Sunday, June 10, 2012

3 mm piece of death

I woke up at 4:00 AM yesterday morning the 9th. I had this crazy weird throbbing pain in my crotch ( I know, but I don't know how else to put it). Anyway, Travis was still asleep and after about half an hour, I just got this thought that something was wrong. I got a little teary-eyed and the thought of something happening to me and leaving Skyler and Travis put me down in the dumps. I quickly told myself I was being silly and that I would be fine. By this time Travis woke up and came to comfort me. I tried to take a bath, and that didn't help either. Then around 6:30 I started getting another pain in my right side. It began to get more and more painful very quickly. My thoughts were either appendicitis or kidney stones. We decided to go to the ER about 7 am. By the time I got there I was in serious pain. The nurse took my vitals, and eventually got me hooked up to the IV and gave me some pain meds. Travis took Skyler to my visiting teacher's home at 8 and then came back to be with me. They needed a urine sample to rule out pregnancy before they could do a CT scan, and I physically couldn't give it to them. By this point I figured, kidney stone. They threatened me with a catheter, and I managed to give them enough of a sample to rule out pregnancy. I then had to drink this nasty stuff over the course of a couple hours before the CT so they could get the best images possible. Travis really liked watching me get the CT, and said it was sweet how it took the images and he could see everything. It was confirmed that I had a 3 mm kidney stone. It was getting to be the afternoon now, and I had lots of medication so far, and still no passing of the stone. And well this is where things got really interesting for both me and travis. It was close to 3:30pm and we were discussing the option of whether we should go home to pass the stone or not. I had just gotten another dose of pain meds and Dr. Jones was on his way in. We were also debating on whether we should get Skyler or not. We decided to wait for Dr. Jones, although we were both ready to go home. From then on.... 

Travis's point of view: After deciding to wait for Dr. Jones before getting Skyler, I began to play on the tablet. I heard all this liquid hit the ground, and I looked at Sara and noticed she was laying back in the bed vomiting. I grabbed the vomit bag and held it up to her mouth expecting her to grab it and take it. That's when I noticed her eyes were closed, and by that time the other doctor and nurses came to the bed and we all pulled Sara up from the 45 degree angle to sitting upright at 90 degrees. Some were holding Sara up since she was unresponsive and couldn't do it herself. The nurses were cleaning off her IV and monitors, and another nurse put on an oxygen mask, but then had to change it for one with a bag connected so that she could vomit. After the reverse medication was given to counteract the pain meds (since they knew the cause was too much pain medication) it took about 15 seconds for Sara to open her eyes. The doctor was trying to get her attention, "Sara, can you here us". She was like a fish out of water, looking with her mouth open trying to speak, but wasn't able to. Then after a few seconds she said something like, "Wow, this is weird" The doctor then started asking her if she knew where she was, and if she remembered who I was. She said, " I think this is the hospital, and that's my husband Travis". She then asked the doctor if she had died, and he told her no, that it was something with the medicine. She was in a lot more pain, since the pain meds were no longer working, and that caused her to throw up more. It was at this time that Dr. Jones was called in and told what happened. After some time, the doctors and nurses went to their desks, and I stayed with Sara while she was vomiting, and we later discussed what happened. 

My point of view: The last thing I remembered was deciding to wait for Dr. Jones, before calling our visiting teacher to get Skyler. I blacked just seconds after that, then I sort of came to. It felt like I had been sleeping forever. I was stuck in this dream and I looked around, sitting in the hospital bed. I could see figures of people, including my doctor and Travis, and also saw some other people who I didn't recognize and had no idea where they even came from. They were a blur and violently shaking. This was by far the worst dream ever. I tried so hard to wake up, this just felt wrong and messed up. Then my hearing started to come back, and I could hear my doctor saying my name in a raised voice, and asking me, "Sara, can you here me?!" Everything was still such a blur, and that's when I finally realized that I wasn't dreaming. I was so scared and I tried to speak but couldn't. All I could think, was what just happened to me?  I tried with all my might to get focused and come to reality. Slowly things began to feel real and I could focus and understand a little more what was going on. I noticed one of the doctors to my left was holding oxygen to my face and I was throwing up over and over. I was drenched in what I though was sweat, and had excruciating pain in my side. I turned to my doctor and the first thing I was able to verbally say was, "Did I die?" My other doctor arrived and asked the nurse the status. I heard her say something about me having too much meds, and that I was blue in the face. She gave me something to reverse the pain meds, and I was coming to. After I was stabilized the doctors and nurses went back to their desks. I could see them, and they all looked concerned. I was sitting up in bed and Travis was by my side. We were going back and forth between oxygen and throwing up. It took me a long time to really get my grips. I was too afraid to ask Travis what happened at first. I thought I had died, the thought of CPR came across my mind and I even looked around the room for a crash cart. I didn't see one. I sat there dumbfounded and told Travis, "you have no idea what I just went through", and he replied the same, "and you have no idea what I went through." After some time he told me his side of the story, and I figured out that I was unresponsive due to getting too many meds, and they gave me the drug to reverse the pain meds. That's why I was in such excruciating pain, all my meds were reversed. After all this I began to get drowsy and panicked when things started getting unfocused again. I was so tired, but terrified to go to sleep, afraid that if I did I wouldn't wake up again. It was the reverse meds wearing off and so I needed another dose.

After we had time to settle down the pain began to subside. Dr. Jones thought that I had finally passed the stone. They wanted me there for observation for a few more hours. Travis and I even joked a little and I took a picture of myself holding the vomit bag which was bright neon green! I had been throwing up all day and it was 24 hours before I got food too. I urinated and of course had not passed the stone. It was just in a good position and it fell back to a painful spot. So another few hours went by, and my oxygen was the most concern. Finally at 9 I was feeling well enough to go home. We picked Skyler up, and headed home for bed. I was given nausea and pain meds for home, but after what happened I don't dare take any meds for awhile. It was by far the weirdest and scariest experience of my life, and for Travis too. We are just grateful for friends and family who support us, and that I am ok. According to my friend Toni who spoke with a few of the nurses there, they were all very concerned and thought I might crash. It's a scary thought, but I'm grateful for Travis who was able to give me a blessing and help me throughout this experience.

2 comments:

  1. Sara oh my gosh how scary!!! I am so glad you are ok! Hope you are feeling better, you and your family are in my prayers!

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    1. thanks tianna, it means a lot. My body is still adjusting to meds but i feel so much better!

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