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Blogs by D L Johnson
It Was a Super Bowl Sunday Like No Other 5/22/2010 6:17:33 AM
This is the ongoing saga of my recent battle with Rhabdomiolosis, aka Rabdo. At the time, I did not know what it was, but it had visiously attacked my body, damaged my kidneys, and was slowly but surely destroying my muscle structuree from head to toe.
Super Bowl Sunday was actually boring, compared to what was happening to me that day.
I was not able to move about, my legs were impossible to move for any distance, I was dizzy (more than my normal dizzyness) Pain in my shoulders, arms, behind my eyes...everywhere. So, I wasn't all wrapped up in activities taking place on the football field.
Between halves I placed two pillows behind my head so I could sit up to watch the second half of the game. When the half time activities were over and the game started, I watched but honestly I couldn't tell you what happened.
As the game progressed I sensed that I was slowly slipping, and before long I was laying flat on my back. Somehow, and I still haven't figured out how this happened, in an attempt to right myself, I had managed to have one leg off the edge of the bed, and my head was hanging off the other side of the bed (I think of this as a Kodak moment I would like to forget.)
What to do? I called my fried Abhi (Abby) and told her my situation, and that I was calling 911. Abhi came to my apartment and waited as the paramedics were on their way. Before they arrived Abhi had managed to help me sit up which was a total relief.
When the EMT crew arrived they did the usual stuff; check blood pressure, heart rate, medications I was currently taking and asked a few questions. You have to understand, at age 66, I was experiencing some real 'firsts' This was the first time I had ever called 911 for myself. This would be my first ambulance ride and my first visit to an ER.
Four hours later and still in the ER, the ER Doctor came in and said, "We know what's going on." By then I was so tired, I think I said, "Just give me a shot of whatever, and I'll be out of your hair."
The doctor said it wasn't going to be that easy, as a matter of fact we want to admit you...but we can't. Why?
You have the afore mentioned "Rhabdo" and the reason we can't admit you is because we have no empty beds. He went on to say that I would be taken to their bigger hospital on the North East side of Portland...right now he went on to say, we're just waiting for an ambulance.
It seems that I was having a negative reaction to the statin drug I had been taking to lower cholesterol, and I was losing. That is one of the things that happens to people that are allergic to some drugs. I thought it was a hell of a way to find out, but what was I to know. I should also say at this point "Rhabdo" is very rare...The Docs in the hospital told me they may only see one or two cases a year, and I was this years first big winner. Becaause Portland Providence is a teaching hospital, I was soon surrounded by a group of wannabe docs, all asking, poking, prodding, questioning, and mostly, all for the advancement of their education.
Five hours in an ER and a bumpy ride to Portland Providence Medical Center, and I didn't even have to stop in their ER...I went straight to the Cardio wing. I spent one week in cardio, and for the first time in my life I was not allowed to get out of bed without help. I admit, there were a few times when my memory lapsed, and one foot hit the floor and in an instant, a herd of thundering nurses would attack my room.
