From Out of Nowhere, a Medical Emergency

On Wednesday evening, my son and I were taking a walk as we often do after dinner. At first my calves hurt, and then I felt a little constriction in my chest. About a mile into the walk, I became exremely dizzy. I couldn't walk straight. I felt as if I were drunk or on a boat in high seas.

I sat down on a bus-stop bench while Aaron bought some OJ at a liquor store. If my blood sugar were the problem, downing 8 oz. of orange juice should have stabilized me, but it didn't. Not only was I dizzy now, but I was also dizzy when I closed my eyes. What was worse: The world was heaving, spinning, and seesawing.

Aaron walked home while I awaited his return with the car. I needed his help to walk. Upon arriving home, I called the PD nurse at the after-hours number. She asked me to check my blood sugar and blood pressure. The former was 74, so it must have been a lot lower prior to the OJ. My BP was 189/104 and climbed to 205/130 by the time the paramedics arrived. (For the past two weeks, my BP had been around 110/60 every day, and I check it twice daily and keep the results in my patient log.)

I was so dizzy I couldn't stand, so they had to carry me to the gurney. Because the Long Beach paramedics don't drive to Kaiser Bellflower, I was taken to Memorial and treated there in the ER with nitrogylcerin and morphine. I asked for an anti-emetic (a drug to stop nausea)--a word I learned during my editing days for the Chinese medicine firm. I threw up dinner twice. Felt much better after that.

Because there were no empty beds at Kaiser Bellflower, I was transferred to Kaiser Harbor City about 5 a.m., where I stayed until 3 the next day.

No one can really say what happened. Perhaps I had low blood sugar, which triggered the dizziness, and then stress induced the high blood pressure. But the dizziness should have subsided upon raising my blood sugar, but it didn't for several hours. Perhaps it was sudden-onset vertigo. A doctor prescribed a med to carry with me in case I should ever have another episode.

Following my release, Aaron took me home. I felt tired and laid down without taking my blood sugar first. Aaron woke me up because some friends had walked over from their nearby apartment for a visit. At first I thought he was a paramedic. My sheets and clothing were drenched in sweat. He recognized this as a sure sign of low blood sugar--the adrenaline sweat. He took my blood sugar--39, a dangerously low level. He brought me OJ, but I had trouble swallowing, so he called the paramedics. One of them had also responded the night before.

By the time they arrived, I was still confused but more coherent and alert. No need to go to the ER.

Despite the drama, ridiculously painful IV, and crazy-making dizziness, two things I am very grateful for: Aaron's support and that it wasn't a heart attack. Amen!