The past few days I’d been feeling very slightly off colour. Very slightly. Headache, sinus pain, slightly dodgy tummy....... nothing to write home about. Yesterday I was particularly tired and a bit more ‘hazy’ than usual. No big deal.
This morning I woke ridiculously early as usual and felt really weird...... I had ringing in one ear, sinuses killing me, and very dizzy when I tried to get out of bed. Thankfully, hubby was here and very understanding when I woke him at 5.15am to tell him I felt a bit ‘vulnerable to seizure’.......
The inevitable struck at around 06.40am........ I had a small seizure...... lasting no more than 3 or 4 minutes. It consisted of a bit of twitching and arm flinging. I was conscious. Scared and freaked out, but safely lying on my own bed, with hubby ensuring I was in the recovery position etc. Unpleasant, but not life threatening. He rang 999 and I was fully conscious and talking again before they arrived (although they were very quick as ever).
The shortened version of the story is this........ I’ve got a bug. A sinus and ear infection...... there’s loads going round at the moment. It gave me a very high temperature spike (39 degrees when paramedics measured it). Any mummy knows that a high temperature can cause a small seizure/ strangeness in a child......... its the same for an adult with epilepsy.......... The temperature spike caused me to have the small seizure. If I’d woken up and taken Calpol I’d probably have been fine haha.
As usual, Causeway Hospital became my haven and I was greeted into A&E like an old friend. Treated like a wee princess as ever. Lots of kind words, smiles and reassurances, on top of thorough medical care. These guys are my heroes...... both in A&E, and in the Rehab Ward. Today one of the first faces I saw was one of my former Rehab Ward nurses...... she’d literally just moved to A&E today and we laughed at me being her first patient! Can’t get away from me!!
Anyway, ‘my team’ kept drama levels low and set to work checking me over. The result? A bug and sinus/ ear infection. We got my temperature down and I started feeling better.
Full bloods, chest x-ray, urine etc..... all fine. IV fluids, IV antibiotic, and home with a week’s supply. I was on my sofa, eating a bacon butty and lamenting my sorely bitten tongue by early afternoon. Sorted. Drama over. Rest of the day spent chilling out. Temperature being regularly checked (with the thermometer issued when I was in chemo), and kept in check with paracetamol. All under control.
Having had time to digest and talk it over etc, I now realise yet again how fortuitously things went today....... my condition means I will always be at risk of taking a seizure. I generally don’t due to medication, but an infection / temperature spike etc can always leave me vulnerable. That’s my life now. It’s the same for many, particularly anyone who lives with epilepsy. The fact is that a small seizure will not do me much harm. It’ll leave me tired, but the bigger risk is from a fall or accident. Today’s experience was a wee reminder..... firstly to listen and speak up when I know I’m vulnerable. I left if too late to say this morning as I thought it would pass, although in hindsight the pre warning was clear. A small seizure was bound to happen outside of a hospital environment at some stage...... today’s happened at home, lying on my bed, hubby by my side, and a quiet Sunday morning A&E!
This is more ‘learning to live with’stuff..... and yet again I find myself hugely fortunate in timings and people at my side etc. Moving forwards we now know to have emergency plans in place just in case....... Nothing dramatic. Just emergency ‘places of safety’ and agreed ‘who’s contacted how / when’ stuff for both home alone and when at work/out with friends etc. Mostly it’s basic awareness raising so people know what to do when I speak up! It’s unlikely to need put into action very often..... hopefully never! As an aside, to anyone in a similar situation, the Health App on an iPhone is a very useful tool. I’d also recommend setting up the emergency SOS contact thing too.
Another challenge, but all for a reason, and probably beneficial to have happened now and like it did, for less potential drama in the longer term.
I have work related plans for tomorrow that also form an important part of my ‘learning to live with.....’ I’m going ahead with them. Safely and under supervision. Sensibly. But I’m not allowing myself to be set back unnecessarily.
Having cancer sucks. Having a brain tumour sucks. Having epilepsy sucks. Having any long term medical condition sucks. My life however does not suck at all! I remain very happy and optimistic for a long, happy, healthy, and hugely enriched life! I am surrounded by love, support, fun times and good things. Living and loving life...... gently, happily....... yep, we’re all good xxxx
Does my heart good reading through your blog Tricia ! Keep believing ! 💕
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