It started with a cough

After over 2 years of unemployment I was finally given a break. I started my new job last week. I’m an IT Site Support Tech at a local(ish) hospital. I had my orientation and worked alongside my manager and other techs and ended the week with a “Culture Class” which actually detailed a hospital culture – not cultural awareness in general. That was pretty fun.

Monday was my first “real” day – imaging computers, getting my privileged account configured, shadowing the others mostly. I went through my new evening routine but I was cold so I filled up our humidifier with boiling hot water (there was some static because the air was particularly dry) and turned it on full blast. I had also re-added the electric blanket to our bedding so I turned that puppy on to 10 and climbed in.

I don’t know what time my husband came upstairs to bed but at quarter to two I awoke with a wracking cough that just wouldn’t quit and a case of vertigo (which I get every once in awhile) and finally fell back to sleep. During the night both he and I would awaken and cough. I got up and turned the humidifier down to halfway because I didn’t want to overwork the poor thing. It had been almost a year since I’d filled it and turned it on.

By morning neither of us were fully functional. The coughing kept up, the vertigo was abysmal and we had both developed mild fevers. I called in and my boss (who is a germaphobe supreme) insisted I stay home and rest. At the hospital we keep ourselves on high alert and stay masked up except while sitting at our respective desks, use hand sanitizer like it comes from a tap and generally just don’t touch each other. We thoroughly wipe down anything we have to touch. This has become the new normal and it’s okay.

Through the fog the husband did some research on his phone and decided that everything that had happened was because the humidifier was full of spores. Remember, I had just filled it and plugged it in and DIDN’T clean it out first. He was a lot more stable while upright so he scrubbed the bejesus out of the humidifier and bleached it and descaled it. He’s a champion, that one. Blasting all of that bacteria into the air had caused us both to be very very sick. The fevers rocketed up to over 103 at one point and varied between 100 and 102 the rest of the time.

Wednesday our fevers broke but I still had some serious vertigo. I showered and went to work, using my cane for stability. I learned a few more of my job duties and kept myself busy – figuring out how to use the floor plan to locate some more computers that needed updating. I felt fine except for the vertigo and it really wasn’t too bad.

Yesterday. Ah, yesterday. I awakened with the worst vertigo I’ve ever had. Even with my eyes closed I was spinning out of control. It was nauseating. I got dressed and went to work (using my cane again) and stayed seated as much as possible. I sent a secure message to my doctor and just before lunch I decided to call her. They put me through to triage who connected me to my doctor’s nurse. We decided to make an appointment for 3 p.m.

I went to lunch (quite unsteadily by then) and managed to hobble over to the pizza counter, grab a slice and a chocolate milk and head to the cashier – at which point my nurse called. Everybody wanted me to go to the ER but it’s just stupid vertigo, albeit unlike any vertigo I’d ever experienced in the past.

Did you know that strokes can be either a result of or caused by central vertigo? I didn’t know that until I was researching it in the ER while waiting for my MRI. That was my doc’s fear. Five years ago today this happened. Given my history I now understand.

The MRI came back clean. Oh yeah, and because, you know, the COlorado VIDeo Nineteen is rampant and I HAD been coughing (and it tasted funny but I know that’s because I normally get either pneumonia or bronchitis during the seasons changing) they stuck that lubricated pipe cleaner in my nose and left me with the gross taste of mucus in my throat. Do they really have to push it in THAT far? That came back negative so that’s okay but blech!

I know it has been too long since I’ve posted but because this is my 5th vessel-versary (thank you Kimbies Louise Bernstein Stein-a-go-go J Vesloski Allman for that wonderful nomenclature) and my boss wants me to stay home until I’ve rested and gotten my mojo back I took the time to check in. The vertigo is still with me. I performed the Epley maneuver and took even more Meclizine but there is still no change. I will contact my doctor and relay the information given me by my ER doc but for now, I’m just gonna stay as steady as I can and keep moving forward.