was one week post partum exactly, and had been unable to keep almost anything in my stomach, I had an epidural during labor and 10 minutes after giving birth had a headache that felt like someone had my head in vice grips and was cranking it hard and slow. I had been back to the doctor several times throughout the week, getting fluids, pain meds, and antianxiety meds, they kept telling my husband and I it should go away in about a week. I felt I was not getting better but worse. When I went in for my 2nd blood patch, in a week, which is when they plug the “whole”, in your spine with your own blood, I told the doctor that something was wrong with me, and she stated, “we don’t keep people here for headaches”, I pleaded with her but shortly after lying still and finishing my large bag of fluid via IV, I was sent home.
The brick that was sitting on my head was still there 2 days later, and my sweet, perfect little newborn son had to be watched by my Mother in law, due to my husband having to go back to work, and I was not able to walk without feeling dizzy, and faint. This was one week and I thought I was supposed to be getting better. My husband called to check on my around 330PM shortly before he was leaving work for the day, I remember sitting up in bed talking to him on the phone and my left eyeball began to move from side to side without my control, and thinking this is not normal, I told my husband Frank I have to go something is wrong with my eye.
It all happened son fast, somehow at the same time my head began to shake uncontrollably, and I threw the phone, and yelled to my daughter call 911. I’m I having a stroke! My 15 year older daughter, and my 9 year old son were the only other people home at the time. I could here my daughter on the phone with the 911 operator , saying “please hurry something is wrong with my Mom, instantly after that I fell off of the bed and onto the floor, that was the last thing I remembered.
I had my eyes shut like a slammed door that was unable to be opened and could here the scurrying of people scrambling around, the loud noise of a big truck going down a gravel road in a hurry. I could hear voices on what sounded like a CB. A voice began calling out my name, “Melissa, Melissa”, stay with me, stay with me, I could hear him but didn’t recognize the voice, and I thought “stay with me, where am I going”? I was able to open my eyes for just a few seconds, and peered around this bright lighted small area I was in, I saw several people I didn’t know and saw one of them holding up a syringe right by “Melissa, Melissa, stay with me”, “why does he keep saying this, where am I going”?
My body was out of my control, “What is happening to me”? I was shaking and quivering which seemed to last forever, but it was less than 1 minute I was told. I was now in a cold, room with lots of stainless steel surrounding the bed I was in. My Mom, husband, oldest daughter, and sister were all standing around my bed, crying, and attempting to ask me questions. I felt like I was drunk and could not process an answer appropriately. “Oh no not this again I thought, as my body stiffened up and began to shake once again, “what is happening to me and why”, just before I went unresponsive this time, I observed my husband grabbing my daughter and taking her out of the room very briskly covering her eyes. The room was again full of people I didn’t know instantly giving me meds in my IV and within a short time my body stopped it’s shaking. My family entered again and I asked my “Where am I, and what has happened to me”? The doctor on duty entered the room and notified us that I had many seizures, but they did not know why. They were going to admit me to the hospital and proceed with more test, also they called in a neurologist to consult.
I was moved back upstairs to the same room where I had just giving birth 1 week ago. The room continued to be full of varies people some of my family, and many nurses, and doctor’s. Several varieties of tests were completed and results were pending. I needed to know where are all my children, who is taking care of them, they were with Grandpa, and would stay with Grandma and Grandpa while I was in hospital. I was vary in and out of consciousness, through out that day, so I would not have another seizure, which was the only thing I was diagnosed with so far. My body felt like I ran a marathon times 2, and my speech was slurred partly because of all the medicine and a divot was missing from my tongue, fairly large in size and this made it difficult to speak properly. I spent 7 days in the hospital, without my newborn baby, other children, and husband. I thought to myself, “If only that last doctor would have listened to me when I told her something else was wrong with me”, I might not of had to go through all of this, as well as putting my family through pain. After several days of test after test, the neurologist entered the cold, impersonal, hospital room, I was in bed and my husband and Mom sitting next to the bed in the uncomfortable hospital chairs. He reported that I was diagnosed with Ecalmpsia, and PRESS syndrome, which can be life threatening, but the PRESS syndrome is irreversible, this is basically a swelling of the brain. He also stated my condition was very rare, 0.1% to be exact, due to not having any Pre-clapmsia while I was pregnant. This hospital had never seen this before and would probably never see this happen again. The final most enlightening information was that if I would have waited even just a few more hours to get to the hospital, I more than likely would not be here today. The conclusion was that they “hole” in my back from the epidural that I received during labor could not close on it’s own due to the large size of the hole.
News like this does have a huge affect on your thoughts, life, how you live it, and what’s important to you. I often think about my experience and remember those words that the doctor told me about not keeping people for headaches, and think maybe it could have been different outcome if only she would have listened to me. I did however get another opportunity when I was in the hospital and she entered my room to see how I was doing, I had many doctor’s come in and wanted to talk to me since I was like a case study for them, but when she entered being all sweet and friendly, and wanted to know how I was doing, I slowly turned my head with tearful eyes and told her to leave my room, I have nothing to say, she didn’t even reply she quickly turned around and left without hesitation.
I am doing much better and have had a full recovering. No more babies in our future thou, which does make me sad at times, but I want to be here for the babies I do have, and live to see my children have their own.
