Griever
2008-05-17, 03:32 PM
By far and wide I think this week has been my worst of my life and, quite literally, I just feel like I need to write it all down somewhere, so here I go.
First, some background on myself. I have never been althetic, always get out of breath very easily and tend by far to lean towards the more mental area of life (calculus being my true love of school :smallcool: ). I have never been in a car accident, never been admitted to the hospital as a patient since I was born and never really been in a life threatening situation.
Context: May 5th-May 16th holds two weeks of college level AP exams for me.
Friday May 9th, 2008: After getting out of school and on my way to go eat dinner with some friends, (I'm driving in my car) I get rear-ended by a 3/4 ton Chevy truck towing a boat (I drive a 2006 Hyundai Tiburon, not exactly a big car) Trunk entirely smashed in the trunk (unopenable) and I got shaken up(first accident ever). I get out, get insurance information and try to go on with my plans, trying to keep the night from being ruined. Get back home safe and sound after dinner but thoroughly stressed.
Saturday May 10th, 2008: I turned 18! Yay... rather deflated from the car accident the day before. Spend most of the day trying to get a half-decent estimate of which I fail to find anywhere as most of the damage could be "hidden" and not findable until car is taken apart.
Sunday May 11th - Wednesday May 14th, 2008: Continued feelings of severe tiredness coupled with stress, end up missing some school.
Wednesday May 14th, 2008: While up and walking around, the world just starts spinning, complete loss of balance, some limbs begin going numb and start vomiting everywhere. Not a pretty picture. Can't stand without falling down, end up calling my doctor and being told to go to the Emergency Room and get an EKG done now.
Thursday May 15th, 1:00-3:00 AM: Arrive at Hospital, they take my blood pressure twice and find the readings at about ~ 50 over 30 with my temperature at about 86 degrees Farenheit. They immediately take me to the Emergency Room where they try to figure out WTH is going on. About 30 minutes later they stick me on an external pacemaker. Basically two (I think, was rather out of it at the time) metal boxes on either side that continually shock me every fixed short time interval, lotsa fun. Shortly after this point I fall asleep or just lose consciousness, either way, same result.
During this point my older brother and sister arrive and are told by the doctor, along with my mom that if they do not put a temporary internal pacemaker in me right then I would die. Also, even if they did put said device in me, I might die. So they were pretty freaked out.
About 8-9 AM Thursday: I wake up in ICU (Intensive Care Unit), most of my family is there Find out they hooked me up with a Temporary pacemaker, which is basically a wire they run up an artery from your hip to your heart which shocks it to keep it up in pace.
My family tells me that apparently I had something called Complete Heart Stop, not exactly common in 18-year-olds. The doctors continually run tests throughout Thursday to try and figure out the cause of the Heart Stop, without avail. They tell me that they will put in a permanent pacemaker at 1:30 PM on Friday. My family leaves when visiting hours end and I fall asleep at about 11 PM.
1.5 hours later (12:30 AM, Friday) I wake up in a room crowded with nurses and doctors. Apparently, from what my drowsy state could figure out, the temporary pacemaker wasn't "catching" and my blood pressure had dropped back down to under 50, bad. So after plenty of poking and finally one big jab by a doctor with the temporary pacemaker rod, it started catching again, yay... I fall asleep and wake up at 7 AM to find out they moved up my surgery in lieu of last night to 8ish AM. I go through the surgery (lovely gas stuff they gave me, must say) and they finally take out my cathoder :smallbiggrin: about an hour and a half after the surgery ends (so about... 12:30).
Friday then passes rather uneventfully until Saturday comes where they then released me, told me I can't shower until Tuesday and can't go back to school (where I need to take two college-level exams) until they say so, which could be two weeks!
So, anyone have some advice or comforting words about pacemakers, or about what causes Complete Heart Stop (which we still have no idea where it came from)?
And, well, a happy belated birthday to myself!
First, some background on myself. I have never been althetic, always get out of breath very easily and tend by far to lean towards the more mental area of life (calculus being my true love of school :smallcool: ). I have never been in a car accident, never been admitted to the hospital as a patient since I was born and never really been in a life threatening situation.
Context: May 5th-May 16th holds two weeks of college level AP exams for me.
Friday May 9th, 2008: After getting out of school and on my way to go eat dinner with some friends, (I'm driving in my car) I get rear-ended by a 3/4 ton Chevy truck towing a boat (I drive a 2006 Hyundai Tiburon, not exactly a big car) Trunk entirely smashed in the trunk (unopenable) and I got shaken up(first accident ever). I get out, get insurance information and try to go on with my plans, trying to keep the night from being ruined. Get back home safe and sound after dinner but thoroughly stressed.
Saturday May 10th, 2008: I turned 18! Yay... rather deflated from the car accident the day before. Spend most of the day trying to get a half-decent estimate of which I fail to find anywhere as most of the damage could be "hidden" and not findable until car is taken apart.
Sunday May 11th - Wednesday May 14th, 2008: Continued feelings of severe tiredness coupled with stress, end up missing some school.
Wednesday May 14th, 2008: While up and walking around, the world just starts spinning, complete loss of balance, some limbs begin going numb and start vomiting everywhere. Not a pretty picture. Can't stand without falling down, end up calling my doctor and being told to go to the Emergency Room and get an EKG done now.
Thursday May 15th, 1:00-3:00 AM: Arrive at Hospital, they take my blood pressure twice and find the readings at about ~ 50 over 30 with my temperature at about 86 degrees Farenheit. They immediately take me to the Emergency Room where they try to figure out WTH is going on. About 30 minutes later they stick me on an external pacemaker. Basically two (I think, was rather out of it at the time) metal boxes on either side that continually shock me every fixed short time interval, lotsa fun. Shortly after this point I fall asleep or just lose consciousness, either way, same result.
During this point my older brother and sister arrive and are told by the doctor, along with my mom that if they do not put a temporary internal pacemaker in me right then I would die. Also, even if they did put said device in me, I might die. So they were pretty freaked out.
About 8-9 AM Thursday: I wake up in ICU (Intensive Care Unit), most of my family is there Find out they hooked me up with a Temporary pacemaker, which is basically a wire they run up an artery from your hip to your heart which shocks it to keep it up in pace.
My family tells me that apparently I had something called Complete Heart Stop, not exactly common in 18-year-olds. The doctors continually run tests throughout Thursday to try and figure out the cause of the Heart Stop, without avail. They tell me that they will put in a permanent pacemaker at 1:30 PM on Friday. My family leaves when visiting hours end and I fall asleep at about 11 PM.
1.5 hours later (12:30 AM, Friday) I wake up in a room crowded with nurses and doctors. Apparently, from what my drowsy state could figure out, the temporary pacemaker wasn't "catching" and my blood pressure had dropped back down to under 50, bad. So after plenty of poking and finally one big jab by a doctor with the temporary pacemaker rod, it started catching again, yay... I fall asleep and wake up at 7 AM to find out they moved up my surgery in lieu of last night to 8ish AM. I go through the surgery (lovely gas stuff they gave me, must say) and they finally take out my cathoder :smallbiggrin: about an hour and a half after the surgery ends (so about... 12:30).
Friday then passes rather uneventfully until Saturday comes where they then released me, told me I can't shower until Tuesday and can't go back to school (where I need to take two college-level exams) until they say so, which could be two weeks!
So, anyone have some advice or comforting words about pacemakers, or about what causes Complete Heart Stop (which we still have no idea where it came from)?
And, well, a happy belated birthday to myself!