Back issues

I woke up with the alarm at 7:30, but did not get up right away. When I did, I brushed. I swished while taking a shower. I was putting on pantyhose, getting ready for church, when, without warning, my back cramped. I tried to call Chris, but my mouth was full of swishing. I dropped to the floor, with my head in the closet on a pair of shoes. I had to spit on a plastic bag so I could call out to Chris. He brought me meds from the head of the bed. I also drank lots of magnesium citrate water and took multiple packets of Vitamin C and Glutathione. But it was not enough to keep the spasms at bay long enough for me to get up. I laid there until 3 or so. Chris brought me some sweet potato mixed with fermented coconut milk. I wiggled out of my pantyhose and dress and put on my long nightshirt for comfort. Poor Chris had to deal with the effects of the magnesium on my gut. But he was a trooper, cleaning up whatever came out.
I got the shakes and that increased the spasming or cramping. Chris called an ambulance. I took some last minute vitamin C. I scooted my butt around to the side of the bed to give them more room. I didn't realize I could move that well. I had Chris put a brief and socks on me before the drivers came. A man and woman came carrying a small tarp with handles. They rolled it under me then hoisted me up and carried me to the stretcher. The transfer hurt. They rolled me to the ambulance. She offered to put the head of the bed up. That made me think I might be able to stand with that kind of help. But we'd already committed to going to Huntsville Hospital to find out what was really wrong. The trip was bumpy to the hospital, but I weathered it easier than the trip to Crestwood Hospital two years ago.
I was taken to an ER room right away. I transferred myself from the stretcher to the bed. The lady had to stay with me until a nurse arrived. Then I was offered a PureWick, which is an external female catheter. I accepted and the nurse was so pleased that I already had a brief on. It was easier on both of us. Other people from various departments showed up to ask questions – although no one asked about flu shots. Finally Chris was allowed to come back to the room. We had time to wait and I wished I had my phone so I could communicate with the outside world. The doctor asked questions and talked to me. He called for three meds. More waiting. A nurse brought the meds and they were oral. I took them and waited for them to kick in, but there was no benefit. Then the doctor called for two shots – steroid and something else. They burned going in. 40 minutes later the nurse tried to get me out of bed, but it triggered a massive spasm and set me back quite a bit.
So they admitted me. That was a long process. I was given an IV port just because it was policy. The person who took me walked very fast and the wind made me cold. When we got to the room, I transferred myself to the bed in the room. The pushy lady left. The nurse tried to raise the head of my bed, but it would not stay up, and fell back down. I asked for food and she brought me a turkey sandwich. I ate the turkey and left the bread. Chris waited with me for awhile, then went home because it was late. The nurse gave me Percocet, but it did not reduce the pain. I read for awhile, then turned out the light and tried to sleep by tapping, which was very relaxing.
* This is the PureWick. They said the doctor who invented it is now very rich. And yes, you can buy a PureWick system for use at home. *