Friday, February 10, 2012

Worst. Illness. Ever.

Lately I've been writing some of my best stuff in the comments on other blogs. So I'm recycling this one from a comment I left on Janie Junebug's blog, in response to her question, "What is the worst illness you ever suffered?" (Or words to that effect).

Since Janie's blog is invitation only (due to some privacy violations and other stalker-ish issues she was having with some commenters), you can't all go there to answer her question (well, some of you can, if you've joined her blog). But you can answer her question here, if you like. Feel free to share your worst illness ever in the comments section below. Note to the squeamish: You might want to avoid reading the comments for today.

Here is my story:

When I was a kid, maybe 8 years old, living in Florida, I caught pneumonia during the Christmas break. I think it was after Christmas, though. My parents later told me I almost died from it.

It came on very suddenly. I was feeling absolutely fine, and I went to a sleepover at a friend's house, woke up in the middle of the night feeling awful, and my Dad had to come pick me up at something like 2:00 a.m. I think he was angry about it until he saw how awful I looked and felt. I actually watched his expression go from frustration to "holy crap I've never seen her look so bad," and then he carried me gently to the car.

I was sick for weeks and weeks and had to take penicillin. The doctor had prescribed these horse pills but I hadn't learned to swallow pills yet and sure wasn't going to learn on those giant things, so my mom had to crush them up and mix them in with a dixie cup full of soda, usually Pepsi but sometimes Sprite, and it was soooo bitter and awful tasting but I had to drink all of it, every time. She'd even pour more soda in the little dixie cup and swish it around so we wouldn't miss any. Ugh. I still don't like soda all that much.

And at least twice a day, every day, my dad had to come in and hold me over his lap with my head hanging down over the trash can by the bed and hit me on the back between the shoulder blades at just the right angle (as demonstrated by the doctor) until I coughed up a bunch of the goo that was in my lungs. He later told me it was all he could do not to puke every time... poor guy...

I was in a fog for ... ? days? weeks? ... I don't know.

I only know that finally, after missing whatever was left of Christmas vacation plus a bit of school, I started to come out of the fog and then I was lucid for longer and longer times each day and then one day I felt well enough to sit up and it was a beautiful bright sunny Florida winter day, and I begged my mom to let me go outside. I wanted to run in the sunshine. My legs were weak, though, so I settled for sitting on the edge of the driveway in a spot of warm sunshine and enjoying the cool air and gentle breeze.

It was the most beautiful day God ever made. I felt alive again.

12 comments:

Silliyak said...

Ruptured appendix count?

Tom said...

I was just complaining about my cold and ear infection this morning, but I will be quiet after reading that.

Janie Junebug said...

I think a ruptured appendix counts. That's very nasty.

Love,
Janie

Silliyak said...

It was back in '68, but what I remember is days of flu like symptoms, finally got taken to the hospital. When my 4 abdominal quadrants were palpated they ALL hurt. It turns out when your appendix ruptures you feel ok for a bit. They thought they had cured me, gave me an apple and called my mom to come get me, but by the time she got there, I was back in delirious pain. I remember a nurse asking me "Are you on a trip?" I had no idea what she was talking about at the time. I got sent to SF to a bigger hospital (after a shot of morphine) but then was told they had tpo wait until it wore off and then the doctor put on one rubber glove..."You're going to put that where?"

So. Cal. Gal said...

I've never had a 'worst illness ever' but I have had 21 operations. The worst was my back surgery, in 1994. I had to lay on my stomach (grr!), 10 degrees head down so spinal fluid wouldn't get into the surgical site. I did this for 3 full days in the ICU. I had the Worst. Headache. Ever. My mom asked how I felt and I said, "My head feels like someone is jabbing me with a pitchfork."

SkylersDad said...

My worst was in 1st grade when I had my tonsils out. I spent a long time in the hospital while hemorrhaging and it was terrible.

LegalMist said...

Wow, thanks for sharing. I think all of your worst illnesses sound much more painful than mine was. I was very sick and felt generally awful (achy, weak, nauseated) for a really long time and slept a lot and was apparently close to death (and the back-pounding wasn't fun, but it didn't really "hurt" per se) -- but I don't remember any particularly sharp or terrible pains.

I am always amazed by our bodies' capacity to "bounce back" from these awful episodes.

Lawfrog said...

Worst sickness ever? The food poisoning I had in February 2007. I wanted to die, it was so awful. I threw up and had diarrhea (sorry for the TMI) for 9 hours straight. I was so dehydrated, but I could not even keep water down. I blogged about it (of course) here: http://lawfrogtx.blogspot.com/2007/02/what-goes-down-must-come-up.html

Nan said...

Worst that I can remember? Food poisoning a few months ago. It was one of those experiences where I was sure I was about to die and afraid that I wouldn't. I didn't know it was possible to puke that violently and not crack a rib. Just like Lawfrog, I blogged about it: http://mannikkomaki.blogspot.com/2011/08/it-must-have-been-curry.html. Bad experiences are no longer learning opportunities; they're inspirations for blog posts.

Green said...

Worst illness ever was being sick for the year of 1995. I was 18 (and 19), and just ... stopped. Excruciating pain from the middle of my back down through my hips, legs, ankles. One time I heard my dad running up the stairs. When he burst into my bedroom I asked why someone was screaming. He had to tell me it was me. I lost all muscle tone. To get to all doctor appointments and medical tests I had to be slid onto a backboard, carried on that down the stairs and loaded into an ambulance. Other people were in college in 1995. I was having a nurse come into my bedroom once a week, and eventually, a physical therapist three times a week. I am terrified of it happening again.

LegalMist said...

Ok, I think Green officially "wins" even though this wasn't really a contest, per se. Holy Moly, Green -- I sure hope you never go through anything like that again!!

Lawfrog said...

Holy hell Green, that is horrendous! Did you ever get a diagnosis??