so where have i been since returning from the hospital?
i've been riding the TILT-A-WHIRL 24/7....
"The Tilt-A-Whirl is a platform-type ride, consisting of seven freely-spinning cars that hold four riders each, which are attached at fixed pivot points on a rotating platform. As the platform revolves, parts of the platform are raised and lowered, and the resulting centrifugal and gravitational forces on the cars cause them to spin in different directions and at variable speeds. The weight of passengers in these cars may intensify or dampen the spinning motion of the cars, adding to the unpredictable nature of the motion."
ok. not literally riding it...
but pretty close.
more accurately i have been experiencing tilt-a-whirl-like effects of chaotic motion.
Chaotic motion is wherein the riders will be moved in general through an orbit and will unexpectedly swing, snap from side to side or rotate without in any way being able to figure what movement may next take place in the car."
yes, i am living in chaotic motion ... and i am trying to re-gain my equilibrium.
trying to learn to function with this dizzying new symptom is certainly a challenge
thankfully these dizzy spells are not severe like the first attack i had 2 weeks ago - these are just mini random attacks that occur several times a day. they can last anywhere from a few seconds to several hours. generally they are just intense enough to throw me just a little off kilter. for the most part, they just a cause a little misstep here and there which have caused a couple bumps and bruises. really, the biggest frustration i've had with it is it's affect on my ability to use the computer. every time i attempt to type or focus on the screen, i start swaying side to side and my eyes go wonky. seriously annoying. i need gravol for internet travel!
Graham took me in to see DR A yesterday just to make sure the dizziness is not a sign of something unrelated to Lyme or Babesiosis. as well my arm is still giving me problems and so we figured it would be wise to have him give me the once over.
so DR A gave me the once over.... my ears are sadly pristine - as gross as it sounds i was actually hoping that maybe the dizziness was caused by a Shrek-like build up of ear wax! unfortunately, looks like the dizziness can most likely be blamed on a newly acquired virus, my lyme or babs or herxing. or a combination of all or some of them.
he did discover that i now have something called NYSTAGMUS.
Nystagmus is an uncontrolled and rapid movement of the eyes. (mine go side to side). it is mild but it sure explains a lot of the symptoms i've been dealing with as it causes reduced vision, and affects depth perception and balance. at this point it is unclear whether this condition is a neurological implication of my lyme, part of this wierd babesiosis herx i've been dealing with or a side effect of meds.
after making that eye-opening discovery, DR A moved on to poking and prodding my poor old but very dramatic PICC line arm. he noted that the swelling is still there along with a couple wierdly lumpy areas. he expressed concern about the possibility of a blood clot. lovely. which meant off to the hospital again. albeit just for an ultrasound. and PTL there is NO blood clot.
just me, my lyme, my pristine ears and my ditzy dizzy head trying to re-gain my equilibrium.
The "IS" factor is what put me in the hospital.
CELLUTLITIS
PHLEBITIS
VASCULITIS
BABESIOSIS
i first noticed slight twinges of pain in my arm on Easter Monday afternoon. By evening it was really sore and there was discharge leaking out of the insertion site. this concerned me but at that time my arm was not red (a sure sign of infection) and my home care nurse was scheduled to come by the next morning so i felt it would be fine to leave things until the morning.
by the next morning (Tuesday) my arm was puffy and swollen. i had developed a painful lump under the skin near the insertion site and a lot more fluid had leaked out. the discharge appeared to be lymph fluid. my home care nurse was concerned but since my arm was still not red (and i've had lymph fluid leak out before), we both felt comfortable taking a 'wait and see' approach.
however, she left me with explicit instructions to immediately go to the ER if my arm became red.
my arm started to get red that night at supper but since the redness would come and go, i didn't think it warranted a trip to the ER.
i woke up in the early morning hours of Wednesday feeling extremely toxic. it's hard to explain the sensation other than to say i felt like i had been poisoned.
i was sweating from head to toe. the night sweat thing is not at all a new thing except that my sweats are usually concentrated around my head, chest and stomach. this time around my ENTIRE body was soaked... even my toes were dripping.
additionally, my temp was elevated and my hand tremors were really exacerbated.
but it wasn't until i tried to get up to dry myself off that i realized something was really wrong. i was completely off-kilter and insanely dizzy. this was totally new symptom for me. i have never experienced dizziness like that before. when i tried to sit up in bed, i fell over. i could barely right myself. when i finally did i just sat in bed for a long time trying to steady myself. after a long while, i felt in control enough to stand up. however, upon standing, i immediately collapsed.
about that time i figured i might have a problem.
a call to my home care nurses confirmed that. they immediately sent me to the hospital.
the short of it IS this:
lymph fluid pooling in my arm caused the CELLUTLITS which then triggered a case of PHLEBITIS which may or may not have been caused by my VASCULITIS which was exacerbated due to a flare in my BABESIOSIS infection.
(now say that 10 times fast!) lol
the long of it IS this:
stagnant lymph fluid is a breeding ground for bacteria.
when it comes to bacteria, i have a "welcome" sign stamped across my forehead.
cellulitis is a bacterial infection.
now you can see where this is going.
naturally, i developed cellulitis!
the cellulitis triggered a case of phlebitis.
phlebitis is a fancy word for vein inflammation.
phlebitis causes your veins to spasm.
these rhythmic and painful contractions are similar to how labor feels.
basically it feels like my arm is in labor.
my vasculitis is triggered by my babesiosis infection.
my babesiosis was excerbated because i had just ramped up to my full dose of alinia.
alinia is the new med DR H is using to attack my Babesiosis infection
the full dose of alinia triggered a massive HERX.big time
and now you have the long and short of the "IS" Factor
i have cellulitis (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cellulitis/ds00450)
NOT
to be confused with cellulite
(albeit i have that too. boo.)
if things don't settle down over the next few days then i will have to have my PICC pulled and replaced.
thankfully, i'm home....nurse will be coming tomorrow to check on my arm.
home sweet home
so relieved to be home
hospitals are stressful, dangerous places to be...especially when you are sick!
thank you for your prayers and well wishes
they are so appreciated and needed.
today was scary.
will update more as soon as possible.
