Saturday, October 27, 2007
An Adventure I'd Like to Have Missed
On Thursday, everyone around me got yet another scare, for which I apologize. Was it my fault? Well -- it wasn't something I could directly control at the time. Could it have been anticipated? Perhaps -- knowing what I know now, certain risk factors can be controlled better. Will it happen again? It could happen to anyone, at any time -- I'm just at a higher risk because of my surgery. I take drugs to help prevent them, but nothing is foolproof.
I had a seizure.
My first of this entire experience, for which I am most grateful.
I am battered and bruised, but otherwise not really worse for the wear. I have been given the assurance (?!) that first seizures tend to be much worse than others, so I have that going for me.
It started after lunch on Thursday. I made it back to my office and was happily typing away. The last time I remember clearly is around 1:15, because I checked my watch to see how close it was to a meeting scheduled for later in the afternoon. I don't remember anything concrete for the next few hours...
Sometime after two o'clock, I'm told, I seized up and began "gurgling". Thanks to an aware office mate, I didn't stay in that position terribly long... he alerted our Medical Emergency Response Team and they began to act... fast.
As I understand it, there had to have been at least three or four people in my office with me getting me into a safer position, reducing the choking risks, etc.
That's when the violence began. I'll come back to that.
Somewhere in this time, Jenny tried to call me via my cell phone... only to have one of my old bosses pick up on my behalf. I can't imagine her shock at that point. She was able to find a friend to watch the kids as she dashed out of the door to be with me.
In the meantime, I was slowly coming out of my seized state disoriented and angry. It is fairly common, as I understand it, to resist restraint as one is "coming around". Unfortunately, I wasn't "all there" yet, so it was much better that they kept me under control. Even sedated, at one point, once the ambulance arrived. I still don't have much memory of this period other than a vague recollection that I thought I was having dream about people tackling me and begging them to "get off", writhing about. From what I've heard, I did more than that, shouting at the top of my lungs for a while (I can't imagine what that must have been like to behold).
I still bear the markings of the struggle phase of my seizure, with cuff marks one left hand and deep bone bruises to the base of both thumbs from where I struggled against the hand cuffs (it is common practice to use cuffs in these situations, a fact I did not know until know, due to their reliability, ease of use, and specificity of design). My neck is sore and my chin is bruised -- probably from wrestling with them to keep still, I image. I bit my tongue, I scratched my gums, I knocked my knees together really hard and I have nice bruise behind my left knee.
And assuming that is the worst it, I'm taking it.
When I finally came 'round in the hospital, Jenny was with me, which was a great comfort. I really had no concept as to where I was, at first, but my mind, by then, was clear. This was around 4:30 or so. In the intervening time I had been sedated, controlled, transported, and had a CT scan trying to rule our new tumor activity as the "spark" that lit the fire.
After speaking to a variety of doctors (and also having an MRI Thursday night to even more definitely rule out tumor activity), it is the belief of all that the tumor itself isn't to blame, but a variety of factors that were coming together all at once. Things like: sensitivity due to the surgery, lack of sleep, fighting the cold the kids have, stress, nutrition, dehydration, drug levels of my anti-seizure medication, etc.
So, I got some good rest over night, I was discharged from the hospital early Friday afternoon, and I'm resting at home this weekend and next week. I'll resume a little bit of normal activity next week, and we'll see how I feel.
For everyone that heard about this right away and were thinking about us, hoping and praying for us, I thank you. I shudder to think what would have happened if I'd had the seizure at home with the kids, or in the car, or anywhere without those amazing first responders that are also my friends and colleagues. If anyone was going to take care of me the right, I would trust them explicitly. From everything I understand, they did a phenomenal job, and I owe them a lot.
'Til the next time the spirit moves me....
On Thursday, everyone around me got yet another scare, for which I apologize. Was it my fault? Well -- it wasn't something I could directly control at the time. Could it have been anticipated? Perhaps -- knowing what I know now, certain risk factors can be controlled better. Will it happen again? It could happen to anyone, at any time -- I'm just at a higher risk because of my surgery. I take drugs to help prevent them, but nothing is foolproof.
I had a seizure.
My first of this entire experience, for which I am most grateful.
I am battered and bruised, but otherwise not really worse for the wear. I have been given the assurance (?!) that first seizures tend to be much worse than others, so I have that going for me.
It started after lunch on Thursday. I made it back to my office and was happily typing away. The last time I remember clearly is around 1:15, because I checked my watch to see how close it was to a meeting scheduled for later in the afternoon. I don't remember anything concrete for the next few hours...
Sometime after two o'clock, I'm told, I seized up and began "gurgling". Thanks to an aware office mate, I didn't stay in that position terribly long... he alerted our Medical Emergency Response Team and they began to act... fast.
As I understand it, there had to have been at least three or four people in my office with me getting me into a safer position, reducing the choking risks, etc.
That's when the violence began. I'll come back to that.
Somewhere in this time, Jenny tried to call me via my cell phone... only to have one of my old bosses pick up on my behalf. I can't imagine her shock at that point. She was able to find a friend to watch the kids as she dashed out of the door to be with me.
In the meantime, I was slowly coming out of my seized state disoriented and angry. It is fairly common, as I understand it, to resist restraint as one is "coming around". Unfortunately, I wasn't "all there" yet, so it was much better that they kept me under control. Even sedated, at one point, once the ambulance arrived. I still don't have much memory of this period other than a vague recollection that I thought I was having dream about people tackling me and begging them to "get off", writhing about. From what I've heard, I did more than that, shouting at the top of my lungs for a while (I can't imagine what that must have been like to behold).
I still bear the markings of the struggle phase of my seizure, with cuff marks one left hand and deep bone bruises to the base of both thumbs from where I struggled against the hand cuffs (it is common practice to use cuffs in these situations, a fact I did not know until know, due to their reliability, ease of use, and specificity of design). My neck is sore and my chin is bruised -- probably from wrestling with them to keep still, I image. I bit my tongue, I scratched my gums, I knocked my knees together really hard and I have nice bruise behind my left knee.
And assuming that is the worst it, I'm taking it.
When I finally came 'round in the hospital, Jenny was with me, which was a great comfort. I really had no concept as to where I was, at first, but my mind, by then, was clear. This was around 4:30 or so. In the intervening time I had been sedated, controlled, transported, and had a CT scan trying to rule our new tumor activity as the "spark" that lit the fire.
After speaking to a variety of doctors (and also having an MRI Thursday night to even more definitely rule out tumor activity), it is the belief of all that the tumor itself isn't to blame, but a variety of factors that were coming together all at once. Things like: sensitivity due to the surgery, lack of sleep, fighting the cold the kids have, stress, nutrition, dehydration, drug levels of my anti-seizure medication, etc.
So, I got some good rest over night, I was discharged from the hospital early Friday afternoon, and I'm resting at home this weekend and next week. I'll resume a little bit of normal activity next week, and we'll see how I feel.
For everyone that heard about this right away and were thinking about us, hoping and praying for us, I thank you. I shudder to think what would have happened if I'd had the seizure at home with the kids, or in the car, or anywhere without those amazing first responders that are also my friends and colleagues. If anyone was going to take care of me the right, I would trust them explicitly. From everything I understand, they did a phenomenal job, and I owe them a lot.
'Til the next time the spirit moves me....
# posted by JamesP3325 @ 6:06 AM 
