Some of you may remember my blog entry 6th-september-2012-we-had-a-somewhat-interesting-shopping-trip-in-morrisons/. Well my hubby has had 2 more days like this.
On 2nd October 2012 my husband was having his normal acupuncture session at Broomfield hospital. For some reason the Pain Clinic thought he would get some benefit from it. Well at his 1st session he almost passed out, which does sometimes happen apparently. Anyway we agreed to give it another go and the next 2 sessions went without a hitch thankfully, but his 3rd session did not go so well…
Within a few minutes of the needles being put into his neck I could see he was not feeling well. I asked if he was feeling faint and sick and he replied yes. I went to reception and found a familiar face, a nurse called Suzie; she had previously helped my husband when he nearly fainted a few weeks earlier. She got someone to find Ed the guy that puts the needles in my hubby.
By the time Ed and Suzie came into the room my hubby was feeling a lot worse. Ed took some of the needles out but this did not seem to help. He had to take all the needles out, but by this time hubby was worse and ended up collapsing to the floor. Usually I’m the one that has to steady him, but on this occasion Ed and Suzie managed to ease my hubby to the ground.
But this was not the worse thing to happen. While hubby was on the floor he started to go into what all the medical people were calling a seizure. Me, Ed and Suzie tried our best to make sure my hubby didn’t hurt himself, we also spoke to him calmly. After a few minutes of us doing this, can’t remember who, but someone got a medical team which included a doctor. I cleared the way for them while they worked on my hubby. Again my hubby had to be given oxygen, it always scares me seeing him having to have that done. The medical team also gave him an injection of something to calm him and even scarier they ended up giving him a glucose drip. They also checked his blood pressure and blood sugar levels. His blood pressure was very high and his blood sugar was very low. Which was weird, considering he’d had breakfast. I always make sure he’s eaten before we leave the house. I also carry a bag that has water and cereal bars in it, I even have a mini first aid kit.
While all this was going on my heart just felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I also felt like just crying with frustration. While my hubby was having the seizure he looked like he was in pain and scared. I’ve spoken to him about this and he says it “does hurt a bit”; he’s very good at playing things down though.
Anyway, the medical team decided to send my hubby to A&E. By this time hubby’s seizure had stopped, but I thought it was a good idea as we were already in the building. Also because the seizure had lasted more than 5 minutes it was a good idea. They rolled him through the corridors on a bed with me and a nurse running along beside it. While in A&E hubby had his blood pressure taken again and the doctor gave him a very quick check over. His blood pressure had now gone back to normal, so once the whole drip had gone into his arm they were happy to release him. I know the hospital was probably busy, but I think they should have done more intensive checks on him – at least some blood tests – especially as this was the second time this had happened to him.
Hubby in A&E
So we went home and just tried to relax. Hubby was exhausted and I was too, mainly with mental exhaustion. I had hoped when this happened a month ago in Morrisons that it was a one off.
The next day (3rd October 2012) we had to get some shopping. Hubby was feeling like his normal wobbly self and said he was ok to go out. So we went to Morrisons. When we first got there hubby had bit of a panic attack while I was in the toilet. When I came out he was in the corner breathing heavily. As always I reassured him that he was safe and I wouldn’t let anyone hurt him. He seemed to calm down and all seemed to be going well. We had gotten everything off our shopping list and were now just browsing. Hubby loves cooking and likes to see what bargains we can get. Before he got ill he used to cook and bake a lot, now he just tries to teach and supervise me (in HIS kitchen!).
While we were walking around the shop, hubby’s legs had been very shaky and he’d been feeling a little lightheaded. While we were down the cooking ingredients aisle hubby stopped in his tracks and started to feel really dizzy and shaking. Unlike last time, loads of people asked if we were ok. At first I thought we would be so I told everyone we were fine. But then I could see that hubby was worse than he was letting on and was about to fall to the floor. Hubby kept saying “I’m ok, I’m fine” and I kept saying “No, you’re not. You’re going to go over any minute now”.Just at that point a nice older lady asked if I needed some help and this time I replied “Yes, can you get a first aid person”?
As she went off to get someone I felt hubby’s body start to collapse. I pushed our trolley to one side and did my best to slow his fall as he collapsed to the ground. As I was easing hubby down I shouted out “oh shit!” and when I landed on the floor I bashed my knees and legs.
My legs after having an argument with the floor in Morrisons.
I know I should have made sure I was safe, which I was, but I couldn’t stand there and just let my hubby collapse on the floor. I don’t know if I do it correctly but I get behind him and put my hands under his armpits and try to take some of his weight and ease him to the floor.I don’t know where I find the strength to be honest, but I somehow do.
Don’t know how it happened, but hubby managed to hit the floor in the recovery position! Very strange.
The security guy in Morrisons came over to me and asked what was going on. By this time hubby was having a seizure just like the day before and even though I’d seen this before, I was still shaking inside and terrified for my hubby. It wasn’t long until I saw a familiar face. It was James from the meat counter, who is a first aider. It was a relief for me to see someone I sort of knew, James was the guy who looked after us last time.
We made sure my hubby was safe while he was having the seizure and like last time James called for an ambulance. The seizure must have lasted at least 20 minutes and while waiting for the 1st response unit, I just kept talking to my hubby calmly. At one point my hubby started to have a panic attack while still having a seizure. He became terrified at the sight of the security guard’s boots and all the people around him. He kept grabbing hold of me and hiding his face in my lap and trying to hide behind me (while still lying on the floor).
This carried on for a while and then just stopped. My hubby started shouting and punching the floor and then had yet another seizure. This one didn’t last as long thank god, but he was also clawing at the floor tiles – I thought he was going to rip his nails out.
The 1st response guy had now finally arrived and when he asked me questions I nearly couldn’t answer because I was just so mentally exhausted, but I finally managed to give him the info he needed. Again hubby’s blood pressure was checked and was high and blood sugar low, but what was even stranger was how, when the 1st response guys did hubby’s blood sugar, the blood just shot out of his finger and was just like water. I can still remember seeing blood run down my hubby’s hand (the day before in the hospital they had to try twice because they couldn’t get any blood out!). Hubby had yet another short seizure and then just lay there staring at the ceiling, looking a bit out of it. We all just sat with him, the paramedic asking a few question until hubby was feeling a bit better. Then we all helped him to a sitting position, then to his feet and we hobbled over to the café for cup of coffee while the paramedic continued to observe hubby to ensure he was really ok.
Hubby was saying he felt fine, but I insisted that they still take him to the hospital. He eventually agreed and the paramedic called for some transport. I would not normally have insisted on this, but this was hubby’s second seizure in row.
We sat waiting in the café, drinking coffee and hot chocolate (free! Result). The paramedic said it would be quite a while because the A&E was really busy that day. Ross and the paramedic discussed if it was really worth going, apparently all they would do was the same tests the paramedic had done on site and observe hubby. So we ended up not going to hospital, but the paramedic said he would follow us all the way home to make sure we were ok, which was very nice of him.
I was so thankful to be going home, because I was again feeling exhausted and so was hubby.
At the moment we don’t know what is causing the seizures. Hubby has had an EGG, which we are going to get the results for on Monday when hubby sees his doctor. I will keep you all posted.
I would like to this opportunity to thank all the people on the Facebook groups, James and Richard (security gaurd) at Morrisons Witham, Suzie, Ed and the Medical Team at Broomfield Hospital who attended to my hubby.
Within a few minutes of the needles being put into his neck I could see he was not feeling well. I asked if he was feeling faint and sick and he replied yes. I went to reception and found a familiar face, a nurse called Suzie; she had previously helped my husband when he nearly fainted a few weeks earlier. She got someone to find Ed the guy that puts the needles in my hubby.
By the time Ed and Suzie came into the room my hubby was feeling a lot worse. Ed took some of the needles out but this did not seem to help. He had to take all the needles out, but by this time hubby was worse and ended up collapsing to the floor. Usually I’m the one that has to steady him, but on this occasion Ed and Suzie managed to ease my hubby to the ground.
But this was not the worse thing to happen. While hubby was on the floor he started to go into what all the medical people were calling a seizure. Me, Ed and Suzie tried our best to make sure my hubby didn’t hurt himself, we also spoke to him calmly. After a few minutes of us doing this, can’t remember who, but someone got a medical team which included a doctor. I cleared the way for them while they worked on my hubby. Again my hubby had to be given oxygen, it always scares me seeing him having to have that done. The medical team also gave him an injection of something to calm him and even scarier they ended up giving him a glucose drip. They also checked his blood pressure and blood sugar levels. His blood pressure was very high and his blood sugar was very low. Which was weird, considering he’d had breakfast. I always make sure he’s eaten before we leave the house. I also carry a bag that has water and cereal bars in it, I even have a mini first aid kit.
While all this was going on my heart just felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. I also felt like just crying with frustration. While my hubby was having the seizure he looked like he was in pain and scared. I’ve spoken to him about this and he says it “does hurt a bit”; he’s very good at playing things down though.
Anyway, the medical team decided to send my hubby to A&E. By this time hubby’s seizure had stopped, but I thought it was a good idea as we were already in the building. Also because the seizure had lasted more than 5 minutes it was a good idea. They rolled him through the corridors on a bed with me and a nurse running along beside it. While in A&E hubby had his blood pressure taken again and the doctor gave him a very quick check over. His blood pressure had now gone back to normal, so once the whole drip had gone into his arm they were happy to release him. I know the hospital was probably busy, but I think they should have done more intensive checks on him – at least some blood tests – especially as this was the second time this had happened to him.
Hubby in A&E
So we went home and just tried to relax. Hubby was exhausted and I was too, mainly with mental exhaustion. I had hoped when this happened a month ago in Morrisons that it was a one off.
The next day (3rd October 2012) we had to get some shopping. Hubby was feeling like his normal wobbly self and said he was ok to go out. So we went to Morrisons. When we first got there hubby had bit of a panic attack while I was in the toilet. When I came out he was in the corner breathing heavily. As always I reassured him that he was safe and I wouldn’t let anyone hurt him. He seemed to calm down and all seemed to be going well. We had gotten everything off our shopping list and were now just browsing. Hubby loves cooking and likes to see what bargains we can get. Before he got ill he used to cook and bake a lot, now he just tries to teach and supervise me (in HIS kitchen!).
While we were walking around the shop, hubby’s legs had been very shaky and he’d been feeling a little lightheaded. While we were down the cooking ingredients aisle hubby stopped in his tracks and started to feel really dizzy and shaking. Unlike last time, loads of people asked if we were ok. At first I thought we would be so I told everyone we were fine. But then I could see that hubby was worse than he was letting on and was about to fall to the floor. Hubby kept saying “I’m ok, I’m fine” and I kept saying “No, you’re not. You’re going to go over any minute now”.Just at that point a nice older lady asked if I needed some help and this time I replied “Yes, can you get a first aid person”?
As she went off to get someone I felt hubby’s body start to collapse. I pushed our trolley to one side and did my best to slow his fall as he collapsed to the ground. As I was easing hubby down I shouted out “oh shit!” and when I landed on the floor I bashed my knees and legs.
My legs after having an argument with the floor in Morrisons.
I know I should have made sure I was safe, which I was, but I couldn’t stand there and just let my hubby collapse on the floor. I don’t know if I do it correctly but I get behind him and put my hands under his armpits and try to take some of his weight and ease him to the floor.I don’t know where I find the strength to be honest, but I somehow do.
Don’t know how it happened, but hubby managed to hit the floor in the recovery position! Very strange.
The security guy in Morrisons came over to me and asked what was going on. By this time hubby was having a seizure just like the day before and even though I’d seen this before, I was still shaking inside and terrified for my hubby. It wasn’t long until I saw a familiar face. It was James from the meat counter, who is a first aider. It was a relief for me to see someone I sort of knew, James was the guy who looked after us last time.
We made sure my hubby was safe while he was having the seizure and like last time James called for an ambulance. The seizure must have lasted at least 20 minutes and while waiting for the 1st response unit, I just kept talking to my hubby calmly. At one point my hubby started to have a panic attack while still having a seizure. He became terrified at the sight of the security guard’s boots and all the people around him. He kept grabbing hold of me and hiding his face in my lap and trying to hide behind me (while still lying on the floor).
This carried on for a while and then just stopped. My hubby started shouting and punching the floor and then had yet another seizure. This one didn’t last as long thank god, but he was also clawing at the floor tiles – I thought he was going to rip his nails out.
The 1st response guy had now finally arrived and when he asked me questions I nearly couldn’t answer because I was just so mentally exhausted, but I finally managed to give him the info he needed. Again hubby’s blood pressure was checked and was high and blood sugar low, but what was even stranger was how, when the 1st response guys did hubby’s blood sugar, the blood just shot out of his finger and was just like water. I can still remember seeing blood run down my hubby’s hand (the day before in the hospital they had to try twice because they couldn’t get any blood out!). Hubby had yet another short seizure and then just lay there staring at the ceiling, looking a bit out of it. We all just sat with him, the paramedic asking a few question until hubby was feeling a bit better. Then we all helped him to a sitting position, then to his feet and we hobbled over to the café for cup of coffee while the paramedic continued to observe hubby to ensure he was really ok.
Hubby was saying he felt fine, but I insisted that they still take him to the hospital. He eventually agreed and the paramedic called for some transport. I would not normally have insisted on this, but this was hubby’s second seizure in row.
We sat waiting in the café, drinking coffee and hot chocolate (free! Result). The paramedic said it would be quite a while because the A&E was really busy that day. Ross and the paramedic discussed if it was really worth going, apparently all they would do was the same tests the paramedic had done on site and observe hubby. So we ended up not going to hospital, but the paramedic said he would follow us all the way home to make sure we were ok, which was very nice of him.
I was so thankful to be going home, because I was again feeling exhausted and so was hubby.
At the moment we don’t know what is causing the seizures. Hubby has had an EGG, which we are going to get the results for on Monday when hubby sees his doctor. I will keep you all posted.
I would like to this opportunity to thank all the people on the Facebook groups, James and Richard (security gaurd) at Morrisons Witham, Suzie, Ed and the Medical Team at Broomfield Hospital who attended to my hubby.
