(Ch. 14 of my story of how I became deaf…)
I wasn’t alert for the conversations between Dr. Keller, my parents, and the other medical staff caring for me at St. Agnes Hospital, but Mama told me what happened afterward. The doctors and nurses continued to poke, prod, test, look at, and listen to my body, trying everything they could to figure out why I had a fever of 105, why I continued to vomit in dry heaves, and why my skin was so pink and rashy. While hunting for clues, Dr. Bullard decided to do a pelvic exam. He had to rule out any STD’s or infections that might be causing my illness.
Dr. Keller told Mama the plan. She understood and responded that she wanted to be in the room with me while he did the pelvic exam. It wasn’t that Mama didn’t trust Dr. Keller. Her voice became softer as she explained, “She’s never had a pelvic exam before. I just want to be there for her. I don’t want this to be scary for her if she wakes up while it’s happening.” Dr. Keller understood and easily accommodated my mother’s request.
The nurses wheeled me up to the third floor where Dr. Keller performed the Pap Smear and vaginal exam. Mama stood off to the side and whimpered, “Just be gentle.” I don’t remember the exam, but I’m glad Mama was there for me. Dr. Keller concluded that there was no presence of STD’s. But, the Pap Smear would show presence of bacterial staph, which was later to be attributed to the tampon I had used.
When I woke, it was with a violent case of vomiting. I vomited over and over until there was nothing left in me to come out, but lime-green bile. The pungent smell, the rancid taste, and bright neon color frightened me. I felt alien.
I was then admitted to a room on the second floor and put in ICU. My diagnosis was still unknown. All they could conclude was that there might be a possible viral infection. I would stay listed in critical condition for the next 10 days.
There was a lot of hustle and bustle around me, and I was given the first of many rectal suppositories to help reduce the vomiting. I watched the blinking lights, IV drips, monitors of all kinds, and always, somewhere, my mother standing steadfast, nearby.
I remember calling out to her in between heaves, “Mama… what’s happening?! Why… am I sick?” She shook her head indicating that she didn’t know, trying to reassure me that the doctors were doing everything they could to find out what was wrong.
But, Mama, with all her nurse’s training, could not shake the maternal worry from her face. She stroked my hair with the back of her hand, and then pulled it back into a ponytail, out of the way of my mouth. Then, she washed my face and mouth with a damp cloth. Though she was helping, Mama looked helpless, unable to make the pain and convulsions go away that came with the throws of vomiting and dry heaves. Once again, I drifted out of consciousness.
Dr. Keller had been checking all the organs inside my body, but he still had no clue what was happening to me. So he decided to check the outside of my body. The skin is a major organ and he hoped he might find something absorbed into the skin that would give him some clues as to why my skin was still very pink and now covered with a rash. The doctors and nurses had previously attributed the rash that covered my body to my sunburn. Dr. Keller had someone take a muscle biopsy from the outside of my left calf, in hopes to find a clue, but still–nothing. He and others kept revisiting the blister on my heel, which was now bulging with fluid, but answers were not forthcoming.
Each day was worse than the one before. My fever continued to climb to 105.4, and the nurses packed me in cold towels to try to keep the fever down. By the second evening in the hospital, my kidneys began to fail…
(Footnote: Don’t give up on the story yet. It has been important for me to share what life was like before I became deaf so that people understand the significant transition that occurred when I became deaf — a transformation I not only understand and accept, but also celebrate! Keep on reading! These middle chapters entitled: Deaf or Death tell the dramatic story of the illness that took my hearing. Keep reading! More coming soon…)
Kidneys begining to fail? That was a very bad sign, showing how sick you were
Left by Mishkazena on July 22nd, 2007