A hair raising evening

celia · Post by **celia** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:18 am

My husband and his pain medication did not mix well. When he first arrived home he was dizzy, nauseous and vomitted, but was okay then.

In the early evening he had a small mis-step with his crutches causing some pain in his sensitive leg (e.g. the surgery one). By the time he got to the kitchen table he was dizzy and then gracefully passed out. He was sitting sideways on a kitchen chair and just sloped over backward until his head was near the floor. He didn't fall off the chair...was just draped over it sideways.

As you can imagine this freaked me out to no end. After a few seconds of trying to wake him up and pick up his head, I grabbed the phone and called 911. Before 911 came on the line, he 'woke' up and said he had pased out. I hung up. Of course 911 called back and since I had placed the call they are required to send the paramedics.

We had 5 paramedics with us for about an hour and two doctor calls. Everyone insisting he should go to the hospital to be evaluated. My sweetie is stubborn though. The last thing he wanted after having his surgery that day was the stress of being in the emergency room. He has had lots of recent check ups, an EKG etc. and was pretty certain that he wasn't having a major problem. The EMT was able to do 80% of what they would do in the hospital, an on the spot EKG for example.

He had a follow up with his doctor this a.m. already scheduled, and I called a friend to help me take him there. I felt better having a man that could help if he started to fall as I am only 106 lbs and not that strong. The doc said that this happens a lot with this medication. The why do they give it to people?!? Vicodin I beleive. He's had people pass out just while they were sitting on a table in his office. He thinks it was a combination of being weak from the surgery, the pill, and the pain from the mis-step. Which was Bernie's analysis too. He was even a bit woozy at the doctor's office. He's switiching to extra strength tylenol now, so that should eliminate the problem.

The good news is that his knee looks terrific and its mobility is better than 90% of patients the day after the surgery.

To have someone I love just pass out like that was really scary, and then I was anxious afteward about it happening again but just arranged everything so he didn't have to walk anywhere until our friend came in the morning.

Whew, what a night! Celia

Post by **tex** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 10:29 am

Celia,

That's enough to freak out anyone. I'm glad it was resolved without serous consequences.

I'm with you. Why in the world do they give stuff like that? Part of the Hippoctatic oath contains that famous phrase about not doing a patient any harm. Apparently, many doctors believe that anything short of stabbing, or shooting a patient, is not covered by that oath. They need to read it again.

I hope the rest of his recovery is, (as the whitecoats say), unremarkable.

Tex

annie oakley · Post by **annie oakley** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:28 pm

Wow Celia......Glad he's ok> He's so lucky you were there. I hope he gets better fast. Love Oma

JJ · Post by JJ » Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:29 pm

Whoa...glad there was a happy ending!

JJ

MaggieRedwings · Post by **MaggieRedwings** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 1:54 pm

Hi Celia,

I am sure that was a really scary situation and could have scared the crap out of you. Trying to be funny here. LOL

I was just visiting with a friend of my husband's who iunderwent hernia surgery and he told them previously that vicodin results in really strange happenings with him so not to prescribe it. He is a very docile person and it actually makes him violent. The doctor said no problems and then prescribed it anyway. Where are their heads?

Glad to hear things are going good with mobility and do hope he heals well.

Love, Maggie

Liz · Post by **Liz** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:33 pm

It must have given you a real fright. Hope he is Ok today & that his doc gives him a good report. Fancy 5 Paramedics. That would be enough to frighten anyone anyway. Ours only travel in pairs unless there is a major accident or something. Then you get more than one ambulance because they only have 2 to each vehicle. It must have been a traffic jam outside your house.

Love

Liz

celia · Post by **celia** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 4:52 pm

Now that Bernie is off the Vicodin, he's fine! The doctor gave him a prescription for another drug that has the same side effects, (ha-ha!) but encouraged him just to try extra strength tylenol. He seems to be doing fine now without any pain medication at all, but we have a bottle of extra strength tylenol (with corn starch of course!) on hand if needed.

Liz, I don't know how it is in Australia but in our little town all the paramedics are volunteers. They were having a training meeting when our call came in, so that may account for why we got so many. For some reason we had 4 from our town and 1 from the county. The county gal had all the really good equipment, EKG, and could do 80% of what is done at the hosptial.

It did scare the crap out of me! Celia

barbaranoela · Post by **barbaranoela** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 5:22 pm

Celia-----bring up the rear---

That surely had to set your system off----
A very scarey thing to see happen---

I agree, why in the world would they give hubby *V*--
and just shows that WE do KNOW what WE are TALKING about!!!

I hope he is feeling better and glad the knee surgery went well--

Keep us updated---OK!!
luve Barbara

starfire · Post by **starfire** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:16 pm

I think you should feel very capable since you handled the situation so well, but I know it was scary.

One time (in the hospital) they gave my Dad some pain cocktail that made the Nurse ask me if he was a drinker. (My Dad was a minister and never drank alcohol.)
She thought he had DT's from alcohol withdrawal. He was a danger to himself mostly. Didn't want his IV in, etc., and he'd just had surgery and he was trying to get out of bed and move around a LOT. It was very difficult. He also was having halucinations constantly. Really angry with me if I didn't respond correctly according to what he was seeing. I hope you never have to go through that. I was physically trying to keep him in bed part of the time. The nurse didn't help much, and it took a long time to wear off.

Hopefully, you'll never have to deal with anything like that, but seems like we always manage to deal with things that we have to deal with.

Glad your husband is doing better and hope he is soon a LOT better.

I'm sure you are exhausted. Take care of yourself also.

Love, Shirley

Lucy · Post by **Lucy** » Wed Mar 29, 2006 8:19 pm

Celia,

I do fine with Vicodan right after orthopedic surgery, but have to switch over to Tylenol fairly quickly or I'll "throw guts!" I can deal with throbbing better than nausea and vomiting.

Could be that if your hubby was vomiting, the vasovagal response contributed to his passing out. My uncle used to pass out whenever he vomited. Could've been more sensitive to that related to the impending diagnosis of Parkinsons, who knows?

Glad that he didn't crack his head open on something or undo the surgery. Sounds like the surgery job did him LOTS of good. It's amazing to me how little pain med is required lots of times with all this microsurgical technique they have nowadays.

Wow, you sure are tiny! How tall are you, if you don't mind my asking? Is part of your low wt related to your illness, do you think, or does it just run in your family?

Yours, Luce

celia · Post by **celia** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:37 am

Wow Shirley, that must have been something with you Dad. You are right. I am a little tired, but okay. Thanks! Celia

celia · Post by **celia** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:52 am

Barbara,

This really isn't such a BIG deal when I think of what you are going through with Lynn and Kait on a regular basis. One thing that has really moved me is the kindness of people. The fact that our local paramedics are volunteers and all the help you are getting from Ronald McDonald house. There is so much goodness in the world! Celia

celia · Post by **celia** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:56 am

Luce,

I'm about 5' 1" or 1.5". I had been maintaining my weight at about 124" over recent years. Once I discovered my food intolerances and started eliminating foods, I went down to my current range, usually 107 or 108 but I lost a little weight on vacation. This is okay for my size but I wouldn't want to loose any more weight, that's for sure! Celia

Polly · Post by **Polly** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 8:26 am

Celia,

What a scary situation! My husband had an anaphylactic reaction to a bee sting at home and nearly died. I can remember every detail vividly. Like your hubby, he refused the paramedics' requests that he go to the hospital.

You handled it very well, but it is a shock to go thru it. Glad he is on the mend.

Love,

Polly

kate_ce1995 · Post by **kate_ce1995** » Thu Mar 30, 2006 6:14 pm

I did that pass out thing to my mother last summer. It was scary enough for me in retrospect (at the time I don't think my brain was allowing me to understand how serious a condition I was in...I was bleeding very badly). Anyway...we were on the way to the ER when I passed out so the paramedics did take me there. After Mom called 911 my biggest thought/fear was that my boyfrined from jr. year in hs was going to be on the ambulance (he works for the emergency services/fire department here in town). But he wasn't.

My other thought was that I had ankle surgery several years ago, and walking or being upright for too long the first several days after surgery made me feel light headed and a bit dizzy. I was also just getting help after being diagnosed with anxiety which I think was hormonal, but I my foot woud go purple if I didnt' keep it raised that first week. I always felt that had somthing to do with it.

Hope the rest of his recovery goes smoothly.

Katy