On October 15, I had 2 seizures around 8 AM. The first one lasted about 8 minutes, and the second one about 2. I’m on 2 seizure medications to prevent having one, but not if they are related to something. Since the first seizure lasted more than 2 minutes, the protocol for me is to call 911. I was completely out of it from exhaustion, but I do remember the ride to the emergency room.
When I got there, they did some testing to see what might’ve contributed to the seizures. First off, I already had a high temperature. Mine is usually around 97° and I was at 99°- 101°. They took blood, x-rays, CT scan etc.-anything that would help to figure it out. The results were a higher white blood cell count and pneumonia. We think pneumonia was what caused the seizures. In the past, I had seizures that link to bad infections like bladder or lungs.
I was in the ER for 3 or 4 hours and then they moved me to the ICU. I spent Monday the 15th-Saturday the 19th (my birthday) in the hospital. They put me on IV antibiotics, which helps get the infection under control faster than the pill form. Once I was stable, I was able to go home on oral medications. Before all this happened, I was having to suction quite often with colored secretions, so I knew something was going on.
It took a couple of weeks to recover after I got home. I was weak and couldn’t go to ABLE because it was hard to even function during the day. I was pretty much feeling the same as before everything happened, only not miserable so I knew I was on the mend to healing. After being so sick, it takes time for my body to bounce back to normal. I’m finally there, able to withstand being in my wheelchair for the normal amount of time along with my regular routine.
Also, it does take a while to create blog posts, since talking a lot on my computer can be exhausting sometimes. I’ve been writing this post on and off for a while now. I would’ve finished a while ago, but most of my time spent on the computer is writing poetry. I posted one of them below although you can also check them all out by clicking on this link: my poems
Jenni
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to recover to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”-Christopher Reeve
Inner Strength
After severing the sky with lightning
thunder roars inside me
as my strength gives way at times
when I struggle to live my life
Feeling unjust in times of trouble
and lost in crowds of people
where I can’t find my inner being
as I’m clouded by my ongoing paralysis
Hope is me holding onto an
unknown future in which I remain
calm within my feelings
realizing just how beautiful I am
Then a gravel path visibly opens
when my consciousness clears
in which I preside to roll down
to see where my beginnings live on
