The ER (8/15)

In the morning after the Minute Clinic I did still have a mild temp, but by lunch time it was over 101 and my head was just killing me. I was nauseated, anxious, tired but unable to sleep because my head hurt when I laid down, having chills, no appetite, dizzy when I moved, vague lower abdominal cramping- just generally felt like crap. I called mom to see what she thought, and she said she was thinking it was maybe Lyme disease. After sitting on the bathroom floor almost in tears, feeling like needed to vomit but couldn't, I decided to go to the ER.

The first thing they scared me with is whisking me back for an EKG because my heart rate was up and irregular. Then they drew a bunch of labs and cultures and moved me into an ER room. Of course anytime they were in the room I was doing okay, but when we were left alone everything just hurt and swirled around and I was rocking and breathing like I was in labor (so said Matt). They were thinking Lyme, too, so they drew a titer, but said it takes three days to run.

The PAs I saw were both most concerned with the headache, since they had been going on for so long. They asked how I felt about having a lumbar puncture and I said "not too good". :) I said if they thought it would figure out what was wrong with me, though, then I'd do it. The PA said she didn't really think it would and that she'd prefer to do a CT scan of my head first. My labs showed some sort of really mild infection, probably a mild UTI, and that I was dehydrated. I got two bolus liters of normal saline and some tylenol, and was left on continuous pulse ox monitoring for my tachycardia. The plan was to give me some toradol after my CT and send me home with an antibiotic.

After the CT scan the nurse came back in and hung another IV bag and said "This one will go in slow." That confused me since I thought they were about to send me home, and at the rate the IV was running it would take 8 hours to finish. Then she said "Lisa [the PA] is consulting neurology and then she'll be in."
I said to mom, "Neuro? That's a little scary", but she thought she said "urology" so we didn't know what to expect.

The PA came in and asked how my pain and nausea were and I said they were better after the fluids. She said, "We only gave you tylenol", so I was thinking she was about to call me a big faker and send me out.

Then she came up next to the bed and said "So I got the results of your CT scan. You have a brain tumor."

I honestly thought she was just joking around, because what are the chances? Just eight days after my father-in-law dies of brain cancer, they're telling me now I have a tumor?
I said "Are you serious?"
When she said she wouldn't joke about something like that I just broke down. They probably thought I was being a little nuts but my mom tried to explain how just a week before Matt's died of a brain tumor. I think the PA told us more about it but I couldn't/didn't hear anything else she said right then. All I know is I asked if i could go to work on monday and she kind of smiled and said "No, you won't be going to work this week."

They whisked me off to MRI immediately. The man that ran the MRi was very nice and tried to explain all about the MRI and how it works and what to expect. Of course, he said "The most important thing is just that you keep your head still." That's probably the hardest thing to do while you're trying not to cry.

After the MRI, I called Matt and my dad picked him up and brought him back to the hospital. They told me the MRI would take 2 hours to be read but luckily someone was watching out for me and bumped me up in line so it was done in 30 minutes.

The PA came in and told us I have either a meningioma or a vestibular shwannoma. It's 4.5cm x 2cm, on the left side, just behind my ear. It's pushing down on my brain stem on one side, and completely covering my auditory canal on the other side. The PA had already called into a neurosurgeon at Hopkins and that Dr said my choices would probably be to 'wait and watch' or go for surgery. Given its size, however, they would probably encourage surgery.

Since my vitals were a lot better by that point and I felt better the PA asked if I wanted to stay and finish the bag of fluid or go home and promise to drink more water. I opted for go home. She told me to call first thing Monday for an appointment with neurosurgery and to go to the ER at Hopkins if I had increasing symptoms. I went home with prescriptions for zofran for nausea, vicodin for pain, and keflex for the UTI.

On the way home I started calling friends to tell them (especially since we were expected at a party that night), the reaction from everyone was pretty much the same as mine - either "Are you serious?" or "You've got to be kidding me."