My Anniversary

Today is the anniversary of my surgery. My have my life changed since then! I am socially, mentally, physically, and emotionally different for the better. I truly got my life back that day. I am so humbled but at the same time proud of my experiences fighting this incurable disorder. People keep telling me I am strong and I am starting to see that indeed I am. Even in my weakest moments I am strong.

Just last month, I experienced the worst pain I have even been in during my entire life. One weekend I went to the emergency room and just six days later, I was back. That morning, it took me forever to get out of bed. I took my shower and noticed how sore the skin on my stomach was. When I got out of the shower and sat on my bed, I noticed that the skin around my navel was very swollen and red. I showed my best friend because I had never experienced it quite like that before. I laid in bed for hours after that.

When I got up to get something to drink, my stomach hurt so bad that I couldn’t bend at the waist. I dropped a bottle of Starbucks out of the fridge and just left it there because I couldn’t bend over to pick it up. I lay in bed and took a Lortab, the first one I had taken in months. I slept about 4 hours, then the pain woke me up. I woke up crying and whimpering. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even move my body.

I lay there crying about 20 minutes trying to maneuver my body enough so that I could reach the body of pain medication that was in bed with me. I took the pill and lay there crying until the pain subsided enough for me to reach my phone.

I wanted to call the ambulance but I know I didn’t have the money to pay for it. I called my roommate and asked if she would drive me to the emergency room. It was about 2 am and she basically told me to drive myself. I just hang up the phone. I was in too much pain to explain or argue. I felt like I was dying. It felt like I was getting stabbed with knives from the inside. I got up and threw on a jacket. Yes I still had on my night gown, but thank good it was cute because I didn’t have the energy to find clothes to put on. It took me about 20 minutes to get to my car from the house. It was cold and raining but my skin felt very hot.

However, by the time I sat in my car, I was shivering cold. I live approximately 4.5 miles from the hospital but it took me nearly 30 minutes to drive there. I was in so much pain, it was raining, and I still had the Lortabs in my system even though they were barely keeping the pain in check.

By the time I pulled up at the emergency room, I couldn’t even get out of my car. I called the hospital and had them transfer me to the front desk. Two nurses came out. When they opened my car door, I almost fell out. They couldn’t believe I had driven myself there in that much pain. I just started to cry. They helped me into a wheelchair and the male nurse went and parked my car for me. I pretty much went straight to the back. I was in so much pain that I couldn’t even stand up to give them a urine sample. The doctor came in and he was being a total ass to me. He basically asked me what my condition was then tried to argue with me that what I was saying wasn’t true. Being that I was in so much I pain I basically schooled him about my condition in the nastiest voice ever. The nurse that was in there was horrified. He said, “Man, I can’t let her be in pain like this, we have to give her something dude.” I guess he got ashamed and he suddenly started being nice to me and instructed the nurse to give me morphine. They set up my IVs and the morphine calmed my pain down enough and I was able to give the urine sample. They came in and took blood. I slept a lot. My temperature was climbing. They admitted me at about 9am.

By that time my temperature was at 103.7 and climbing. I was having shivers and chills so bad that the whole bed was shaking. They gave me something to get it down and I just remember passing out. When I woke up at around 1pm, I was soaking wet with sweat but my temperature was back to normal. It was around that third day when I started to feel better. The doctors told me that I had gotten a dangerous and rare blood infection caused by my skin disorder. The fifth day they told me I had MRSA. Everyone that came in my room had to wear these mask and suits. Nothing could leave my room. I was considered highly contagious. They told me that I would have to stay in the hospital for 2 more weeks and that I would have to be on IV antibiotics from home for about 2 to 3 months and that I would need a nurse. I was devastated. But the doctors were baffled too. They said that if I had MRSA, I should have still been feeling very sick but I wasn’t. I was still weak but not nearly as sick as I was when I came in.

They began testing my blood like crazy and finally they determined that I did not have MRSA and I would be released the next day. I was so happy. I celebrated over the phone with my two guy friends, one of which had slept in my room with me for 3 days and the other which kept me company on the phone everyday. I am forever grateful to them! Even after that ordeal last month, I am still grateful for how far I have come and how far I plan to go. Happy anniversary to me!