week. Okay she was only there for a review after the BAD ear infection that developed while in hospital, but this was only a week after coming out of hospital. She read the notes, she would have seen this, so one would think it would be normal to check 'just in case' considering the circumstances. To me she was more focused on what T was wearing than why we were there :O
Wow Rach how scary, I beleive you did follow your instincts that something wasn't quite right, after all doctor's are but humans and are not infailable, as we found out with a couple of close calls with our Rachel once when she was only 9 months old, and an even scarier time when she was 9 when she was finally admit to hospital for 10days with meningitis, I beleive the words my father said to me when she was ill at 9 months saved her life .... Trust in your own instincts if you feel something is not right and if you don't get answers, keep asking till you get a doctor that will give you the answers..... I am so glad for you and your family that you did keep asking the question till you got the answers you need to survive.
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