Sick in the Head

Without reading my last post, it's hard to know where exactly I left off.  I think I mentioned my grandmother had a couple of heart attacks and was put back in the hospital just days after having hip replacement surgery after a devastating fall.  Turns out, she had three heart attacks. 

I happen to call her that morning to check on her in rehab.  I could tell she was short of breath and very uncomfortable.  She told me she was having chest pain that radiated to her arm and she felt like she needed to go to the hospital.  I told her she needed to let her nurse know immediately, which she had, only to be told it was "not a heart attack" (this surmised by blood pressure check on the wrist and nothing else) and given a pain pill.  I hung up and called the nurses station and insisted they get to her room to check on her again.  I called my grandmother back in her room and at that point the nurse came in.  I could hear my grandmother trying to explain that she was, in fact, having chest pain.  Again, I heard the nurse repeat, "I've given you some pain medicine."  At this point, I got the nurse on the phone and instructed her to call 911 immediately.  She actually tried to argue with me, once again insisting she'd checked her BP and given her a pain pill and told me "She is not having a heart attack".  I firmly restated she needed to call 911, told them where to take her and reminded her of her cardiac history. 

The rest I recapped in my last post.  She did have a heart attack.  Three of them.  She required intervention and a stay in ICU.  Thankfully, she recovered and is now back to rehab regaining strength and working her way back to her home.

I reported the nurse a few days later.  She was fired.  It wasn't my goal to get them to let her go, but I can't say I blame them.  Things could have gone very differently and who is to say it wouldn't next time with someone else's family.  The Director of Nursing told me they wanted to counsel her and try more education in a effort to save her job.  But, when the reviewed the facts of the incident with her, she insisted she did nothing wrong.  Mr. Foot, Meet Mr. Bullet.  Now, I really can't blame them for getting her out the door.

The important thing is my grandmother is doing much, much better and will hopefully be home this week.

And then there's me...

I have had to return to the neurologist because of the most horrendous vertigo on earth.  I'm talking violent room spinning til you think you're gonna die and you finally just throw up your guts vertigo.  Fun.  And it lasted many, many days.  I was scared to drive, scared to move.  I had my MRI repeated which showed no worsening of the MS lesions. Thankfully.  But she did suggest I see an ENT about a possible inner ear disorder and recurrent sinus infections.  I saw them last week and diagnosed with Meneire's Disease.  There's a high likelihood that my symptoms will worsen over time and I could eventually be left "functionally deaf". I already have marked hearing loss in my left ear.  I take meds to control the vertigo and so far, they seem to be helping.  They also told me I needed sinus surgery.  I have had a sinus infection for over a year.  Nice.

And if that wasn't enough... Is it ever with me? Trying to be proactive, I went for an annual routine eye exam. I mentioned having some mild double vision when I looked to the left.  It's a common symptom with MS and I have bad eyes anyway,  Plus, every episode of vertigo involved the room spinning violently to the left.  My left ear is the one where the hearing is impaired, so it made sense that my left eye gives me problems.  During the exam, he notices that my eyes do not track together.  It's referred to as Dissociated Vertical Deviation.  Basically, when I look left, my right eye moves up instead of to the side.  One theory is a congenital defect called Duane syndrome.  Though, he admits it could be the result of a neurological disorder, including the MS.  I've been referred to a neuro-ophthalmologist.  And my neurologist is pushing me to have a lumbar puncture  (spinal tap) in the near future.

What does all of this mean? Who knows.  Everything points to a neurological disorder.  I always joked that I was sick in the head and apparently I wasn't wrong.  Other than the sinus pressure and a constant ringing/fullness in my ear (and having to ask everyone to repeat half of what they say) I feel pretty good.  For that I am incredibly thankful.  My grandmother will be home soon and will need help.  The holidays are quickly approaching, The girls keep me so busy.  I have just decided I do NOT have time to be sick.  I have also decided that the sinus surgery will make a huge improvement.  It has to.  It will hopefully relieve the migraine/ear fullness/ringing/vertigo/sinus pressure stuff.  And even a little improvement is improvement. 

If you made it this far, Thank You.  I needed to get this all down more for myself to keep it all straight.  You know, my brain's not perfect so I need all the help I can get.