When the World Fell off it Axis
My sister, Patsy, and I escaped the Phoenix heat one Thursday and drove 4.5 hours north to visit our father in the tiny town of St. Johns, Arizona. Our dad is just three months shy of turning 91 years old, and he is still as sharp as ever. The weather in St. Johns was a welcome 78 degrees with clouds and occasional sprinkles of rain, which always lifts my spirits. The three of us were sitting in the living room; Daddy in one recliner, Patsy in another recliner, and I was sitting on the couch feeling peaceful and content. My iPad was sitting next to me on the couch, and I picked it up to check out something online. Suddenly I had a sense that something terrible was about to happen. Seconds later the world fell off its axis and began to move about in a dance of madness. My heart rate shot up and so did my blood pressure to the extent that I instantly experienced a headache. It was a terrifying experience.
Slow, Deep Breaths
As a nurse, I tried every trick I know to slow my heart rate. I breathed in deeply and breathed out slowly through pursed lips. I tried gently massaging the sides of my neck (the carotid arteries.) I did the valsalva movement - bearing down as though I was trying to have a bowel movement. My heart rate finally started to slow down, but the world still seemed unstable. I was a little dizzy when I tried to walk, but just when I thought the worst had passed, it started again - the fast heart rate, elevated blood pressure, headache. I asked Patsy and my dad to drive me to the fire station. In St. Johns, I could get to the paramedics faster than they could get to me. At the fire station, a paramedic did an EKG and assured me it was normal. My blood pressure was still high, so we waited until it began to come down. We discussed my options, and I decided to go back to the house, take it easy, and hope for the best. The remainder of Friday passed without incident, and the three of us drove back to Phoenix the following day, Saturday. I was feeling cautiously hopeful and thought that perhaps I had simply experienced a bizarre reaction to the change in altitude in St. Johns, and anticipated that all would be well. I was not to be so fortunate.
The Nightmare that is Vertigo
Sunday morning I woke up before daylight. I didn't need to open my eyes to know that something was wrong. When I did open my eyes, the room wouldn't hold still. Adrenaline again flooded my bloodstream, and my heart rate and blood pressure shot up. This time I was determined to ride it out and quietly worked on relaxing and slowing my heart rate without waking up my sleeping husband. I was able to remain calm, but I couldn't make the dizziness go away. At one point, I got out of bed and walked to the bathroom holding on to chairs, a table, the wall, and other sturdy objects along the way. Then I walked back to bed, again holding on to things to keep from falling. Once in bed, I tried resting, but I felt as though I was being tossed about on an angry sea, and the feeling was intolerable. I finally woke my husband and told him I needed to go to the emergency room. I was afraid my blood pressure would reach a truly dangerous level, and I needed help sooner than later. My husband threw on some clothes, and helped me down the stairs and into the car. Finally, we were going to get me some help.
A Safe Place
As we drove to the hospital, I felt as though I was holding my breath and just hanging on. At the same time, I knew I would begin to relax once we reached the hospital. We were going to Banner Estrella Medical Center (BEMC), a hospital where I had previously worked for over 10 years. I knew the caliber of doctors and nurses there, and I knew they would take good care of me. At one point during the drive, I was struck by the irony of having written a book about staying safe in the hospital setting, when all I wanted at that moment was to be in the hospital where I knew I would feel safe! I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed for even a moment.
A Nurse, a Doctor and Answers to Prayers
Earlier that Sunday morning, when I woke up feeling like I was in a death spin, the only thing I could do besides take slow deep breaths was to pray, pray, and pray some more. I prayed for comfort, for heavenly assistance, and for relief from the misery I was feeling. My prayers were answered in the BEMC emergency room in the best possible ways!
I waited in the triage area for just minutes before I was taken to the back and placed in a bed. The nurse who cared for me was Mauricio, a nurse I have known for many years. He is an amazing nurse, and I couldn't have handpicked a better one. Dr. Parise, who cared for me, remembered me from years before when I had gone to the ER with a back injury. Both Mauricio and Dr. Parise did everything right. They took great pains to keep me well informed and to ensure my comfort. Dr. Parise sat at my bedside and answered endless questions as though I were the only patient in the ER. He explained that I had vertigo and went into great detail about the construction of the inner ear and the "calcium ball" that was causing my problem. He described the exercises that would help the dizziness until the "ball" dissolved on its own.
After doing lab work and giving me IV fluids and medication for the vertigo, I was released to go home and rest. Less than three hours had passed from the time I entered the ED to the time I arrived back home.
Feeling Grateful
I've been hospitalized during different decades of my life for a variety of reasons, starting at age five with an emergency appendectomy. In every case, I received flawless care from excellent nurses and doctors. I felt their compassion and their genuine desire to help me get well. I still remember certain nurses who cared for me, and I will be forever grateful for them.
Feeling Safe
I have always felt safe in the *hospital, but I have an advantage. I know when red flags are waving and something isn't quite right. I want everyone to have that same advantage. We can't all go to nursing or medical school and spend years working in a hospital; but we can share what we know with each other, and that is exactly why I wrote the Smart Patients, Safe Patients book. I want everyone to feel as safe in the hospital as I feel and to BE as safe as I know we can all be. When the world falls off its axis, it's a great feeling to know there is a hospital nearby and excellent caregivers to safely make things right again.
*I don't count my chin surgery as a hospital stay. It was done in an outpatient surgical center in a completely different environment.
