Optical Illusions Part II

Things are not always what they seem. I could not talk, chew or swallow. It must be a stroke. This is what kept going through my mind as the symptoms kept multiplying. The heaviness and the weakness that I was experiencing were debilitating. The morning routine that normally took me 45 minutes to complete from start to finish took me 1.5 hours to do that Monday morning. OK! THIS IS WEIRD! I stumbled into work without stopping to talk to anyone. I wasn't sure what was happening and didn't want to explain it to anyone else. I called the doctor at 8:00 that morning and was told I could not see him until the next day. I knew that was not an option. If I was this bad in 24 hours how much worse would I be tomorrow. If I am having a stroke I need help now. I left a message for my doctor's nurse to call me. When she heard my voice she told me to come in immediately. By 9:00 I was in the doctor's office and he was admitting me to the hospital. I convinced him to let me go home, check on my dog and get some clothes. I drove myself to the hospital, checked myself in and began the journey that changed my life.

Driving myself to the hospital was one of the loneliest times of my life. I was having some kind of medical emergency and I was facing it alone. In my mind, I thought that I was saving Todd and my friends from worrying. I am TOUGH! I am INDEPENDENT! I CAN DO THIS! By 6:00 that night I think I had every test known to mankind run. The doctor ordered blood work, MRI's, heart ultrasounds, and CAT scans. It was exhausting and my symptoms were getting worse. During dinner time, the speech pathologist came to my room and brought in some pudding. I could not swallow and she thought that something thick might help. It didn't! So she added a delicious (NOT) substance called Thick-it so that the already scrumptious hospital pudding would taste even better and the consistency would be even thicker! YUM! I know your mouth is watering just reading this story! That didn't help either and the speech pathologist was mystified.

The next morning the doctor came in with a 45 page printout with the results from all the tests.He had good news. All of the tests were negative. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me. I must be having an allergic reaction to the anti-depressant I started last week. I was released from the hospital and told to go home for a few days. Just take it easy until the medication gets out of my system in the next 24 - 48 hours. You will be just fine! Things are not always what they seem.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10