DAY ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-TWO OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 182.  I think I over did it today.

In the morning I went to see my primary doctor.   He checked me over and told me it would take at least 2 weeks for me to start to feel normal again.  I can't drive or hold anything over 5 lbs.  I should not work full days until I feel I can, maybe in two weeks.  It may take a month for me to feel back to normal again.  If I push it to fast I could get Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. 

I got a dog walker to come a few days this week to help out.  This will make me feel less of a burden on my neighbors.  He is very nice.

This afternoon I started to feel woozy and light headed and nauseous.  I knew then I overdid it.  I pushed too hard.  I should have taken a nap.  I need to learn to take it slow and easy.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-ONE OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 181.  I woke up in my own house and in my own bed!  I was in horrible pain but I am in my own place.  Lucky is still stuck to me like glue.  Crying every time she can't see me.  Happi has taken it all in stride once she saw I was home.

I am on pain medicine so laying around and taking a bath were the main tasks today.  I tried to pick up around the house today but I spent most of the day on the phone with family and friends.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 180.  This morning I woke up with a black eye.  The area under my eye is black and blue like someone punched me or I walked into a door.  The doctor's are a bit nervous and started testing.  First they took blood.  Lots of blood.  Then they sent me for another CT scan.  Yes, I have a brain.

After two hours a doctor showed up and she told me I was being discharged.  I asked her what was up with my eye.  She said all the tests were normal and I could go home.  The eye was probably blood leakage from yesterday's procedure.

I called my friend H who dropped everything to come get me.  He brought his friend P and they helped me get my stuff ready and get home.  They were so sweet to help me drop off the prescription for the pain meds.  Then I finally got home.

Lucky and Happi went crazy!  Lucky would not leave my side all night.  Stuck to me like glue.  My neighbor R came and walked them as he had been doing all week.  The nicest neighbors to take care of my pets for a week!!

My neighbor B went to the pharmacy to get my pain medicine for me.  That was very nice.  

I ordered some take out and laid down to rest.  I got a million phone calls and texts checking in.

I was finally home.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-NINE OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 179.  The pain was horrible today.  I had to turn off my phone to get some sleep.  The doctors decided that another procedure needed to happen.

Caution this is a description of a medical procedure. If you are queasy.  Please skip the next paragraph.

The newest theory is that when the doctor did the spinal tap, she made a puncture through the sack around the spinal column on the way to get the spinal fluid.  Sometimes that hole does not seal up after the procedure.  When that occurs the spinal fluid leaks out and that causes tremendous pain.  To fix this the doctor will take 2 ccs of my own blood and insert it in the sack around the sack around the spinal column much like an epidural.  This will seal up the hole made by the spinal tap.  My procedure was a bit more chaotic than this because the nurses could not get the 2 ccs of blood out of my IV and the anesthesiologist had already inserted the needle in my back.  He ended up taking the needle out of my back, taking the blood out of my IV himself, reinserting the needle and putting the blood into my back.  It didn't really hurt other than the shots to numb my back.  Basically it sounded worse than it felt.

Within 2 hours I felt better.  I thought they were going to send me home.  I contacted my friend to pick me up.   H was already at the hospital and I had texted everyone when we decided I needed to stay in the hospital one more night.  My back was still hurting and I felt not right.

So I stayed one more night.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-EIGHT OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 178.  Every day they say maybe you will go home today.  Then by the end of the day, I would ask if I was going home and the answer would be maybe tomorrow.

I would also ask if they knew what type of Meningitis I had.  "No, maybe tomorrow."  Luckily they were giving me morphine because with that numbing medicine I didn't care as much.

It is amazing how I became used to the nurses coming in every 2-3 hours to test my vitals.  I barely woke up.  I would just lift my arms, stick out my finger and open my mouth.  I just hated having to pee so often.  Especially since I had not changed my underwear in days.

Maybe tomorrow I will go home.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 177.  Still in the hospital today.  Do I feel better?  No.  How do I feel on a scale 1-10?  That is the question I get asked every time the nurse or doctor comes in my room with their masked faces and gloved hands.  20 - 30 times a day.  I finally figure out that if I say 7 or 8 I get more pain medication than if I say 4 or 5.  Do I want Norco or Morphine?  You are asking me?  Morphine of course.  Who cares if I makes me feel upset to my stomach?  Knock me out and make this pain go away!

I am overwhelmed by the outpouring of concern from family and friends.  I had no idea so many people cared.  I used to say that if I died I would be surprised if 10 people showed up.  No longer feel that way.  My clients are texting me daily to see how I am not to pressure me to work.  My family members are offering to fly out.  My friends are asking how they can help.  My friend H came to visit and put on the mask and gloves.  I could only have him stay for 15 min before I fell asleep.

I can't eat.  I order food and then can't eat it.  I just take a few bites.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-SIX OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 176.  At 8 am I was transferred from the emergency room to a room in the hospital.  While wearing a mask on my face, I was wheeled from the ER to the room that is to be my home for the next few days.  I was put in a double room by myself because I was considered contagious.  I began texting and calling friends and family to let them know I was in the hospital.

I was sick.  I can't begin to tell you how sick I was.  My head felt like a coconut was being cracked on it all the time.  My neck hurt all the time.  I was nauseous all the time. The nurses were either taking my blood pressure, temperature, heart rate or they were giving me morphine or they were giving me anti-nausea meds.  I was either sleeping, peeing (from all the saline they were pumping into me) or answering texts/phone calls.  Television or reading made me sick.

About part way through the day my phone began to die.  I watched that battery symbol get lower and lower.  I realized that I brought my kindle and iPad but not a phone charger.  I had no way to get a charger from home.  I told my friend C that I could not talk long because I had no charger.  Hours later a nurse brought me a Vanity Fair, phone cord and cute butterfly plug.  I told them I didn't order anything.  Turns out my friend C called the hospital store and bought me these items and had them delivered to my bedside.  That was the nicest thing ever!  A life saver really!

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FIVE OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 175.   I felt horrible all day.  I had to go to a clients in the morning and I came right back home and got into bed.  I tried to sleep.  By 7pm my temperature started to rise.  I watched it go from 99.2 to 99.6 to 99.9.  That is when I called my neighbor.  I needed to find someone to drive me to the ER and be able to walk my dogs if I was held for too long.

My neighbor came over and thank goodness he was thinking clearly because I was not.  He had me walk him through how to feed and walk the dogs, feeding the fish and bird.  I gave him a key and he took me to the ER.

I sat in the ER for about 1.5 hours in the waiting room with a mask on my face.  Then I was taken in to a private room.  Now the tests start.  I was sent for a CAT scan, blood tests, urine test, chest x-ray,  and my favorite and spinal tap.  I have had a spinal tap before but this one did not go well.  I won't go into the gory details but let's just say she didn't get where she needed to be on the first or second try.

They weren't sure what I had, if I was going to be admitted, such indecision.  Twelve hours later they knew I had meningitis but now sure what kind and if it was contagious or not so I had to be admitted.  I definitely did not have bacterial meningitis.  If I had bacterial I would have been dead already because you have to get to an ER within 48 - 72 hours and it had already been more than 72 hours.  So silver lining!  No deadly disease.

I either had viral or aseptic meningitis.  I had to wait for the petri dish to grow some stuff to tell us which one.  That would take days.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-FOUR OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 174.  I feel like crap.  My neck is killing me.  I have no idea what I did to it.

I cleaned out my fish tank after going to the fish store.  The fish guy says my water is all out of wack and if I clean the water, I may save my fish from certain death.  After cleaning the water, the fish look so happy.

Then I laid down to take a nap.  I am really tired.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED SEVENTY-THREE OF THE HAPPINESS PROJECT

Day 173.  I woke up this morning and my neck is horribly sore.  I guess standing that close to the front of the stage is not good for my neck. I also have a nasty headache.  I did my little errands and took a nap.

Until tomorrow...