3 strikes and your in hospital!

It's been a while since I last posted and with good reason. This is going to be a loooong post simply because I'd like to get it all down for myself to remember!

So after barely anything seizures wise for well over a week on Friday I had three huge Tonic Clonic's (possibly more) in the space of 12 hours. The last one resulting in me falling down some concrete steps and... wait for it...crashing into a rubbish BIN!! How dignified. It was during this one that I banged my head twice, my elbow and my ribs all down my right side very very hard. By now I'm used to the bangs and scrapes but I could sense something wasn't quite right... and given that I'm living on my own at the moment I decided that instead of going to straight down to the hospital I would ring my local doctors surgery and ask their advice. making sure at least someone knew was definitely a must do. And believe me I'm glad I did! The people I would have usually told were a couple of friends who live in the same village but they just so happened to be away at the time. A that time though I wasn't feeling that bad to be honest, just a little bruised and sore like usual. Anyway I got through to the surgery and she said to attend a emergency clinic that was starting in about two hours from when I rang. She gave me some advice over the phone there and then, told me that my doctor would ring me in the mean time and if anything changed call an ambulance.

So after a rather slow and wobbly walk across the village I made it to the surgery. By now I wasn't feeling so good but despite it being a particularly busy afternoon for the clinic it wasn't long before I was seen. The doctor called me in and as soon as I was in the room he got up to help me sit down. But I found it too painful to sit down so I decided to stand instead wavering slightly.. We went back through what had happened, he examined my head, ribs and elbow and within two seconds he stated I'm sending you to the hospital my face must have dropped because he then said "but we'll have to get you there before all the drunks arrive" with a smile. (It was a Friday night one of the worst nights to end up in A+E!!)

So I then endured the most painful road journey I've ever taken. Even after taking some over the counter painkillers.. I don't think I'd ever been so glad to arrive at a hospital before! This is the bit that I thought would be easy. I was thinking, right I'll walk into Minors, wait for a little while as it was already busy, see the triage nurse get given some stronger painkillers and be out of there! WRONG.

The only bit I got right in the end was the walking into minors. I was then seen straight away by the triage nurse. She asked me a few questions for the paperwork and asked me to explain what had happened again. She then examined me and said we need to get you through to majors now. And that was that I was whisked away and taken to the assessment area of majors. Within seconds I had people around me prodding and poking, everything from looking at my lovely forming bruises and scrapes and taking bloods to performing  a neurological assessment and checking my heart and temperature. Results? The pain was bad, my bloods were all over the place and showed infection, my reaction times were slow and my pupils were unequal, my heart was beating too fast (which given what was going on I'm not surprised) and my temperature was up. Great. They then sent me to have some X-rays which thankfully came back saying nothing was broken!! I think the quote "how on earth you didn't at least chip your elbow is beyond me" was the best one. By now my side and ribs were tightening, my head was banging and I was feeling more ill. They kept me in Majors under observation for a couple of hours then a doctor came over and explained that they wanted to admit me into hospital for the time being. So that was that I was taken up to a ward where I was helped by the lovely nurse to get changed into one of those dreaded hospital gowns... I don't know what it is with me and those gowns.. whenever I have to wear one I always seem to tie it up wrong or get in a tangle. Not having the use of one arm, the wobbles and not being able to move and bend all that well just made the prospect worse! But thanks to the nurse I was helped into the gown and my bed and given some amazing painkillers :) and so the hourly obs began. Temperature, blood pressure and neurological tests like pupil reactions to light etc. 

I rang my mum up that night and explained what had happened before anyone else had the chance I wanted the phone call from hospital to come from me rather than a doctor or nurse. That way I could explain myself what had happened. Needless to say she was worried and wanted to know when they were going to discharge me but of course I didn't know as it all depended on my observation stats. They live a long way away so I didn't expect them to come up but to talk to her was calming. She said that as soon as they think I am ok to leave that my step dad would drive up and collect me so I could go and stay with them for a while. 

sooo much tea! There were 5 beds on the ward with some very sick people but the atmosphere was surprisingly cheerful always a good mood lifter :) One highlight being to elderly ladies moving across the ward with their zimmer frames. They accidentally got a bit to close and crashed two of their wheels together and it took them soo long to untangle themselves given that they were laughing so much! Fancy that a real life slow speed zimmer frame collision occurring at the foot of your bed. You don't get that everyday!

Eventually I was examined by the doctor during a morning and she explained that my temperature had finally dropped but they would only be happy to discharge me if I would be constantly supervised for the next few days. Otherwise I would be kept in hospital. Thankfully I was able to say that one of my parents were able to come and collect me and I would stay with them for a little while. Phew! She explained that I would have to take some prescription painkillers for a week try not to move around to much (always a hard task for me I really can't stand being still for to long!) and use my sling for two weeks. Urgh. It will take at least six weeks for the pain in my ribs and elbow to go away and they could be stiff for months. They never did find what made me ill in the first place. Strange.

Once the swelling had gone down

Well I'm out now and still feeling very achy and sore. My elbow looks a bit of a state and still swollen, the bumps on my head are still tender and even breathing deeply makes my ribs feel like they're going to explode BUT the good news is I've not had anymore Tonic-Clonic's since, thank goodness, I don't want to even imagine what that would feel like with these injuries!

Gosh that was a long post good to it written down though! one adventure I DO NOT want to have to repeat  I'm off to see one of my closest friends who has quite literally been by my side and kept my life together over the past year since this whole Epilepsy thing came about tomorrow at her home near Portsmouth :D sooo excited! At least train journeys are a lot smoother than by car :D

And the moral of the story is... try to avoid launching yourself down any steps and into those oh so innocent looking bins... IT WILL HURT!  

Stay well X