The one in the hospital: Spilling over tea/coffee May 2019

~ Chocolaterunsjudy

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If you follow me on Instagram here, you already know that I ended up in the hospital at the beginning of the week. I am basically ok (well, getting better), and if you’re squeamish, you might not want to read on!

Confessions of a Mother Runner

Pull up a chair and mug with Coco and Deborah and me for the ultimate coffee tea date — I have lots to share, as it turns out, none of it running-related.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you I woke up Monday running a low grade temp with the accompanying muscle aches, and nauseous. When we were fairly newly married, I once passed out when I got very dehydrated from being sick. So I was very mindful that even though I just couldn’t eat, I need to stay hydrated — and I absolutely did.

I didn’t feel terrible; I just didn’t feel good. I thought maybe it was something I ate.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that that evening, even though I still wasn’t hungry, I felt I should try to eat something, so I made myself some toast. Only suddenly I got extremely nauseous. I remember turning to go into the bathroom, you know, in case . . . and the next thing I knew I was waking up — not even really sure where I was.

On the floor, as it turns out. Yup, I’d passed out. Mr. Judy was on the phone with 911 and my first reaction was “really???”.

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you knew I was going to throw up, so I got to the bathroom (and almost got it all in the toilet). It was about then that the ambulance arrived. They wanted me to sit up & I just couldn’t. It made me nauseous and I just didn’t have the energy.

So I got my first (and hopefully last) ride in an ambulance.

I’m glad I happened to put these socks on Monday morning — sometimes when I’m sick I just stay in slippers (like today) — they made everyone smile & kept me from freezing!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I think the EMT really thought I was having a heart attack, which never really occurred to me. Even though I knew that women’s symptoms are different from men’s, even though Mr. Judy and I had actually just had a discussion about that very topic recently.

I agreed to go to the hospital. Somewhat reluctantly.

BTW, in case you missed my IG post, here are some of the symptoms women tend to experience with heart attacks:

  • Tingling in one/both arms/legs
  • Nausea/vomiting + other heart symptoms
  • Shortness of breath
  • Racing heart
  • Jaw pain
  • Dizziness/light headedness
  • Discomfort chest/back
  • Extreme fatigue
  • Cold sweat

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that my official diagnosis after all the testing was “vasovagal syncope due to viral illness”. Which is a fancy way of saying I fainted because I had a virus. Some unknown virus — not the flu, btw, they tested me for that.

They kept me overnight and gave me fluids — I guess I had gotten dehydrated despite my best efforts, because that seemed to take care of the nausea — other than in the ambulance, they never gave me any anti nausea medication. In retrospect I really don’t think I needed to be admitted, I just needed those fluids, but better safe than sorry right?

So how am I feeling now? Better. Still not eating a whole lot, but I am eating, I am keeping it down, and there have been no other episodes. Very tired, no doubt because I haven’t eaten a whole lot over the last 5 days, but getting better — I haven’t really had the energy to sit up at the desktop before today.

Well, I’m sure I’ll have more to share on the Weekly Run Down, because God knows I have pretty much no activity to share. Go big or go home, right? Definitely hope to never experience anything like that again!

If we were enjoying tea/coffee . . .
I’d tell you that often fainting can be due to low blood pressure (which was probably the case for me), sight of blood, or some other shock (not the case for me).  It actually runs in the family. My grandfather passed out at my Dad’s wedding, which caused my Dad to go down. My sister almost passed out at hers.

I was born crossed eyed, and when they gave me to my mom after the operation to straighten my eyes, she passed out.

BTW, I posted my runfessions last week here.

Ever fainted?

Ever been in an ambulance?

Ever been in the ER? Just last week I could have said no to two out of three of those questions.

I am also linking up with the  Fridays with Fairytales and Fitness from Fairytales & Fitness.

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40 thoughts on “The one in the hospital: Spilling over tea/coffee May 2019”

  1. Oh, Judy! So sorry to read that you wound up in the hospital. I’m glad your hubby was around to help you and that you weren’t alone when you fainted. Please take it easy and take care of yourself. I guess you don’t have a choice.

    I never fainted, but when I taught school, I had several kids faint in class after donating blood. One girl (who probably weighed about 100 lbs.) went down hard and hit her head on the pencil sharpener. It was scary!

    I almost fainted at my sister-in-law’s wedding and I was the matron of honor, standing up at the altar. What is it about weddings that causes people to faint?

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    1. I seriously don’t know how I didn’t hurt myself (hard tile kitchen floor) but I wasn’t even bruised. And I bruise easily.

      I have never actually seen anyone faint. Good thing my husband isn’t prone to fainting!

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  2. Oh wow Judy! This is scary. I’m glad you agreed to go to the hospital and get checked out. I’m also glad it wasn’t something more serious. Yikes though. Knock wood, no fainting for me, despite BP that’s low enough to set off alarms after delivering my babies. No ambulance rides either and I’d like to keep it that way, thank you. I’ve been to the ER with stuff like needing stitches and after my bike accident a billion years ago. Hope you’re feeling much better!

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    1. I really wasn’t scared but I’m sure Mr. Judy was scared enough for the both of us.

      I’d never been to the ER before period. My sister always get that duty for my parents. In fact my dad fell the day I got out of the hospital & she had to go to the ER. He broke his nose but otherwise is ok. Man has more lives than a cat, I swear.

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  3. Wow! That’s scary! I’m glad it was a virus and not a heart attack, although an unknown virus is still scary. I hope you feel better soon! I’ve never fainted but I came close when I was a bridesmaid at my best friend’s wedding – it was the first (and only) wedding that I have been in so far and between the dress, the lights, the excitement, I definitely felt light headed.

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  4. I was stunned to read on and learn that you were “The one.” I’m relieved that it was a virus and not anything worse. Take care, my friend.

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    1. Thanks, Connie. It was definitely a very weird experience & one I hope never to repeat! Although who knows, I could be due again in another 20 years (it’s been at least that long since the last time, when quite frankly I was far sicker — but didn’t end up in the hospital (although the dr at urgent care that time did threaten me with it).

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  7. Yikes! I’m glad you’re ok — and well enough to join us for some tea, and not just iv fluids. 😉 And, I’m glad it wasn’t a heart attack. I’ve only been in an ambulance as a non-injured family member — once with my mom after a car accident and once when my son had croup. I drove myself to the ER when I had my DVT.

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    1. I definitely would not have been capable of driving myself anywhere. And this way I didn’t have to sit in an ER either. I’d never been to an ER. That duty falls to my sister because she lives so much closer to my parents.

      Hopefully I’ll never be in one again, although I think if you live long enough it’s sort of inevitable.

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  9. Hope you well & backto running soon.

    Ever fainted? Close once, everything went black, but I remained conscious until my vision returned.

    Ever been in an ambulance? Never.

    Ever been in the ER? No but I did go to Urgent Care & I was dehydrated so they gave me IV fluids.

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    1. The first time I fainted all those years ago my husband dragged me to urgent care. They threatened me with fluids but thankfully I didn’t need them. The weird thing was I’d say I was a lot sicker that time!

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    1. Thanks! Better, but my stomach is still grumbling so still mostly eating bland foods (which is getting kind of old!). The socks were a big hit with everyone. Weird that I chose them that morning cause I’ve just been in slippers ever since.

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  11. This really sounds like a scary episode! Did it feel surreal…like you were watching a a strange movie unfold, with you as the central character? My emergency surgery felt like that…somehow I was calm through the whole ordeal and never felt freaked or worried despite the seriousness of it all. Glad to hear you’re feeling better!

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    1. It didn’t feel surreal, mostly because I was just exhausted. But I never felt worried. Really never felt it was something serious. It’s a hard way to prove that basically you’re healthy except for some nasty stomach bug!

      I hadn’t been in a hospital for myself since I was 12 years old!

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  12. Sorry for your bad experience. I hope you feel better soon. Of course I have been in ambulance and in the ER but for bad incidents (fractures: vertebra L3, femur, and twice the right shoulder).

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  13. Wow! I hope you feel better soon. I can say yes to all those questions. The last two were a no until I got a car accident three years ago.

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    1. Yeah, those last two were no until Monday for me, too. Hopefully never again! They got here really quickly though, so that’s a good thing.

      It’s been a nasty stomach bug, but slowly getting better.

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  14. Glad you’re feeling better!

    I’ve fainted twice. The first time was at home, hours after donating blood. I went down and woke up quickly. I didn’t even connect it to the blood donation til the second time I fainted. The second time, I was at lunch with a friend in a restaurant when I started to feel nauseous and things looked gray. I put my head between my knees at my friend’s instruction. The next thing I knew, I was prostrate on the floor of the restaurant, waking up, with a young man mopping my face with a damp cloth. And most humiliating of all, I threw up, mostly onto a small plate on the floor. Someone had called an ambulance, and I was taken to the ER. I was checked over, and declared to be in good health. Oh, and what had I done before I met my friend? I’d donated blood! I haven’t donated blood since then, since my husband has informed me that I won’t be able to donate flying solo.

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    1. You’re the second person to say they fainted after donating. I’ve never donated.

      I once got extremely seasick on a boat in Kauai. I’ve been on those sorts of boats before, but that’s the only time it happened. So there I was barfing over the side of the boat (and I wasn’t the only one). I would say that experience was actually worse because I was trapped on the boat until it was over — and even then I just felt awful.

      Both times I’ve fainted were due to illness, decades apart. The first time was rather spectacular because I passed out on top of a light fixture we were putting up and smashed it & myself up pretty good. I joked at the time that my husband hit me (when I went back to work) — and now they actually asked me in the hospital if he did — which was weird, as I hadn’t cut/bruised anything.

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  15. Oh my goodness, Judy, I’m so happy that it was nothing more serious and that you’re on the mend. That must have been so scary!

    Your family has quite the history of passing out! After three times of passing out after giving blood, I finally stopped. I’d successfully given blood a few times prior so I don’t know why I suddenly started…

    The only time I had to go to the ER was when I was in second grade and my family was in a really serious car accident. My brother and I were treated and released, but my mom had to stay in the hospital for 44 days.

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    1. That’s so weird that you successfully donated & then couldn’t.

      Wow, your poor mom (and dad!). Both my parents have been in an ambulance on & off over the last few years. I’m not sure my siblings have.

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  16. I am so glad to hear that you are okay. The only times I’ve near-fainted was in really hot weather when I was dehydrated. I usually can communicate that I’m in bad shape before I’m at the point of passing out!

    I rode in an ambulance once because I had a ridiculously awful nosebleed when I was a teenager….thankfully I haven’t had one since!

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    1. I had absolutely no clue I was going to faint. Or that I had, after the fact (initially). The first time many decades ago I knew something was going to happen.

      That’s so odd about the nosebleed! When I was sick in March I woke up with a nosebleed one morning, but it stopped pretty quickly. Never had that happen before.

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  17. I’m glad it wasn’t anything more serious, and I hope you’re feeling/doing better now! I was super dehydrated when I was working my first shift in the ER as a medical student and almost fainted then (the other time it almost happened was when I was watching a c-section, haha ._. ). I hope you never have to deal with that again!

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  18. Oh you poor thing, scary times! I have fainted a few times, once across the line at a cross country league race, having looked into the eyes of my friend Dave and boof. Very embarrassing that one! Glad you’re OK now. I’ve been in the ER twice, once for a broken finger as a teen, once with my cracked rib from Dog Fall in 2016.

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  19. I fainted once in a store but didn’t go to the hospital.

    I have ridden in an ambulance twice – collapsed lung and broken ankle.

    I have been to the ER several times as well.

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    1. I had fainted once over 20 years ago, under similar circumstances — also very sick. Sicker, I’d say. But I didn’t go to the hospital that time, although the urgent care dr did threaten it if I couldn’t keep anything down.

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      1. I wasn’t sick at all when I fainted – I think I was hot. Age may have had something to do with their worry and the hospital stay.

        I have gotten dizzy after 2 half marathons (including my recent one) and thought I would faint but caught myself and sat down.

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