Home Again....Home Again....

My life has been an adventure since the 19th....one I hope never to repeat.  I went in early that morning for a scheduled bronchoscopy. This would be my second this year and I trust my pulmonologist who is trying to treat a slow-growing bacterial lung infection for me. The first one, in January, was a non-event. This recent one was a bit "different".

Coming out of the anesthesia I hear someone saying "She's spasming again" and then I was "out". It turned out my vocal cords spasmed twice and the anesthesiologist had to administer a specific drug so that they would relax and I could breath. (Good idea!) So I stayed in recovery about an hour longer than normal but we were back in the apartment around noon.  Much of the afternoon was pretty normal....I took a nap because we were up so early, but then was doing computer work, did some quilting,  and read my book. I began to notice that I was experiencing some aches and pains in my legs and it was getting more difficult to get up out of a chair and to walk easily. I called my doctor and he said it was probably a very rare side-effect of the anesthesia, to drink lots of water and it should work it's way out of my system.

Sleeping that night was difficult and getting in and out of bed more challenging. On Wednesday morning I asked Dave to bring up the walker from our garage (saved since my bunion surgery years ago) and I used that just to be sure I was steady. But it got to the point where I had to grab my jeans or pj bottom to try to lift my legs up and into bed. Wednesday night was even worse with my arms feeling weaker so that I couldn't really shift position in bed. At 4:30 a.m. I got up, managed to get myself dressed, messaged my doctor and woke Dave....we were heading back to the hospital. He had to lift my legs to get me into the car and out!

Thursday passed in a wild blur....several doctors in the ER, tests (blood, x-ray, CAT scan, three MRIs, spinal tap), a teleconference call with a neurology specialist who suspected maybe Lymes disease (after our spring RV trip out East) or Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). I was admitted and moved to ICU where the doctor arrived and told us they were treating me for GBS and I would be in for five days. She explained that we'd caught this early but they would be testing my breathing capacity every six hours....if the ascending "paralysis" moved to my diaphragm it would affect my breathing and I would go on a vent.

I were confused and worried but I refused to "go there" in my brain and demanded that Dave stay off Dr. Google.  The only internet site recommended by my physician if I wanted to explore was MayoClinic.org. That night I was given a IVIG "cocktail"....dripped into my veins for about 90 minutes. Blood pressure checks every 30 minutes, vitals checked every four hours, oxygen level monitored. Needless to say sleep was basically out of the question.....for me with all the interruptions and beeping instruments in my hospital room and for Dave at home worried and alone. The next day there was some improvement and with two more nights of the magic potion basically all symptoms were gone. 

I was discharged on Sunday morning and we were home by 10:30. There will be some follow-up appointments with a neurologist but we are beginning to think this was a reaction to the drug given for the vocal cord spasms.....and not GBS because of the super-rapid turn around.

Whatever it is/was remains a mystery for the moment. All I know is I am so thankful to be home and sleeping in my own bed. It was another reminder that life can change in an instant......