Hospital Visit

[Poohbear]

Well...I've been very sick for over a week now. I went to the hospital Wednesday. I got some type of virus and got dehydrated. When I went to the hospital they had serious trouble accessing veins and arteries for drawing blood and getting IV access (I think I was stuck 6 times).

My blood volume is obviously down and my POTS/NCS is acting up severely. My heart rate is high and jumps higher every time I cough, throw up etc.

Nothing seems to be working. I got 1 1/2 bags of saline and that helped a little (you could just start to see my veins again). Now I am home and one day later I can't seem to keep enough liquids down and I can't eat food at all really (even toast comes right back up). I am also having severe acid reflux.

Not fun. I don't know what else to try. Plain water doesn't want to stay down, gatorade burns, sprite is okay if I let it get room temp and flat before I try to drink it, I'm allergic to almost all fruit/fruit juices. I tried Pedialyte which seems less acidic then gatorade but very sweet.

Seems the only thing I can handle "ok" is drinking chicken broth.

Then, yesturday I would get to passing out if I sat up so I laid down and put my feet up trying to get the blood flow back toward my upper body but then that would make the reflux severe (I'm taking pepcid for the reflux) so then I would sit up or recline and then I would start blacking out again. I can't seem to win with anything I try.

Can't type anymore...thanks for listening though

[mom4cem]

Sorry you are going through this nasty virus

I can tell you that my kids pediatrician tells me not to give them water when they are vomiting, that it actually can make you vomit. He tells me to give them gingerale or soda, juice any other liquid. He especially makes a point each time to tell us ice pops are good to give them also. Maybe try the ice pops and gingerale.

I don't know if you have been on anything stronger for reflux like prevacid or nexium. They might work. I will add mylanta to my list of things to take. It does help to somewhat relieve the burn. I have heard gaviscon is good also.

Hope you get some sleep, eat a bit and feel better in the a.m.

[Jacquie802]

Hi, sorry to hear you are feeling horrible. You should try to get some popsicles, maybe you will have a better time keeping those down. Do you think you could stomach some hot decaf tea? When I feel sick I have hot water and sugar, as weird as it sounds it helps alot. That is what my great grandmother used to do and it really works for me. The mylanta also helps me, but that's when I got a stomach ache. I hope you feel better and find something that works.

Jacquie

[DancingLight]

Oh Pooh,

I am sorry that you are so miserable...and I wanted to send you some HUGS...

I hope that this is 'just a bug'...but it sounds absolutely awful.

My mom just made a pot of 'jewish penicillan' (chicken noodle soup) b/c my tummy was upset this week too...so I am sending you some virtually. K?

As for the nausea and throwing up...I don't know. I just know that my POTS doc gets concerned about the vicious cycle of no food/water and then the ANS going even more nuts if we are not getting any food. Can you stomach jello? Popsicles are a great suggestion instead of drinking liquid. Chicken broth is GREAT and has lots of sodium...perhaps soon you can add a little rice to it? Cola syrup? Maybe they could give you Zofran if you can't stop the throwing up?

I hope you will feel a bit better soon...Do you have anyone who can help you get some of the items you need or help you? I worry about you being alone and passing out and throwing up! Not a good combo!

Thinking of you,

Emily

[dizzygirl]

oh my pooh.. I'm so sory that you arent feeling well!! I hope that you start to feel better soon..

HUGS

linda

[MomtoGiuliana]

I hope you have someone who can help you. It sounds miserable. And hopefully you are keeping better hydrated now. I know they say it is best to refrain from drinking (or eating, obviously) at all for the first 30 minutes after stomach upset, and then to go slowly. I have also been told by a pediatrician that water can further upset your stomach. Flat gingerale in tiny sips usually helps me.

Hope you got some good rest and your tummy is feeling more settled now!

Katherine

[hockeykid]

When I have an upset stomach ginger ale in small sips helps me. I hope you can get some relief soon!!

[Jenn202]

Is there any way they can set up IV fluids at home for you as needed? I have done this for the past year and I can tell you it has been a lifesaver for me.

I usuallu need much more than 2 bags to get my overall volune up...it usually take a week on a bag of saline a day to do the trick.

I hope you feel better soon. I know how hard a virus can take you down and dehydrate you....

Take Care.

[Dizzy Dame]

Pooh,

I'll write more later, but I wanted to let you know that pedialyte seems to stay down when I'm sick. I hope you start feeling better soon!

Man, we're all gettinh so sick on this forum, there must be a "crash" bug going around!

Cheers,

lauren

[momofpreciousboy]

[try ice chips. sonic here has wonderful little pieces of ice and you can buy it by the bag here. Pedilyte also makes frozen pops--you have to put them in the freezer yourself. Geez it is so hard to win with this blasted POTS. Hope you are better today. JenniferTX

[Guest Julia59]

Poohbear,

I'm sorry your sick on top of all your POTS/NCS stuff. Maybe some ICE chips----and freeze the sprite just a little so it's mushy---and spoon it in your mouth---or sip slowly.

This virus doesn't sound good if that is what's going on. Can you tolerate anti-nausea meds?

I wish they would have kept you at the hospital until you were able to hold things down.

You have been under a lot of stress lately---and this doesn't help--------------

If your doing OK with the Chicken broth---keep sipping. Maybe you can try to nibble on one piece of cereal at a time-----it's fortified with vitamins. I like the cola syrup idea---it can be soothing to an upset tummy.

Sending HUGS your way for a speedy recovery.

Julie :0)

[Laura]

Phoobear, I hope things are a bit better for you today. Have you tried nibbling on soda crackers? Sometimes that works for me with little sips of flat gingerale. I hope you are able to keep things down better today. Be sure to go back in if you need to and, as Emily suggested, ask for IV zofran if you can. It's usually a bit better tolerated than gravol IV. Laura

[Sunfish]

(((hugs))), (((hugs))) and more (((hugs))). i'm SO sorry that things are so rough right now. the only thing i can add to others' collection of concrete suggestions is gatorade watered down with water. for me i do at least half gatorade. and i've had the pedialyte pops too....and tolerate them much better than drinking it. any popsicles are good though of course. while obviously your body does need food/nutrients, in the short term fluids are what's most important to do what you can in that regard. i know for some people a bit of food actually helps though so it's often hard to sort out. and i know that for me what "works" (relatively speaking) changes which doesn't help the quandry. sometimes i actually can do gingersnaps...just a bit....before i can do saltines/soda crackers. odd i know but what's new.

i am glad that you got some fluids/meds at the hospital and while i too would feel better if you were being watched there or had someone with you at home i've been in your shoes many a time wherein i've been home alone and struggling to keep anything in me.

i REALLY hope that you're feeling at least a tad bit better day by day and not any worse and that this is a bug that makes a run for the hills very very soon.

hang in there & keep sippin away,

melissa

[Radha]

i dont have any great suggestions, just wanted to say sorry that you are feeling so miserable and hope you get some relief soon,

radha

[gwen]

I like pretzels. Where do you find the cola syrup??? I usuall just open a few cans at bedtime and let them go flat.

[Poohbear]

Thanks everybody for your suggestions and encouragement!! I feel like such a wimp because I know people get colds and virus' all the time and while they feel bad they don't usually end up in the ER or unable to care for themselves. I got so sick and weak that I couldn't take care of myself. I HATE that!!!!!

I called friends from my church and they took turns staying with me and helping me and I had one lady who stayed two nights. I got scared while at the ER because once I started throwing up I would get some type of spasms and would could not get any air in my lungs...it was an awful sound but the nurse said she didn't hear wheezing in my lungs. I don't know what that is. I know it's a spasm of some kind because it happens after anesthesia, if I get choked on something, if I swallow the wrong way etc. Coughing makes it worse. It was the strain of throwing up that caused it this time but it's scary to not be able to breathe.

I am slowly getting better. I've had this stuff for 9 days now. I have no voice but I can deal with that as long as I'm not throwing up! I was able to eat a LITTLE food yesturday (plain, dry toast and a couple of bites of homemade chicken and dumplings).

I'm still dehydrated but I'm going to try to drink like crazy today. Hot chicken broth still seems to be the best thing for me.

Regular home IV saline is not an option for me; we tried it but my veins are so bad that home health care usually could not access a vein. Even IV teams and Phlebotemist have MAJOR trouble at this point so I have to go the long, slow route and reserve IV for the really bad emergency times. My Dr's agree that a port is not a safe option since I have a pacemaker. There is a good risk of infection and if I got an infection it would go straight to the heart and then the pacemaker wires would be affected and would have to be removed which would be a much more serious issue. So the benefit does not outweight the cost for me.

It's so frustrating when every action you take has an equally bad or worse consequence on some other problem!

Anyhow, I am feeling better bit by bit. I am extremely tired though and have no energy.

I still can't sit up long either. I imagine it will take some time to rebuild back to where I was before I got this.

Thanks again for your support and encouragement!!!!!!! I don't know what I'd do without you!!

[corina]

Hi Pooh,

i am sorry that you are so sick. i hope you will feel better soon.

thinking of you,

corina