Home from the hospital

[dizzygirl]

hello my potsy pals...

as i'm sure you read in prior posts..I went and seen Dr. grubb at the beginning of the week.. ( I will post more on that on a separate post.. as I dont want this one to be a mile long!) it went well..

well i really had a rough night tuesday going into wednesday morning. and made the dumb-bell decision to just take the bus and go home.. STUPID girl I am sometimes!!.. well i felt horrible.. and came home and tried to take it easy.. went to the doctor here at home on thursday... and I told her what happened the prior morning.. and she said that she wanted to admitt me to the hospital... so she did.. it turns out that I am was majorly dehydrated.. and had streph throat.. and some nasty earaches... and hadnt been able to eat since wednesday.. though i was drinking like crazy.. chugging on the water mostly.. I was so thirsty.. i coudlnt get enough to drink.. and I just felt horrible!

so off to the hospital I went.. and they hooked me to a heart monitor and inserted an IV into my arm.. and kept doing orthostatic BP"S.. so they got the IV going and during the first night there I was so very thirsty.. I couodnt get enough to drink!..I drank 108 oz. of water in the first few hours of being there.. they kept trying to get me to eat.. but i couldnt really get down with food.. .. then i tried to sleep and couldnt.. to noisey (therewas alittle old lady acros the hall from me w/ a bed alarm.. a singing one at taht.. and it kept going off..)and I was ahving my lovely surges!.. and they kept me awake most of the night.. UGH I did not feel well.. so i finally fall sleep.. and low and behold in comes nurses and aides to give me meds and more IV fluids.. then the aides come in and its like 7 am.. and they want me to get up and get cleaned up.. and kept pestering me.. so I finally said "look I dont feel well right now.. and when I feel that I can stand with out passing out or puking my guts out I will get cleaned up"..

Gotta love the people that dont understand pots!

Well the doc comes in a while later.. and told me that I had streph throat.. and that that is most likely why I had suh a horribel syncope spell the other morning/night.. I'm like yeah that makes sense.. welll I conitnuely got worse thru the day..( major GI stuff) couldnt eat ro drink anything.. and was surging like crazy.. but they werent bad ones like the other night.. but enough for me to be uncomfortable by them..

Well now here is where things get really just messed up...OHHHHHHHHHH this makes me so mad!!..The admitting doc decided to call in a psychologist in for me to have psych eval done!! can you believe it! Oh it gets better!!

a socail worker walks in my room and asks if she can talk to me.. I'm like for what? she said well we need to speak with you.. I asked her to come back later...she never did.. but then in walks a Psychologist and a medical student.. I'm like what the heck is going on here! He said the doc sent hime here to do a psych eval on me... I was floored and though here we go again! I was a DX and am visiably sick and they are questioning me!

he said that he just wanted to talk to me and see how I was doing.. I'm like fine.. so I talked to them and I gave them a run down of POTS.. and my history.. and said you cancontact Dr. g if you have q's about what I'm saying.. at the end of that eval.. he said well.. sounds like you are doing allright.. i will tell the doc that..

I told them that I thought I was doing and handling things relatively well consdiering how things have been latley... and that i would eb worried if I werent alittle sad or depressed some days... I think that I am reactiving realtively normal!!

then later that evening a psychiatrist comes in.. and says that she would like to talk to me about a possible psychiatric problem.. I'm like what!! I said are you kidding me!" I got kinda mad.. and then got defensive.. and said look.. I'm in no mood to be eval. again today.. I have dysautonomia.. and again.. i can give you dr. g's #,,as well as all the other docs that have dx'd me.." she is like wait aminute! so I stopped talking.. and she said I dont doubt that you have POTS... and I dont mean to upset you...but i have to talk to you about why you are on cymbalta.. so i told her that I was on it.b/c dr.g had put me on it to help w/ leg pain.. and to help with autonomic surges.. to calm down my ANS system.. and that is the ONLY reason that i am on it.. not for anysort of Psychological or psychiatric dx."

she said ok.. and stated that an assumption was made that b/c cymbalta was on my med list taht i automatically had a "issues" a mental health problem"

she apologized to me for the mistake.... then I kinda felt bad for the way I reacted.. as she was only doing her job as was the psychologist.. and I got defnesive.. b/ i have gone round and round since I was a tenager being dx with multiple meantal issues when in fact it was POTS! not a mental health issue!! that and I though of the night that I was ina hospital in NY.. and they sent me to a locked psych unit when I was extremely tachy.. and potsy.. (didnt knowit was pots then.. it was assumed then too that I had mental helath issues) that psychiatirst was the first to mention to me that I might have over active adrenal glands.. and she was upset that I was sent to the unit.. and sent me bak to the ER..)

anyways the next dsay I was still feeling terribe.. and when I woke up.. my face and lips where numb and "fuzzy" feling.. I was thinking oh great what is wrong now!.. told the doc and he told me that it was "anxiety"..was biting my tongue not to say something rude... then as soon as he said that.. he apologized for the mix up w/ the psychiatrist... anxiety my but-t!

So all in all... the onyl thing this hopital visit actually did for me was load me up on major amounts of fluids.. and anibiotics... and I was able to leave today b/c I could finally ate something!! YEAH!!.. though I must say that I feel pretty decent today.. I have alitle bit of color in my face today.. and my lips area normal looking pink instead of the hideaous looking pasty purple color that they have been for like weeks now!... and I'm not dizzy! and can sit up right for alittle bit!! yeah!!

It only took 10 1/2 bags of IV fluid!! too get me to stop puking and stuff..god that is alot of fluids!!....

So i never thought that i would even end up in hospital with streph throat of al th crazythings.. and that I got so dehydrated!. few people said that some of the night sweats must have been fevers too... to get so dehydrated..So I am hopefull that 10 1/2 bags of fluid will give me a few good days to fully get over this infection.. and maybe be pots free for a few days?? that would be awesome!!

again thnaks guys for the support!

Edited January 15, 2006 by dizzygirl

[gwen]

I am so sorry you had to go thru this, but I'm glad you are feeling better. Where did all this fluid go?Is it possible for you to type up something on your computer with your dx, dr. g phone #, meds and reason for them. that you could make a few copies and carry with you and hand to the drs.? I don't have the problems you do but I've found If I just hand this out to who ever it helps to cut down on the explaining escpeially when your not feeling well. It doesn't work all the time but it helps a little. I went thru the psych thing too and it was the psych who agreed with me it wasn't a mind thing but physical. Maybe now you're home you can get the rest you need. Hopsitals are the worst for rest. I know they have to run on a schedule but our bodies have their own little timetable! 7 am isn't it!! We have to remember we probably know more about POTS then 90% of the drs. and maybe its our job to educate them. I do hope you get some rest and peace and quiet. nothing like your own nest to rest in.:-)

[Ernie]

Hi Linda,

Thanks for sharing your story. I am proud of you for standing up for yourself.

I know how you feel about the psyc. Whenever someone talks to me about that I jump out of my skin. I can't handle the psyc comment any longer.

I hope that you will fight off this infection fast.

Take care

Hi,

I just spent Friday in the ER and I find it so exhausting with all the noise and lights. I think we have to be healthy to go there!

Hi,

I just spent Friday in the ER and I find it so exhausting with all the noise and lights. I think we have to be healthy to go there!

[Jacquie802]

Linda,

I am soo glad that you are home feeling better. Hopefully the infection clears up soon. The dehydration can def. make you feel horrible. Remember to keep up with the fluids!

Feel Better!

Jacquie

[Guest Belinda]

Linda-WOW and OOOHHH that makes me so mad. I am sorry you weren't feeling well and to top it off they send a psych eval. been there done that for like a year now. Sorry it happened to you.

Hope you get over your strep throat soon. And was that your normal PCP? That had a psych consult in for you?

Sometimes there are words I am just not allowed to write that describe some of the medical profession-not all just some.

Take care hope your feeling better!Belinda

[Evie]

How horirble for you!

Why dont they ask you when you write down your medications what they are for? it seems dangerous to make assumptions as many drs use medications for things other than there traditional use.

Im sorry to hear you had to go through this, its good to hear you are feeling a bit better now though xo

[mom4cem]

Hi Dizzy,

Glad you are home now. What an ordeal. Kudos for you to stick up for yourself even as you felt so lousy.

Now I know why my dr. tells me not to go to e.r. unless absolutely necessary. He says they will have no clue what to do and will just load you up with meds and tell you that you have a phsycological problem.

Ya think they could have asked you why you were on the med? Would have been to easy.

All those fluids, how are you holding it all in..lol. Hope you get a good nights sleep and feel better in the a.m.

[Guest Julia59]

Linda,

SO GLAD YOUR HOME!!! YEA!------------------------

Oh MY---so sorry you had to deal with the psyc people again---there is still so much they don't get--eh...

I'm also glad to hear your feeling better---what a mess that was. A lot of good hydration going on there---plus the antibiotics---that should put a little juice back into you----

Take it easy---and continue to rest---even if you feel better---don't push it to much.....

I know that sometimes when we are feeling better we want to go out and do things-----we have to be so careful to listen to our bodies.

Take Care,

Julie :0)

[dizzygirl]

Hi thanks guys...

No it wasnt my regualr PCP who ordered the psych stuff.. my regualr PCP is very understanding of my POTS.. and she does try and make things easier for me if she can...

I dont know why the doc just didnt ask me why I was on cymbalta.. I would have told him the same thing I told everybody else!! Hello!! Nope that would be to easy...I am though once i am feeling more energetic.. going to put something together including med history as well as doc and stuff like that.. and see if i cant get some of my docs to write some VERIFYING chroinc illnesses and such..(POTS~~ect..)

so once again thanks guys for a the support! I always know that I can count on you all!

I am going to bed now..as I am feeling kinda pooped out...ahhhhhhhh! i get to sleep in my own bed tonight!! YIPPEE!!!!!!!! with my own blankets and pillows.. WAHOOO!

HUGS

[JaneEyre9]

I'm so glad to hear you are feeling better, Linda! Glad you aren't in the hospital anymore. Good job standing up for yourself!

Kristen

[Guest Julia59]

Haven't doctors ever heard of OFF LABEL USE of MEDICATIONS?

[dizzygirl]

apparently not julie!! its just plain ignorance...

well it was great to sleep in my own bed last night.. I had the best night sleep!! WOW!! I slept like 10 hours straight!! didnt wake up not once.. during that 10 hours..sweet relief! a great wonder fantastic nights sleep really does do wonders!!! No dizziness when I sit up today!! YIPPEE!!

I am on the mend still.. but do feel better then a few days ago..

hugs to you all

[Wufflebear]

Oh sweetie, I am so sorry they did that to you. This is why I just plain distrust docs....Callous, ignorant idiots. Sometimes there are good ones but the idiots can make life awful. I know how it is to be dismissed and even dismissed and put in a psych ward of a hospital...I was 11 when they tried that, then they decided to show me what real problems are, when my mother protested, and put me in a facially distorted neurological ward... G-d I was scared.

Don't you wish we could fire or pull credentials on the spot?!

I am glad you are feeling better though.

[MomtoGiuliana]

I am so sorry you have been through so much. I can relate to the frustration of being referred to a psychiatrist. I was referred to one several times before diagnosis--in the ER, by my primary doc and when I was admitted to the hospital once--this has happened to many of us--even after diagnosis. I learned the best thing to do was to go ahead and see one and get a clean bill of mental health on my record, so we could move on to solving my health problem. But it is hard not to be angry--it's a waste of time and energy, not to mention our money.

Hope you feel better soon. Strep throat can really take a lot out of an otherwise well person, not to mention someone with autonomic dysfunction.

Katherine

[dizzygirl]

well the one good thing that did come out of being eval. is that both docs agreed that I have no mental health disorder..(which I allready knew!!!) both mental health docs...agreed I mean..

But yes I do feel better.. and I am so sorry that so many of us have had to deal with being termed "nutty" or mentally ill".. and that instead of getting proper medical treatment.. we got the boot to the psych unit!.. its just so sad.. and infuriating!

maybe sometime down the road.. society and the medical communtiy will better understand not only dysautonomia.. but all the other illness that are not fully understood or accepted ....

But atleast during my hospital stay I did get pumped up full of IV fluids.. which is what my PCP wanted.. b/c I couldnt get rehydrated on my own.. despite how much I was drinking..

HUGs to you all!

[wareagle]

Welcome home Dizz!

Sorry you had a hard time with the psych. but at leaste they "cleared" you of any mental disorders and focused back on your relevant symptoms. I'm so glad that the fluids helped and you are feeling better today..I was worried about you!

Be sure to get lots of rest and take care of yourself!