On August 28, 2018, I awoke with an earache like nothing I had ever experienced ... and I have had earaches that resulted in perforated ear drums on three occasions in my adult life. I had a meeting at 8:30 and wasn't running fever, so I headed to work. The pain worsened and I called the doctor and left the office with every intention of getting antibiotics and returning to work.
I decided to take the rest of the day to go home and nap, in hopes of feeling better soon. When I woke up from the nap, the eardrum had burst. I called the doctor and he prescribed some ear drops. A prescription I would never pick up.
During the night, I felt worse and worse. On Wednesday morning, August 29, I called the doctor again to report that I could not keep anything down. He called something in to the pharmacy and I asked for him to have it delivered, as I was too weak to drive. As the day went by, I succumbed deeper into oblivion. If I was awake, I was horribly ill with dizziness and vomiting and headache, so I just slept if I could. At one point, I realized the pharmacy hadn't delivered medicine. I put a reminder in my phone to "call Amber Fenix about meds" and set it for 3:45 PM, and I had every intention of asking her to stop by the pharmacy. Family and friends texted or called to check on me. I apparently replied "not feeling much better" or "OK" and ignored the calls.
At 3:45, the alarm went off on my phone. I have a vivid memory of looking at my phone and feeling completely confused about the noise, how to make it stop, how to access anything in my phone. What is my password? I had no idea! And I remember a feeling of panic that something was seriously wrong! I said, "Siri, call Amber Fenix." And it was the call that would save my life!
I called my parents, wished them Happy Anniversary, jokingly gave them grief about spending so many months at their home in New Mexico ... far, far away from me!
Later that night, I would awaken with excruciating pain in my right ear. No fever. No other symptoms. Just the worst ear infection pain I had ever felt ... and I've had some doozy ear infections in my adult life.The next morning would bring no relief of pain but also no fever, so off to work I went. Called the doctor to get in and have it checked. Diagnosis: flaming red, "mad about something" ear infection. My doctor convinced me to head home to rest instead of returning to work like I originally planned. Little did anyone know that oral antibiotics would not even begin to phase the infection. Little did anyone know that the infection would begin seeping into my brain within 24 hours and nearly take my life.
MUCH of my story the next few days is based on what others have told me. You see ... within 24 hours of diagnosis, I would be almost completely incoherent due to brain swelling. My family and I are FOREVER GRATEFUL that
We were talking today about what parts of August 28th through sometime in September I actually remember on my own and what parts others have told me. There are moments I remember very clearly, like when
Every hour of every day with every breath I take now, I am thankful that God spared me and saw fit to keep me here, thankful that I escaped the horrible long-term side effects often associated with bacterial meningitis, thankful that I was eventually able to return full-time to doing what I love ... being a Gammy to my precious grandsons, Mom and mother-in-law to my kids, a sister, a daughter, a friend, and a high school counselor.
#THRIVINGnotjustsurvivingnow
#makingthemostofmydash August 20, 1962 -
Comments
Post a Comment