Been married 33 years. My wife has had stomach issues for the last 12 years, constant bouts with throwing up and IBS . Last Monday and Tuesday a week ago her stomach pain got really severe.
Wednesday morning took her to a doctor to get checked out. White blood cell count was 22k where it should be 10k or less. They sent her straight to the emergency room for more testing and Cat scan.
Turns out she had a strangulated hernia which caused a blocked colon.
So emergency surgery commenced within about 3 hours last Wednesday the 16th. Surgery went better than expected, perfect in fact. After surgery she felt better than shes felt in 12 years. no more cigs ,she said she's done smoking (45) years and to throw her stash out.
Monday the 21st she was to be discharged around 9:30 am and I'm there waithing for the paperwork and we're in her room visiting with a friend that stopped in.
All of the sudden she stopped talking and her jaw was just quivering and she had this blank stare. I got the nurse in to look at her and everything seemed fine except she couldn't speak. After about 8 minutes she was able to speak again and everything seemed normal. This event happened 9 more times from then until 2:00 that afternoon as they kept her at the hospit for observation.
I had stayed with her all the time as I was worried, at 2:38 she started having another spell and then it turned into a full blown seizure. Now if you've never witnessed one, i'll tell you now ,you really dont want to.
her arm came out and made a tight fist and she just locked up and quit breathing .I was telling the nurse to get somebody now, right now. My wife, you could see every vein in her face and arms and she turned the darkest shade of purple you could imagine. Then she went limp . I yelled to the nurse, you need to call a code RIGHT NOW! She fell back ,as she had raised up during the seizure and was laying there blue. Like a corpse. Not breathing. I've got tears now as I type this.
About ten people rushed in at once. That damn code thingy gets you help fast. They told me to leave and I refused. They all did what they were trained to do and got her breathing again. probably within about 3 minutes.
another doctor came in and asked me to leave and I willingly did so as I was spent. I knelt in the hallway outside the room and cried. I had just witnessed my wife die.
but she wasn't dead.
They got her stabilized over the next couple hours ,awake and alert and ambulanced her to amarillo to a major trauma center.
So she's been there since Monday evening and has these episodes where she can't speak and lose function of her hands ,arms for 5-20 minutes out of every hour , sometimes three events per hour.
They don't have a diagnosis that they've shared with me. you can't get a straight answer from anybody ther, nurse can't tell you which doctor is due to come in or what time. the hospital is like the twilight zone and a bad nightmare combined.
Our only daughter is going through high school graduation ths week and it's been the big event on my wifes calendar for the last 6 months. She won't get to see it.
I have no idea if the doctors can fix this or if i'm bringing home a vegetable.
Man, very sorry to hear, Mr. Hog Farmer (Retired). I really cannot imagine what a terrible feeling that must be. Best wishes for you and your family. [Reply]
Hate you have to move her again, fuck insurance companies. I am happy to hear it is a better hospital. I will keep your family in my thoughts, and if there is anything I can do just let me know [Reply]
Since you apparently live in TX, you might want to check into the Brain Injury Waiver for your wife. Waivers are for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) that might help your wife on the road to recovery once she is discharged. While I can't be certain because I really don't know the Medicaid waivers in your state, it does look like seizure disorders are included in covered care under the TX Brain Injury Waiver. Talk to a social worker or case manager at the hospital where your wife is at about it.
Originally Posted by BlackHelicopters:
You say the health care system sucks, but it did save your wife’s life. How about some gratitude?
You are one selfish fucking piece of shit. If you can't see that the system is broken and has done immense harm in this situation, which is not isolated, then you are more stupid than your fucking comment. Our heath care system does suck. Especially when people become numbers instead of people/individuals. Saving lives is great, but saving personalities and having relationships with patients that make us individuals within a society is what healthcare should truly be about.
God what an insensitive prick!!!!!!!!!!!! [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chief Roundup:
You are one selfish ****ing piece of shit. If you can't see that the system is broken and has done immense harm in this situation, which is not isolated, then you are more stupid than your ****ing comment. Our heath care system does suck. Especially when people become numbers instead of people/individuals. Saving lives is great, but saving personalities and having relationships with patients that make us individuals within a society is what healthcare should truly be about.
God what an insensitive prick!!!!!!!!!!!!
i didn't get that either - He's not normally like that. Not sure where that comment came from or its motivation. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hog's Gone Fishin:
Just got a minute here . Finally got to visit with a doctor I could hardly understand.(Are there any American doctors anymore ?) They say she is having a Focal seizure which means its located in one hemisphere. In my time with her now it seems to be continuous rather than intermittent. She speaks jibberish fluently and I have a hard time deciphering what she's trying to tell me. She's also losing her awareness slowly.
I would definitely say she is worse today than she was yesterday.
They are moving her to the Hospital next door because its"IN MY NETWORK"
which I'm told is a much better hospital and also where my daughter was born.
Next step is an MRI. Which should have been done 3 days ago but well I guess they are busy, even though 75 % of the beds are empty. They said it will get done tonight or tomorrow. Kinda like whenever they get around to it.
In my internet research the focal seizure can manifest to other parts of the brain, I don't know if it can be stopped or not ???
I told the doctor that after giving thought she came out of surgery and said she had no desire or craving for a cig. She's had other surgerys (2) and felt the need for a cig immediately afterward.
so does that mean there's a possibility the anasthesia was too strong and caused brain damage. He said the stress from surgery can trigger seizures.
I don't know, not looking for a law suit by any means but just would like to know why!! If you know the cause it should make it easier to fix.
High school graduation for my daughter is tomorrow . I've made 9 trips to amarillo (an hour away) in 3 days trying to stay with her and keep my daughter on schedule at school which is all screwed up this last week.
Uggh
Thank you all again for your thoughts and prayers. I was able to tell my wife she had over a hundred prayers sent her way from people all over the world through the power of CP. she managed a smile.
HF:
First, don't take this as prescriptive medical advice, but some things that you can potentially look into further or ask your wife's providers about.
To answer some of your questions:
1) Yes, an MRI be done to rule out other potential causes of the seizure, given the later onset in life
2) Infection can cause seizures, and an elevated white count is a hallmark sign of infection, especially with a strangulated hernia and a bowel obstruction
3) When someone is in surgery their vitals are closely and constantly monitored. You can ask to speak to the anesthesiologist to see if any of her stats dropped during surgery, and if so, for how long.
4) A cerebrovascular accident can also cause a seizure. Given your wife's age and past smoking history, she would be at a higher risk for a stroke or what some people call mini-strokes. The proper term is a transient ischemic attack, or TIA. There are several other risk factors for CVAs, including high cholesterol levels and a history of diabetes.
5) Low blood glucose (or excessively high) can cause seizures. In hospital, practitioners are more worried about low glucose levels an will attempt to correct blood sugars quickly once they are below ~70.
6) There are several types of focal seizures: focal seizures with dyscognitive features (where they seem alert, but are speaking gibberish), focal seizures without dyscognitive features (where patients may notice a funny taste, tingling, or an aura), and focal seizures that progress to a full, bilateral seizure that affects both sides of the brain. From your description of her presentation, it is more likely (although by no means certain) that she is experiencing focal seizures with dyscognitive features that are progressing to full bilateral seizures (as you described in the OP). However, I would still press hard for the MRI results to see if there are any structural abnormalities in the brain.
7) Have they told you what medications they are using to treat her seizures?
I'm very sorry that you have to deal with this. Epilepsy is a bitch. [Reply]
Thank you Mr. DaFace. You shoulda banned him for a month to teach him some manners or run him off. Prayers sent Mr. HF. Sounds like you're doing the best you can under the circumstances. Find time for a little food and sleep for yourself, you won't do your wife or daughter any good if you go 'til you drop and daughter has to take care of you. [Reply]
Wow Hog...you're really stretched thin right now. That makes it even tougher to get clarity on your wife's situation.
Just remember you can only be one place at a time, and can only do one thing at a time. Praying that you are able to enjoy your daughter's graduation tomorrow, as tough as it is for your wife not to be there. Maybe see if someone can go with you who can get it on video so you can be free to just enjoy it.