Hello, friends. I realize I have been a bit absent of late.
But I survived.
Let’s start with this:
Get your fucking flu vaccine, or you might wind up in an ICU like I did, not talking, not fully aware, and with everyone freaking out around me.
Back on the 16th and 17th, I was having some headache, fever, chills…no fun.
On the morning of the 18th, my kid came downstairs and tried to talk to me. I was pushing down on the arms of my chair, like I was trying to get up. @chaos-and-cake saw that things were going very wrong, and made the (correct) decision to call 911.
They were calling “Code Stroke!” as they pulled in to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania ER. I was presenting with my face expressions lopsided.
Apparently I was saying “Goddammit!” I suspect that my past associations with my mother and her gross medical malpractices were in my brain: they tried to put an IV line in me and I was Not Having It. It took four people to hold me down for someone to do the IV line. Yes, I was just a *tad* difficult.
After that, they were doing tests, establishing that I definitely had Influenza A, and trying to get me to wake up. They made a couple of attempts at an MRI, but I couldn’t hold still/follow directions.
Finally, just before Christmas, I started coming out of it. I was…*cranky*…and not very cooperative.
They managed to lose my clothes, too. My other valuables went or stayed home with my family,but dammit! Those were my favorite warm sweatpants.
Once I was aware and able to cooperate better, we finally got the MRI done. Looks like I did not take any permanent injury from it.
I came home yesterday with two last doses of Tamiflu (took one this morning, take the other tonight).
We had some friends step up to help out in a big way. To all who pitched in to help, thank you so, so much
I am going to finish the Advent Cats a little late. But I really want to finish it.
Irony: I am not allowed to get the flu vaccine just yet. Given what I have been through, they feel I should recover a bit more before adding potential shocks to my system.
