Early Friday morning a few weeks ago I was getting ready for work and was quickly overtaken by nausea and vomiting, which did not last long. I thought it was the scallops I ate the evening before and expected to go to work maybe an hour late. Did not improve in terms of feeling strong and so called in sick, still expecting to improve. Pain ramped up and took many forms. Upper Left quadrant (anterior). Lumbo-sacral. Femoral pain and leg cramps so bad I thought I maybe had Dengue or Tetanus. Long since a booster, and I didn't remember any mosquito bites from a recent trip to Florida. Basically screaming for almost 2 days before seeking medical help. Took a Lyft to a very good step down clinic (run by local ER physicians). Doctor I saw there drove me to the real hospital. I tried a hot bath for the pain and fainted. Realized I could have died like that, so sought help at that point.
It was a very large renal stone. I was in septic shock and organ failure. I was admitted for 6 days, part of it in an IC bed. Still have the stone, but got an emergency STENT placed. The plan is to try to remove it down the road, when I am stronger. Slow recovery. Still sleeping on the couch downstairs. But almost all pain gone now. Dealing with swelling, 20 lbs up in fluids, steroids, blood expanders. Feeling the awful after effects of antibiotics. But very thankful to have gotten past it. Yes, this pain is worse than childbirth. At least with hard labor, there are breathers between contractions.
My daughter came home to help for a while, then went back to her NYC campus against my advice. Even while the campus is >99% shut down. *sigh* I have some concern she will get trapped on Manhattan, but it was her decision to make.
While home in a suffering state, I wondered if it was a lesson to teach me something. If so, what? It happens that 2 people involved in my work (and fired for very good causes) suffer spinal pain and pancreatitis, respectively. Was this to show me compassion for their suffering?
One (secretary for 14 years) tried to blackmail me, and made good on his threats, causing me all manner of undeserved trouble. Ridiculous stuff. He'd been keeping notes on everything I said he did not like over all the years. The other (his wife) was my mother's caregiver. She was taking my mom around to have her power of attorney and will changed. With her husband's knowledge! Convinced my mother (with dementia) I was trying to kill her. So I have been dealing with police (mom called them against me), adult protective services investigating my finances with my mom, and also the medical boards because of what my former secretary did. What a nasty tag team.
Really they are lucky I did not call the police on them. They still harass me when they see me about town.
But after all this I decided to just let the universe take care of them. Missing jewelry, missing money, all of it. People (their former employers) have come out of the woodwork to tell me their awful stories of this couple. Why not tell me before now? They (the couple) are mentally unstable and see me as the party in the wrong here, for firing them. Ugh! Good riddance.
One more thing, many people (not my physician) are saying this happened because I take Vitamin C regularly. I've not taken the time to investigate this.
Anyway, that's why I've gone quiet.
I would not wish this condition on Satan.
All of this has given me some forward movement on plans, even if I can't act on them right now. Decisions are being made. And a few other awful, ongoing situations, I have been able to just put my foot down and put a stop to. Stories for a different day. It's good progress, though. Yay.
I tried to work some last week, but it was too much for me. Office closed now with good excuse and timing of Corona. I've been working 4 jobs for the last 3 years to cover a top tier college. I now see that this was prideful (albeit well intentioned). I wanted the glory of having gotten my girl through undergraduate without debt on either of us. I'm sure this and all else just ran down my batteries. Was not sustainable. Thankful for the wake up call. Needful soul searching taking place.
It was a very large renal stone. I was in septic shock and organ failure. I was admitted for 6 days, part of it in an IC bed. Still have the stone, but got an emergency STENT placed. The plan is to try to remove it down the road, when I am stronger. Slow recovery. Still sleeping on the couch downstairs. But almost all pain gone now. Dealing with swelling, 20 lbs up in fluids, steroids, blood expanders. Feeling the awful after effects of antibiotics. But very thankful to have gotten past it. Yes, this pain is worse than childbirth. At least with hard labor, there are breathers between contractions.
My daughter came home to help for a while, then went back to her NYC campus against my advice. Even while the campus is >99% shut down. *sigh* I have some concern she will get trapped on Manhattan, but it was her decision to make.
While home in a suffering state, I wondered if it was a lesson to teach me something. If so, what? It happens that 2 people involved in my work (and fired for very good causes) suffer spinal pain and pancreatitis, respectively. Was this to show me compassion for their suffering?
One (secretary for 14 years) tried to blackmail me, and made good on his threats, causing me all manner of undeserved trouble. Ridiculous stuff. He'd been keeping notes on everything I said he did not like over all the years. The other (his wife) was my mother's caregiver. She was taking my mom around to have her power of attorney and will changed. With her husband's knowledge! Convinced my mother (with dementia) I was trying to kill her. So I have been dealing with police (mom called them against me), adult protective services investigating my finances with my mom, and also the medical boards because of what my former secretary did. What a nasty tag team.
Really they are lucky I did not call the police on them. They still harass me when they see me about town.
But after all this I decided to just let the universe take care of them. Missing jewelry, missing money, all of it. People (their former employers) have come out of the woodwork to tell me their awful stories of this couple. Why not tell me before now? They (the couple) are mentally unstable and see me as the party in the wrong here, for firing them. Ugh! Good riddance.
One more thing, many people (not my physician) are saying this happened because I take Vitamin C regularly. I've not taken the time to investigate this.
Anyway, that's why I've gone quiet.
I would not wish this condition on Satan.
All of this has given me some forward movement on plans, even if I can't act on them right now. Decisions are being made. And a few other awful, ongoing situations, I have been able to just put my foot down and put a stop to. Stories for a different day. It's good progress, though. Yay.
I tried to work some last week, but it was too much for me. Office closed now with good excuse and timing of Corona. I've been working 4 jobs for the last 3 years to cover a top tier college. I now see that this was prideful (albeit well intentioned). I wanted the glory of having gotten my girl through undergraduate without debt on either of us. I'm sure this and all else just ran down my batteries. Was not sustainable. Thankful for the wake up call. Needful soul searching taking place.
ups for a couple of weeks..
