I Fell Down

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I've just got home from a three-day-stay in my local hospital, after a nasty fall at home, caused by anaemia/vertigo/faintness/dizziness.

I'd spent the previous 5-days feeling very weak and giddy, where I got to a point where I wasn't able to get out of bed, due to severe giddiness. Even to the point where I couldn't get to a phone, either! Needless to say, I wasn't able to drink anything either... all I was able to do for about 2 days was get to the loo, then the dizziness (plus shortness of breath, heart racing, and outrageously weak in the legs) forced me back to lay down again. Couldn't get to the kitchen for a drink, nor reach a phone to call for help either!

It was on the Tuesday night, that I thought I was relatively OK, so I got up to see if there was any cricket on the TV. All I managed to do, was turn the TV on, sit on the lounge, and my head just spun like crazy. Dammit - no cricket! All I was able to do was get back to bed (somehow), so I could lay down, where I felt OK again. I'd never felt so overwhelming-dizzy before that!

The funniest side-effect on having the TV burbling on in the background (I was too dizzy to even turn it off!), was having to listen to 11 hours of freaking Infomercials (no cricket!) - I know that phone number by heart now! [laffs] ("But wait! There's more!")

Anyways, at 10am Wednesday, my phone rang... I was laying asleep in bed, and I thought, "Fvck it, I'm going to try and answer that, and ask for help!" Somehow I managed to get up, walk into the other room, grab and answer the phone, but my head spun me so badly, that I ended-up bouncing around the loungeroom uncontrollably... then I realised I was laying on the floor, covered in [poop!]. Thank gawd, Chris [my mate on the phone], didn't hang up when I didn't answer straight away. All I could croak out to him [on the phone, that was somehow still next to me and connected], was that I was sprawled on the floor and couldn't get up, and could he call an ambulance! Thankfully, while I remember bouncing off furniture as I was uncontrollably falling, I landed on my chest, rather than on my head - so that's something.

Chris got there about 10 minutes later to my door, and somehow I managed to crawl to open the front door, still [pooping!]. The ambos arrived about 2 minutes later, and they were fantastic! I even made one of them laugh, as the little sign on my front door reads "Caution: Goldfish inside - may attack without warning!"

Chris kept me company and supported me during it all, thankfully. A smooth trip to our local hospital in the back of an ambulance (I hadn't broken anything in my heavy fall, nor blacked-out etc), and straight into Casualty/Emergency. Apparently, my bloods were so bad, that I was only a step-away from going into shock!

I was so dehydrated, that the medical staff took ages to find a vein, to pump some liquids into me. Lots of blood test etc followed, and I was admitted over night. They pumped two blood transfusions into me as well.

I managed to keep my sense of humour thru it all, even tho I felt like absolute crap at the time. They said if that had stopped, they would have been more worried then [laffs]. Because I was laying down, I felt relatively OK, but the effects were still there, albeit much abated.

Even tho I was a 'Public' patient [ie. no private health insurance], due to the 'luck of the draw', I managed to have a whole single room to myself, on the Ward when finally admitted into hospital - first time ever for me!

Even tho I was exhausted, the meds they gave me late on Wednesday made it impossible for me to sleep that night - I just couldn't 'drop-off' - even tho I was comfortable [even tho still very breathless and weak etc], I couldn't sleep! I was looking forward to watching the first State of Origin football game that night, but it seemed most staff were watching it anyway, and kept me informed of the score [made me laugh that they'd do that!]

The room had a huge picture window, and I awoke on Thursday to one of the heaviest foggiest mornings we'd seen in years! I literally couldn't see feet thru the fog! It didn't lift until 11am.

I didn't contact many people while it was all happening, but a huge thank you to both Chris and Lynn - Lynn contacted and cancelled an appointment I had that day!

Doctors were still trying to figure out what was happening to me, tho they always love putting many fluid drips into me all the same. Eventually they diagnosed the extreme dizziness because of extreme Anaemia - low iron in my blood. They don't know why I am losing blood internally [albeit slowly].

It hasn't stopped the weakness in my legs (which is MS-related), nor the shortness of breath, and just plain weariness - I need to sit down again after dong 'anything' after 2 minutes! But as there's no giddiness, I can deal with that OK.

When I got home again on Friday afternoon (that's three days in hospital), I had to laugh at the trail of destruction I'd left behind me, when I'd fallen. I had no idea at the time, as I was stuck on the floor at the time! Nothing broken/damaged etc, but I'd obviously knocked things flying as I spun as I fell. It looked rather spectacular, actually [laffs].

I'm booked-in for a day-surgery procedure in a few weeks, so they can take a look inside me, for any signs of any bleeding inside my gut and/or stomach... it's related to my Ulcerative Colitis.

Apart from that, it's kinda still up in the air. I'm weak as I've ever been (I'm going to look for a cheap/2nd-hand 'walking frame/walker', just so I can get around downtown - I'll not be getting rid of "Fred" my walking stick, tho!), and still getting the shortness of breath, and extremely weary. I need to check-out the "Junktion" (Tip Shop) here - I know they had some of those walkers!

I'm managing to clean-up a little bit at a time here at home, doing what I can when I can while I can. I'm working on getting some "Home Help", to help with some home domestics, but it's not as easy to organise as you'd think, unfortunately. I also don't have the attention span [etc] at the moment to be able to deal with having to arrange that, either - catch-22.

I've just had to stop being in denial to myself, but my disabilities really need me to ask/get some extra help. It's hard after being so independent all of my life. Silly pride [laffs].

It's also very hard, as I'm on my own. My 'circle' locally is quite small (sadly), and it's often hard to know who to ask for some help, like grabbing something for me downtown, if/when I'm unable to get out of the house.

Anyway, I know this is very fragmented, but it's a short outline of my bad situation over the last 2 weeks-or-so, just so I don't have to say the same thing over-and-over. My 'dizzy fingers' are totally numb after typing all this out, as it is [laffs!]

From now on. I'll be keeping my phone close to me at all times [laffs]. Best way to get in touch with me straight away, is via SMS 0401 936 743, as I may be asleep otherwise. Oh, and email, Facebook and Twitter, of course. (NB. I do not have one of those SmartPhones, so I'm not online 24/7 [even tho it may seem so! lol], hence SMS is the better way to get in touch with me).

Thanks.

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Peas be with ewe 
Mal

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