Hardheaded Woman and Tick Bites
Mother always said I was hardheaded. She was right. When I passed out at 1:00 a.m. on June 26th, crashed on our ceramic tile bathroom floor, and scared Ron half to death, Elvis Presley's 1958 song "Hardheaded Woman" was playing in my head when I regained consciousness.
"I'm calling 911," Ron said. I told him I was fine, that I didn't need to go to the hospital. He argued. I won.
When Nature called again at 5:30 a.m., he led me to the bathroom, caught me when I fainted the second time. I woke up lying on the tile floor, a soft pillow under my head, and Ron leaning over me as he dialed 911. Actually, the cold floor felt good to my hot body, and I decided then that the next time I get really, really hot, I'll just stretch out on the tile floor!
So what caused this? We're not sure. I started feeling lousy rotten on June 22nd after a Lake Writers meeting, felt progressively worse over the weekend, and saw the doctor on Monday. Because I'd had two tick bites on June 10th and my symptoms were those associated with tick-borne illnesses, the doctor prescribed Doxycycline. And because I had felt so terrible, I hadn't been eating or drinking nearly enough. In the ER, the doctor said I was dehydrated and my blood pressure was much too low. The doctor in ICU, where I spent the night, agreed.
The Moneta EMTs who responded to Ron's 911 call were competent and nice. On the drive to Bedford and Bedford Memorial Hospital I gleaned lots of details and info for future books. And the doctors and nurses in the hospital were professional, caring, and, well, fun--more book material! I received great care both in ER and ICU.
As rampant as ticks are this year, my gut tells me I had one of the tick-borne illnesses. I check myself for ticks every day, even though I try to stay out of grass and weeds. I believe I picked up these two ticks either from Yellow Dog, or from walking across the grass to visit my grandson Jonathan's grave.
So why am I telling you this? Because I want you to be aware of ticks, to spray yourself when you'll be outside, to check yourself. Use a magnifying glass if you need to. We keep flea and tick medicine on Yellow Dog all year long, but ticks can still latch onto him when he goes outside to relieve himself. And then they can fall off in the house and attach themselves to you! Please be careful.
"I'm calling 911," Ron said. I told him I was fine, that I didn't need to go to the hospital. He argued. I won.
When Nature called again at 5:30 a.m., he led me to the bathroom, caught me when I fainted the second time. I woke up lying on the tile floor, a soft pillow under my head, and Ron leaning over me as he dialed 911. Actually, the cold floor felt good to my hot body, and I decided then that the next time I get really, really hot, I'll just stretch out on the tile floor!
So what caused this? We're not sure. I started feeling lousy rotten on June 22nd after a Lake Writers meeting, felt progressively worse over the weekend, and saw the doctor on Monday. Because I'd had two tick bites on June 10th and my symptoms were those associated with tick-borne illnesses, the doctor prescribed Doxycycline. And because I had felt so terrible, I hadn't been eating or drinking nearly enough. In the ER, the doctor said I was dehydrated and my blood pressure was much too low. The doctor in ICU, where I spent the night, agreed.
The Moneta EMTs who responded to Ron's 911 call were competent and nice. On the drive to Bedford and Bedford Memorial Hospital I gleaned lots of details and info for future books. And the doctors and nurses in the hospital were professional, caring, and, well, fun--more book material! I received great care both in ER and ICU.
As rampant as ticks are this year, my gut tells me I had one of the tick-borne illnesses. I check myself for ticks every day, even though I try to stay out of grass and weeds. I believe I picked up these two ticks either from Yellow Dog, or from walking across the grass to visit my grandson Jonathan's grave.
So why am I telling you this? Because I want you to be aware of ticks, to spray yourself when you'll be outside, to check yourself. Use a magnifying glass if you need to. We keep flea and tick medicine on Yellow Dog all year long, but ticks can still latch onto him when he goes outside to relieve himself. And then they can fall off in the house and attach themselves to you! Please be careful.
Labels: dehydration, tick bites
posted by Sally Roseveare | 10:54 AM
2 Comments:
Sally,
I'm glad to hear you are okay.
Hats off to Ron for getting you to the hospital.
Take care!
Thanks, Mary Lib. I'm feeling much better, drove for the first time on Friday.
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