LEARN FROM ME...DRINK LOTS of WATER!!!

February 19, 2012

   The week started out perfectly normal—well sort of… Sunday was ward council in the 2^nd ward, so we went over to the church at 7:30am. When no one else had showed up by 7:45, we went home and started calling around, only to find out that the meeting had been cancelled. By the time church started, my back was really bothering me, so I stayed home and Sister Harper went on to represent both of us. That evening, Roz, the 1^st ward Relief Society Pres., came over for dinner. We had a great time visiting and discussing the sisters we had been visiting and ones that need to be seen in the near future. It’s always fun to be with her!

    Monday, Sister Harper had a bad headache so we stayed in. We mapped out who we would visit throughout the week and called to make appointments. We also worked on the recipe books for the tasting table that we’re in charge of for Thursday night’s relief society. I am in charge for the month of February and chose to do “comfort foods”—soups: chicken noodle, clam chowder, minestone, corn chowder, and Dad’s stew.
    Tuesday we went to visit Deidra, one of the counselor’s in the 1^st ward RS Pres. She has four girls, a boy, and just had another beautiful girl named Gretchen. They had a surprise baby shower for her that we weren’t able to attend, so we wanted to take a gift over and visit with her. Holding Gretchen was a great bonus also! After leaving her home, we went shopping for the ingredients for the soups for the tasting table on Thursday, and on the way home, I remember telling Sister Harper that I was “totally exhausted”…

This is where the week stops being normal…

   I came home and slept for a while and when I got up to get a drink, I started shaking/jerking and my eyes started rolling back in my head. I grabbed the counter top so I wouldn’t fall and Sister Harper grabbed me and asked me if I was okay  (apparently this went on for about a minute). I told her I wasn’t, and we were both REALLY SCARED! She helped me into my chair in the family room, where I rested for a while.

    I was really weak and had a hard time doing even the simplest things (like putting re-enforcements on papers or carrying on a logical conversation). We decided I needed a blessing, so Sister Harper called Bishop Vance, and he and our home teacher, Brother Michela, gave me a wonderful blessing. We then went to the hospital to get me checked out; it was about 9:00pm, so the Bishop took us and Brother Michela followed behind.
    After getting to the ER, they called me up to check in. The only problem was that I couldn’t figure out how to write my name, which really scared me. Sister Harper filled out the forms for me and I finally signed my name, which looks like a  first-grader did it.  We knew it would be a long wait before I would get into a room, as the waiting room was full, so we told the Bishop and Bro. Michela to go on home to their families… no sooner had they left than Bishop Martin and his wife, Suz, came in, stating that they were there for the night. We sat and talked and talked and sat until 3:30am, when I was finally taken back into a room to be checked out…
    After answering about a thousand questions, I was given an electro-cardiogram, CT scan, complete blood panel, chest x-ray, heart ultrasound, and a carotid artery ultrasound. I was also “flushed” with liquids and put on a “23-hour precautionary watch”. I was told that I would be moved to a “regular room” as soon as one came available—this happened at 3:30pm the following afternoon(I was in the ER for 18 hours). In between tests, I had visits from Bishop Vance, the Sponaughle’s, and Kelley Cheney, the RS Pres. of the 2^nd ward. She also brought a get- well card that her little boy, Michael, (4) made for me. I was finally released at 11:00 that night.
    After all was said and done the conclusion was that I have a viral infection and am dehydrated. Everyone has been so kind and caring—from the CNA’s, RN’s and tech’s in the hospital, to all of our dear friends bringing in food, the Bishop’s and Elder’s who serve with us, and especially Sister Harper. She was at my side from the minute this started, and throughout the whole ordeal, taking care of my every need. She is still making sure that I’m following directions: getting plenty of rest and drinking more than plenty of water. I truly love her and appreciate all that she has done for me!!!
    So…learn from my mistake—if you think you’re drinking enough water, you probably aren’t—have another glass on me!!!