Some of us have different ways of going about obtaining our goals. Some of us are the hard-nose, pain-in-the-butt individuals that hold onto their goals until they are accomplished, like a dog with a bone. However, there comes a time when even we, the "type A" personalities, are met with objection. That's when it's most important to fight for your goal. For Jenny and myself, we had experiences with health professionals who, because they couldn't find what they "thought" they might find, basically wrote us off as crazy hypochondriacs. This is when it's most important to be your own advocate! I cannot stress this point enough!!!
The accidents and heart surgeries are just a small part of what we've been through in the last few years. Much went on "behind the scenes" that we haven't told you. Jen almost had a surgery she didn't need and that wouldn't have helped her because her usual heart surgeon wasn't consulted on her admission to the hospital. The surgeons seeing her were going to do a completely different procedure than the life-saving one she had as the result of her own surgeon being consulted at her insistence!
Likewise, years before my accident, I had been having unexplained spiking fevers, joint pain and migraine headaches. My general practitioner told me I was "depressed" and "overwhelmed" because I had just had my third child in the months before. I didnt consider myself a depressed person. I'm actually the happy-go-lucky type, always looking for the fun in everything. However, trusting my doc and her opinion, I took the prescription for antidepressants and anti-convulsant meds (to prevent the migraines), and moved along. In the week I started the anti-depressant and anti-convulsant meds, I felt jittery and strange. I also lost 15 pounds, which I didn't need to lose because I was only 125 lbs. and 5'7"! I called my docs office to inform them of this, and they assured me it was my body adjusting to the medication. I answered with "but you don't understand; I feel like something is off and the sight of any food makes me nauseous!". They explained this was a side-effect of both meds and said "ok?" in a patronizing voice. So, I learned to ignore the nagging feeling. After all, she was the doctor...SHE should know better, right?!?
WRONG!!!! Within about 2-3 years, I had stopped the anti-convulsant, but was still taking the anti-depressant. I had finally gone to a rheumatologist about my aches, fevers and migraines. They were discovered to be the result of an autoimmune illness I'd had for years. My rheumatologist was the one who told me that my anti-depressant and anti-convulsant couldn't be mixed, so i stopped the anti-convulsant. My rheumatologist had told me that it may have caused damage to my liver and/or pancreas, due to the amount of time they were taken. However, being the invincible Amy, I said "nah, I'll be fine!", but I spoke too soon! A few months later, I had just come home from a long night at the hospital when I noticed a nagging feeling in my left side. I ignored it, thinking it would go away. However, within 2 hours I was writhing on my floor in pain calling my mother's house so she or my dad could come take me to the hospital.
When I got to the hospital, my blood pressure went from 191/100 to 80/30, and I was in big trouble. My poor daddy just sat back with this look of terror on his face as staff members raced around the ER. That memory sticks in my mind because my dad is the epitome of tough; nothing shakes him! But when they said "she's crashing", he was terrified. They gave me lots of fluids and ran tests, and I had severe necrotizing pancreatitis. This type of pancreatitis is rare, and instead of just inflaming your pancreas, it destroys part or all of your pancreas, which you can't live without! It releases many enzymes responsible for breaking down your food, as well as releasing insulin so you can obtain energy from sugar-the brain's only form of energy. I was airlifted to Ochsner in New Orleans after a week at my local hospital, because my case was too complicated.
After much investigation into my health history, they found that the anti-depressant and Anti-convulsant I had been taking for about 2-3 yrs. were not supposed to be mixed! It's even on the commercials for both medications! My GI doc told my family "it doesn't look good; say your goodbyes". I received Last Rites and, while confessing, realized a lot about my life that I wanted to change. The next day, I started doing better. I eventually recuperated fully and made the changes to my life I regretted when examining my life in what I thought were my last moments. There's nothing worse than waiting for death knowing there were things you could've tried but didn't, because of fear.
By the same token, don't let fear dictate whether or not you speak up for yourself. "LISTEN TO YOURSELF!!!"! Don't ever let anyone make you second-guess yourself or doubt that what you're feeling is real! I don't know where I'd be if not for Jen, my family and my rheumatologist! When it was all said and done, my rheumatologist told me that she was the one who called Ochsner. She had been watching my labs and they were BAD, but my "assigned" docs didn't pay attention. My survival in that situation was only because of her, and I was lucky. Only YOU know how you feel. Only YOU can make others hear you, no matter how bleak it may seem. You never know who that one person may be who just may save your life, all because you spoke up!
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