I am high risk..

I don’t fully know how to digest what has happened over the past couple of days. I will start by saying that the baby is fine, and I am ultimately fine. Thursday afternoon I was outside playing with the girls. I always get these weird dizzy spells. I can feel them coming on, know to just breathe, and they pass without me ever fainting, losing consciousness, or even falling down. I just stand, sit, whatever I am doing.. and deal.. Well, evidently this time I should have sat down. Scott happened to be at our house mowing the lawn because it was finally a sunny day that dried up some of the moisture. I had been standing next to the Little Tykes slide and was holding on because I knew I was dizzy. Scott said he noticed me leaning on it and thought I was pushing it towards Addi to tease her. Then, he thought, “Is she really just going to push that all of the way over onto Addi?!” I did, causing Addi to cry because she was mad. He said that I kind of slid down the side of this slide (no, not the slide itself.. the SIDE OF IT) and then started convulsing. He ran over to me and laid me on my side. I stopped convulsing and apparently my eyes were rolled back into my head and I was sort of struggling to breathe. He called 9-1-1.

The next thing I kind of remember is a man next to me saying something about if I knew where I was. I kept nodding, I think, but I couldn’t actually answer where I was or any of his questions. I only remember little snippets. I somehow ended up on a stretcher and saw Pastor’s son in between our houses playing with my daughters. I saw Pastor walking towards the house. I remember telling Scott to call my parents and tell them. (Tell them what, Ashley?!) The next thing I remember is a rubber band being tied around my arm. I thought he was trying to draw blood so I told him that they have to go through my hand usually. I was wrong, he was starting an IV, and did it through my hand. I had a heart monitor on, which I don’t know how that happened. Suddenly it dawned on me that I was leaving my kids behind and had no idea who was taking care of them, or what had happened. I said “ARE MY KIDS OK?!” He said, “Yes, they are fine. They are beautiful.” Smart fella. 😉 I don’t remember much other than being told I would probably end up at some hospital with a great NICU area. Now that I am processing, that is scary to hear!! The next thing I remember is someone telling me that they had to take off my bra and a couple of other people holding a gown in front of me. I have no idea how my shirts got off… I faintly remember climbing from the stretcher to the bed. Scott finally showed up and kinda told me what happened. There was so much commotion. I started feeling the baby move like crazy and knew she must be ok. They were trying to tell me what all was going to happen, and that I was going to be admitted to the hospital.

A long ER wait, and I finally get into a room around 9 PM or so. I was told that I was on bed rest for my hospital stay. I had a magnificent nurse. My IV was hurting my hand so bad that I actually asked her if she could move it. If you know me at all, that is HUGE. Apparently they used a HUGE needle on the ambulance. gross…. anyway… My parents had pretty much gone home and packed as soon as Scott called, so they showed up sometime late at night. They stayed up all night with me. Well, my mom did. My dad dozed off in the chair for an hour or so. Mom finally dozed off in the morning for a VERY short time.. which was when they came at 4:30 AM to take me on my second ambulance ride. They don’t do the MRI in the hospital, they drive you via ambulance across the parking lot to get it done. The guys get me on the stretcher and one of them says “now its time for the party” I kinda laugh and then am rocket launched into the air.. or at least it felt that way. They picked me up so fast and high it was crazy. I go inside a tiny, loud tube and my left leg twitches the WHOLE TIME. So much for staying still… When I get out a different EMT team shows up to take me back. Ironically it was the same guy who brought me to the hospital. Apparently I was his last stop of the last shift, and the first stop of his current shift. He was so nice and I told him I was much more with it this time. He said “ahh.. you weren’t that bad..” ha! Right.. I know who I am this time. 😉

I get back to my room and my dad asks the EMT some questions about what happens. He answers and goes on his merry way. More doctors filter in and out. Around 7:30 my parents left so that Scott could come sit with me. He showed up as they were starting my EEG. They asked him to wait outside, so he went and ate breakfast. I text him when they were done. He kisses me (I love that man) and pulls a chair right next to me. He goes “What did you do all night” (I only got a 45 minute nap) and more doctors walk in. I said “this!”. I don’t remember which group it was… I don’t remember a whole lot of Friday. It was a LOT of tests and doctors offering theories. Scott left to relieve my parents, and they come back to sit with me for a little while. They left around 10 or 10:30. At around 11 the neurologist finally comes in. He says he is going to start me on an anti-seizure medication just to be safe, and that I am not allowed to drive for at least 6 months. After I get my medicine and some TUMS, I finally am able to go to sleep a little before midnight… but wishing I could have gone home. They had finally unhooked me from most of the machines. I had been hooked up to compression things on my legs to prevent blood clots, my heart monitor, pulse ox monitor, the monitors for the baby, and my IV. I was unhooked from all buy my heart monitor. I didn’t want to wait for a nurse to come around 3 when I woke up, so I walked to the bathroom alone. (WOW, THE FREEDOM!). I went back to sleep and slept until around 6. I meet my new (AWESOME) nurse. Someone had brought my breakfast to me, so she said she would let me eat and then hook me back up to the monitors for the baby. A doctor comes in and tells me that she really thinks that it was just dehydration (I was SEVERELY dehydrated when they got me.. I had to get electrolytes and potassium along with the IV fluids). She opens my Echo results and tells me that I have a hole in my heart. It is completely unrelated to the seizures, or so-called seizures, but I may need it to be patched because it is a stroke risk. hooray. Then, she finds the EEG results and finds out that I did in fact have a seizure.

The neurologist came in a while later and tells me that he is going to up my dose of medicine since it was a seizure. I also have to follow up with him in 4 weeks, and that I MUST NOT DRIVE for AT LEAST 6 months). Then, an actual OB doctor comes in. He says that I am now going to have to see their high risk clinic. Happy Birthday, here is some terrifying and annoying news.

To recap: I had a seizure, rode in an ambulance, HAVE TO DRINK MORE, have a hole in my heart, am a high-risk pregnancy patient, and have to make a hundred doctors appointments that I cannot drive to… and.. GOD IS GOOD!!

He protected me from so much. If I hadn’t been by that slide, I would have fallen hard and hurt myself and/or the baby. If Scott hadn’t seen I would have just laid there unconscious without anyone around but the girls (who could have run off and ended up hurt). The baby is fine. I should be just fine.. I am fine.. I got to visit with my parents, even though the circumstances aren’t good, I love to see them.

If I think of more, I will try to update or fix this. I know that family and friends want to know what happened, and I am still trying to piece it all together.