Thursday, November 15, 2012

Freaky Wednesday

I'm having a hell of a week.  Monday was busy, Tuesday was lazy and yesterday was freaky... jeez, you could make a movie out of my week!  Or write a book about it.  Anyway, yesterday wasn't at all a great day... and I didn't do what I was planning on doing that day; especially seeing I ended up at the doctors and having an ECG by around 2pm when I had planned on washing my hair and reading a good book by that time.

Okay, I was on the computer - kind of like now - reading an article on The Huffington Post.  And it was a great article about creativity from a mathematician's point of view.  I was really getting into it when I suddenly felt off balance!  I thought I had held my breath for a little too long, but I hadn't.  Then, I thought my blood pressure was probably down a little and I needed something to eat or drink - but I had just finished my milk drink not 10 minutes before.  But then, the worse thing happened I could imagine.  I felt the left half of my face go all tingly and numb... it's as though it suddenly went to sleep for no reason.  I grabbed the cordless phone and raced into the bathroom, looked into the mirror and remembered my First Aide training and smile nice and wide and watched my face carefully for anything bad.  I verbally said my ABC's (just to hear my self to make sure I wasn't slurring) and smiled again, and noticed that the left side of my smile wasn't quite making it, so I called my Dad... but he didn't answer.  I was about to call an ambulance when he called back.  I told him what happened and he said to make an emergency appointment at the doctors.  I did as I raced around and got ready to go out; and tried to keep myself together in the process.  I just couldn't lose it while I was on my own, I really couldn't.  Dad called and I was on my way to meet him out the front of the unit complex.  I only hoped I didn't run into anyone I knew... but I did.  One of my neighbours saw me and said I, I responded and hoped he didn't notice that I wasn't feeling great.
Well, once at the doctors, I was in within around 5 minutes and the doctor asked me whether I was a smoker, drinker or anything else that might contribute to this.  I told him I was on the pill and he asked how long I'd been on it and told me that he thinks that is what has caused this and told me to get off it immediately.  Luckily I was taking the sugar pills and I was on my cycle this week.  Anyway, he wrote up a lot of tests he wanted done:  blood tests, EGC, MRI and he wanted my corotide arteries in my neck looked at too.  He told me that what I had suffered was a TIA - a small blood clot that form between my heart and my brain and it blocked an artery in my brain causing a small stroke.  This can happen when women of my age (39) are on the pill.  There are warnings on the paperwork for this, but you never ever think you'd ever have this happen to you.  And when it does, it scares the crap out of you in a big way.
 I had the ECG yesterday afternoon at the surgery and my heart wasn't damaged in any way (thank God!) and now, it's a matter of seeing about the other tests... mainly the MRI to make sure this doesn't happen again.

Today, I fasted and had the blood test and this afternoon, I'm off to get my corotide arteries looked at.  However, the MRI will have to wait until next week; until my neurologist comes back from leave.  This is going to be the longest bloody weekend of my life!  Last night, I felt as thought I couldn't sleep because I had been so scared for the day and half my face was still numb for most of the day.  Today, it's all good now.  I only hope this doesn't happen to anyone else.  I'm writing this for people out there who have had this happen to them, so they know they are not alone.  I now have to take an asprin every morning with my breakfast to thin my blood no thanks to the pill.
And I was taking the pill to help reduce an ovarian cyst that kept on rupturing and causing massive pain in me.  Seeing the pill is not an option for me, I think I may have to have surgery to have the whole ovary removed.  I'll have to look into it.  I only hope what I've written here today has helped - and will help - others who have their doubts about taking the pill.  I didn't want it in high school or in my 20's ... and I didn't want it now because of the side affects it had.  I didn't know it was going to do this to me, but I knew of the weigh gain and acne that could have happened to me.  Who knew this could have turned life-threatening like it didNot me for sure!      

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