I just returned from my first visit to a hospital Emergency Department in more than two years. I’m all right, as in there’s no immediate issue to address and nothing fundamental had changed. As in I’m still dying with no chance for improvement; just not right now.
I was hit with a sudden, excruciating pain in the head, either a migraine or a cluster headache. They’re pretty much treated the same way. I took four-hundred and forty mg of naproxen sodium, commonly sold as Aleve. I swallowed them with a sip of water, and felt my chest tightening. That led to feeling bloated, which I addressed with 250 mg of simethicone, popularly known as Gas-X. Somewhere in there I noticed I had quickly worsening nausea, and took two four-mg oral dissolving tablets of Zofran. There was nothing more I could do.
My wife took my vitals, they were within the reference range. Pain in the head. Esophegeal and chest pain continued increasing and nausea continued to worsen. It was the nausea along with the other symptoms that indicated I might be having a heart attack. I discussed symptoms with my wife, who is a retired medical assistant, and our younger daughter, who is a veterinary technician. We all traipsed downtown to Saint Thomas Hospital, which I trust; by then it was ten p.m. and the evening shift’s daily rush was done. They ran an immediate ECG, a few blood tests, and asked me questions. Unfortunately, the nurse was lazy and preferred not to get involved in the potential work involved. The emergency medicine specialist was a most helpful physician, and he re-ran the test for troponans, complex proteins resulting from a heart attack. Cleared to leave around quarter to three in the morning.
This is the first of what will likely become a series of trips as my body continues to falter. I knew this was coming some day; I just was never prepared for the reality. It has caused me to do some self-examination. I know that the physical plant is failing, but thought that somehow the mental plant would deteriorate on a separate schedule. It’s self-delusion. My mind has been deteriorating at a similar rate. What had once been rare – expressive aphasia – was now commonplace. I know the word is in there, I just can’t find it. Every day I develop more sympathy for Joe Biden.
I sleep more every day, and it’s not just a physical thing. I find thinking just too difficult at times, and must shut down. I thought I might overcome that by strength of will, but life has a way of mocking our hubris. Of late I’ve been experiencing visual hallucinations, writing and drawings appearing on surfaces such as tables and walls. I know it isn’t real, and I can stop it simply by looking away. What I don’t understand is the link between this and my sense of balance. When I’m experiencing visual hallucinations, my sense of balance disappears. It’s not that great when I’m not having hallucinations, either.
I can feel the IQ points leaking out of my head and am unable to staunch the flow. I think I’ve been on a downward swing for about a week, and last night just hit bottom. Things are much better today. I canceled the entire day at nine-thirty this morning when I first woke up; no haircut, no medical appointment. It felt good to look forward to a day when it won’t matter if I spontaneously fall asleep. A partially-remembered phrase is nibbling at the edge of my mind – “and miles to go before I sleep.” I’ll think about that right after my nap.
'Life has a way of mocking our hubris' - Very nicely phrased.
Naproxen can cause tightening of the chest by triggering bronchospasm, in some people, as well as cause nausea. Perhaps you had a reaction to it? I know some people find NSAIDs more lethal than opiate based analgesics, even though they are more readily available without prescription.
I hope Doctors have lined up some decent migraine / headache relief for you Bill, with minimal side-effects.