Trip to the Emergency Room and Why You Should Never Give Up

Today I'm blogging about something totally off the subject of crafting or Sihouette.The reason why I'm doing this is to share some things everyone needs to know and take into account when they are dealing with "strange" or unpleasant syptoms.

As many of you know, my daughters dear Dad passed away on February 28th of colon cancer. He had his colonoscopy and wasn't due for another one for at least six months. He had gone to his doctor several times about back pain, lethargy, and an over all lack of energy. He was told to use a testosterone cream to help alleviate these symptoms. He used the cream but continued to have symptoms yet he figure it was a "waste of time" to return to his doctor who would just "waste his time" and not help. At the insistance of my youngest daughter whom noticed his weight loss and knew of his other symptoms he returned to his docotr. By this time other syptoms had shown up. On this day, they doctor decided to do a more thorough exam and discovered a tumor/growth. By the time he received medical care it was in retrospect too late. He battled through so many harsh chemo, radiation, and surgical treatments and lost the battle.

Next, is the most recent story of my eldest daughter. She is the type of person to hardly ever complain. Over the last year and a half she has told me of some horrific headaches she was getting and they now seem to be coming more frequently. I pleaded with her to make a doctor's appointment and get this checked out. She didn't as she thought she may just have to deal with it and all too often has been let down by doctors. She had to go to the docotr over a bad sinus infection. She then approached the subject of the "Pick Like Headaches" and told him how severe they were. He didn't run any kind of tests but gave her a prescription for "Topomax" . She continued to get these sever headaches and then began having some side effects from what she believed to be the Topomax so she went on about her not so merry way. The horrible pain in her head were comng on more frequent. She was having five or more episodes a week. She approached another doctor about this issue. He told her it was probably a pinched nerve since the pain seemed to have originated from her neck.

Last night, I received a phone call from my dear daughter. She was crying almost hysterically and could ony speak a couple of words at a time which made me even more alarmed and concerned. I begged her to please let me take her to the Emergency Room. After the 10 second episode of her one of many episodes had subsided she said: "Mom, there is probably nothing they can do for me. It's probably just a pinched nerve. I just don't know how much more I can take of this but I can't see going to the Emergecy Room to be sent home by another doctor telling me it's a pinched nerve." I told her; pain is a sign fo something wrong and it's not normal and can be an indciator of something horribly wrong. Before I was able to get out of my mouth that "no matter what, she is going to the E.R." she had another wave of pain. Again, she could not focus, or speak. I ran out of the house so fast, drove to her home as though God had placed wings on my car and picked her up to take her for help. She looked worn, frazzled, she was of balance, and her eyes were so swollen from the crying she had done over the pain she was feeling.

We spent 4 hours at the E.R. They hooked up an I.V. with fluids and added two medications to help alleviate some of the pain and nausea. The pain medication didn't help. the Nurse Practioner on service this night was wonderful! She did a thorough exam and ordered a CAT scan of my daughter's head. After a short timeo f waitng the Nurse Practioner was back in with the results. My daughter has Chiari Malformation (More About Chiari). She will be seeing a neuro surgeon within the next few weeks and will have a surgery which will help her. I am so thankful to the Lord. I said a prayer on my drive to my daughter's home. I asked for her to be placed in the hands of a competent, compassionate, and intelligent health care person. The Lord gave us this wonderful lady, highy skillled, compassionate Nurse Practitioner.

This blog is not just about my experience. It's about spreading a message and a message I hope all of you will spread. You all know your bodies and have instincts. If you feel like something is being missed it probably is. Don't rely on ony the wisdom of you family doctor or other health care providers; rely on you, your intincts, and do some of your own research. Never give up. It may save your life, someone elses life, and or prevent terrible things from happening.

I now have my hearing back because I never gave up. I knew something was wrong and was tired of getting one antibiotic after another as each day proved to be another day with a lessened ability to hear. I was finally seen by and ENT I begged my way into seeing. His words: " I'm shocked and amazed you can hear anything at all because my hearing test results showed as a flat line." I had two types of surgery. One was as simple as placing tubes in my ears. The scary part was waiting for the results to see if this was all due to a type of cancer that is rare but found in individual wom are adults of my age with these kind of symptoms. The results came back and I did not have the cancer. I still have some hearing loss but oh, so many other things could have happened if I would have given up.

Twenty percent of Americans are misdiagnosed or simply not diagnosed. All of us, from all over the world need to take an active role in our health care. Most important believe in yourselves, the knowledge of knowing your bodies, your instincts to guide you. Don't be passive when it comes to asserting your desires to be helped and please; pass this along to others.