Full on Adrenal Crisis

I have been having trouble with dehydration ever since thy removed my PICC line. This past week i was in and out of the er and my primary decided I needed a PICC for hydration. On Friday the paper work didnt get done in time so that left me on my own over the weekend. I live in Southern California and the heat ( don’t have air, cant afford a window unit) made things so much worse. I was in the er friday for D50, fluids and pain meds. D50 is IV dextrose aka SUGAR. Mine tends to drop quickly when I’m having trouble. I was hoping i could make it to Monday so i could just get my PICC and avoid the er.

Why do I want to avoid the er? It’s full of sick people and people with COVID 19... I have to take daily steroids which leaves me immune compromised. I felt bad Saturday and napped and laid on the couch. Sunday morning I still felt crummy but decide to do my hair and makeup for church zoom to see if that made me feel better. I really think being positive is the only way I am making it through all this. 

I even tried on some new lashes and though I felt exhausted it was fun to feel normal and wear new smaller clothes and makeup! I took this about 9:45 am. By 11:30 am I was dizzy, and throwing up so I stopped my NJ feeds. About 1:30 my chest started hurting and my heart was beating abou 130 bpm. I decided to try and nap. Could sleep and kept feeling worse. My husband was at work and I thought okay i will just wait until he gets home at 5ish. Then I vomited blood and my heart rate was 160. I was scared it could be a heart attack or something. It was different than anything that had ever happened. I was also afraid I would go to the er and wait 8 hours to be seen and I didn’t feel well enough to do that. That should have been my clue to call 911. But i still wasn’t sure if it would be treated seriously or what exactly was wrong. I called my best friend and she sent her mom Lisa over to drive me. She even waned to stay with me but that is not allowed. My vitals made them order an ekg then the plan was to start an IV doing fluids and steroids while I wait to a room. However right after the EKG i was being wheeled back to a room the nurse was calling to find on the way there. They then hooked me up to cardiac monitoring and other things. A doctor came in right away and explained they were going to take blood but didnt want to wait for the results and they were pretty sure I was in adrenal crisis.

 About and hour after the mega IV 100mg steroids my heart rate came down to the 120’s and several hours after fluids were pushed it came under 100. I was pretty scared when they moved so quickly and to have my heart pounding like it was. My husband was able to get his mom to watch the kids and he came t sit with me in the er for a few hours which helped me to feel better and not as freaked out. Now were are a day later and they are still trying to get me fully hydrated and fix electrolyte imbalances. I have 2 IV’s going some of the time. Today I saw PT and will see Endocrinology, GI, and a nutritionist. My feeds have been stopped for about 24 hours but will be restarted soon. After my sugar dropped they switched my fluids from saline to d5 which has dextrose in it. I generally feel pretty good on d5. 

Here I am this am, looking better than I did last night and feeling a bit better. My nausea and stomach pain is still there but the chest pain is gone. I am not allowed to leave the bed without a nurse with be because of my history of fainting and they brought me a walker to use. I have a cute one at home, this reminds me of the ones used in nursing homes but if it helps me not pass out who cares if i look like a granny? I will be the coolest looking granny ever!

I Like to keep a bag ready in case of an er or hospital trip with eh following items

Blanket

Ipad

Phone

Deodorant

Notepad and pen to take notes or write down questions

Brush

NJ tape

Chargers with long cords

And of course my pump and formula

I forgot to change from my slippers to shoes so i have those as well

My bed is by a window which is nice because it makes you feel less boxed in. Thank is all for my update as of now. Remember to be positive and reach out if you need help.

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