September 2019.....
On of the most difficult months of my life. On September 3rd I woke up in the middle of the night with the most violent stomach bug I have ever had. I went to the doctor the next day because I couldn't keep even water down but luckily the bug only lasted about a day and a half and I was "better"; achy but better. Fast forward to September 13th........
I ironically went to the doctor for an annual check up and of course had a great bill of health. After a half day of work my mom came to visit and we went to Cody's game. It was a hot hot hot hot day. I had spent all week and most of that day in a closed in heated 120F plant and then staying outside for Cody's game had pushing me over the edge. I started to feel very funny. As we walked towards the car to drive home, my head felt so so so funny. Like at any moment I would have a seizure, stroke, faint, or just die. My head was so heavy and felt so strange, radiating all throughout my body.
Mom rushed me home and I laid on the couch for the rest of the night and next day.
The next morning I awoke to my head feeling normal but my throat felt like I had swallowed hot coals and was scorched and burned. Every breath, every swallow, every bit of food, drink of water, was excruciating. Like my throat was bleeding. Just like any 'cold', I knew this lasted only 1.5 days top. So I ate ice cream which provided one second of relief with each bite and waited it out.
The next morning I had a fever and WORSE throat pain. I was a little worried at this point. I hadn't left the couch since Friday night and wasn't able to eat or drink. I tried to take a nap but every time I woke up from 10 minute increments of sleep I felt worse and worse and worse. My stomach was so so nauseous and I had wicked acid reflux. My stomach was so full it felt like I had 3 Thanksgiving meals but I had had nothing to eat in days.
Sunday night I went to sleep but had to sleep sitting up because of my stomach. Each swallow of saliva made me feel like I was going to throw up. I got 2 hours of sleep TOTAL Saturday and Sunday.
Monday morning I felt worse and went to urgent care immediately. My throat was ON FIRE and they tested for the flu and strep. Negative for both. Low grade fever, they sent me home with nothing. I laid on the couch panicked because with each hour, I felt significantly worse. My stomach was in so much pain and my throat was SO BAD. I couldn't even talk. I tried to sleep sitting up because I was so desperate for sleep. I tried gargling with salt water but that like the ice cream, provided 1 second of relief.
After another night with 2 hours total of sleep, I got up Tuesday morning WORSE. How could I get much worse without something really really wrong? Now I had a stuffy, runny nose at this point and felt so so so achy and drained. I couldn't even get up off of the couch. My chest hurt. My throat BURNED. I somehow got through the day with delirium and Cody came home. He drove me to the house since I hadn't moved in forever and needed some fresh air. I tried to distract myself and walked into the house. After 10 minutes, I felt something was really really wrong. My throat was so swollen I couldn't get any air. My chest felt heavy and painful. I told Cody to take me to the hospital. We drove there and they took me back. They wouldn't even listen to my chest. They said nothing was wrong with me.
They did give me a strong steroid and antibiotics just in case.
Within 1.5 hours, my throat stopped hurting. FINALLY I was SO SO SO grateful. My stomach still had wicked acid reflux, was still so so full even after not eating since Friday night, and I was blowing my nose 1,000 times an hour. The steroids like always had really bad side effects but at this point I didn't care. I stayed up the whole night Tuesday with my heart racing out of my chest, my lungs hurting, my left arm numb, and stopping breathing every time I drifted off to sleep. Steroids do that to me every time. So all day Wednesday I laid on the couch and tried to heal after eating a little ice cream here and there. At this point besides my throat finally feeling better, I was starting to get concerned why I wasn't really getting better. I still couldn't sleep either still.
I got 2 hours of sleep sitting up Wednesday night and woke Thursday feeling the same and with the constant week-long headache. I slept another 2 hours total Thursday night and woke up Friday having to go to work because there was 'nothing' wrong with me. Friday my voice was gone and I had developed a WICKED deep deep deep chest cough that wouldn't stop until I gagged non-stop. Nothing offered even a little bit of relief but Mucinex and cough drops/gum. I SUFFERED through work. Friday night I slept 5 HOURS!!! Win!!!!
Saturday and Sunday my cough got worse and I laid on the couch. Monday I had to go to work again but my antibiotics were out at this point. I was forced to do physical labor in the heat Monday and absolutely suffered. My fever came back. I felt like passing out. Wednesday my lungs started feeling incredibly painful at work and it was hard to breathe. I went back to the doctor again, with 'nothing' wrong with me but they prescribed me another 5 day antibiotic pack.
5 hours of sleep Wednesday night and I woke up Thursday feeling a tiny bit better. I was still blowing my nose and deep coughing 1,000 times an hour. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I laid on the couch sleeping 6 hours total a day sitting up. I still felt ehh. But Monday morning, on the last day of my antibiotics again, I felt normal. I had stopped couching, stopped blowing my nose, my stomach felt normal and I could eat again, and I finally slept 8 hours that night! The rest of that week I felt good.
Then mom visited me Thursday night and I had been working in those bad conditions at work again and stayed outside looking at my house again and my head felt like it did 3 weeks prior and my vision blacked out for 2 hours. I couldn't see anything. Mom drove me home and I drank Gatorade and went to sleep early panicked. On Friday I took it easy at work but still had to go in the hot conditions and felt very similar to the night before. I spend Friday night resting and taking it easy. From then on I have felt normal and it has been another week and a day.
I honestly have severe PTSD from the whole last month. I don't know what happened to be honest. I scares me so much. A few moments during that time, it was so bad I almost wanted to be put out of my misery I hurt so bad. I was so so so sick for 3 weeks straight. What was wrong me and what happened? If you have any idea what I had, can you let me know in the comments? I NEVER get sick and NEVER have to go to the doctor. This was by far the worst I have ever felt in my entire life. Even worse than when I had full blown pneumonia 4 years ago (last time I was sick even at all). Some insight would really help me out especially since I am scared to get this again. Even now my throat hurts slightly every now and then. I gained 7.5 pounds in the 3 weeks even though I didn't eat ANYTHING hardly at all (but a few cough drops and like 10 bites of ice cream every day). *And no i'm not pregnant*
So now I am trying to stay positive and not think about it moving forward. That was such a bad bad time and I worried I was going to literally die. It's scary when doctor's don't take you serious.
Hours before the worst 3 weeks of my life began.
The Raborn's!!!
Cody was sick for about a week also, but not as severe and had very different symptoms. One of the nights while I was sick, Cody couldn't stop coughing for over an hour (of seriously non-stop coughing, surprisingly just like me) and couldn't breathe and kept choking. He started turning blue around the lips and I was so panicked. I got him medicine and tried to give him tips that helped me during those attacks I had been battling all week. After another 30 minutes and deep slow breathing techniques and sips of water, he was mostly able to calm down, breathe, and get his normal color back. It was so so so so so scary.
........................................................................
Through the craziness of September, somewhere in the midst of it, there was some sunshine. Our little nephew was born!
Cody's oldest brother (half brother) and his wife had their second son, Kamren Daniel Scurlock. 8lbs 5oz 21 inches long.
On of the most difficult months of my life. On September 3rd I woke up in the middle of the night with the most violent stomach bug I have ever had. I went to the doctor the next day because I couldn't keep even water down but luckily the bug only lasted about a day and a half and I was "better"; achy but better. Fast forward to September 13th........
I ironically went to the doctor for an annual check up and of course had a great bill of health. After a half day of work my mom came to visit and we went to Cody's game. It was a hot hot hot hot day. I had spent all week and most of that day in a closed in heated 120F plant and then staying outside for Cody's game had pushing me over the edge. I started to feel very funny. As we walked towards the car to drive home, my head felt so so so funny. Like at any moment I would have a seizure, stroke, faint, or just die. My head was so heavy and felt so strange, radiating all throughout my body.
Mom rushed me home and I laid on the couch for the rest of the night and next day.
The next morning I awoke to my head feeling normal but my throat felt like I had swallowed hot coals and was scorched and burned. Every breath, every swallow, every bit of food, drink of water, was excruciating. Like my throat was bleeding. Just like any 'cold', I knew this lasted only 1.5 days top. So I ate ice cream which provided one second of relief with each bite and waited it out.
The next morning I had a fever and WORSE throat pain. I was a little worried at this point. I hadn't left the couch since Friday night and wasn't able to eat or drink. I tried to take a nap but every time I woke up from 10 minute increments of sleep I felt worse and worse and worse. My stomach was so so nauseous and I had wicked acid reflux. My stomach was so full it felt like I had 3 Thanksgiving meals but I had had nothing to eat in days.
Sunday night I went to sleep but had to sleep sitting up because of my stomach. Each swallow of saliva made me feel like I was going to throw up. I got 2 hours of sleep TOTAL Saturday and Sunday.
Monday morning I felt worse and went to urgent care immediately. My throat was ON FIRE and they tested for the flu and strep. Negative for both. Low grade fever, they sent me home with nothing. I laid on the couch panicked because with each hour, I felt significantly worse. My stomach was in so much pain and my throat was SO BAD. I couldn't even talk. I tried to sleep sitting up because I was so desperate for sleep. I tried gargling with salt water but that like the ice cream, provided 1 second of relief.
After another night with 2 hours total of sleep, I got up Tuesday morning WORSE. How could I get much worse without something really really wrong? Now I had a stuffy, runny nose at this point and felt so so so achy and drained. I couldn't even get up off of the couch. My chest hurt. My throat BURNED. I somehow got through the day with delirium and Cody came home. He drove me to the house since I hadn't moved in forever and needed some fresh air. I tried to distract myself and walked into the house. After 10 minutes, I felt something was really really wrong. My throat was so swollen I couldn't get any air. My chest felt heavy and painful. I told Cody to take me to the hospital. We drove there and they took me back. They wouldn't even listen to my chest. They said nothing was wrong with me.
They did give me a strong steroid and antibiotics just in case.
Within 1.5 hours, my throat stopped hurting. FINALLY I was SO SO SO grateful. My stomach still had wicked acid reflux, was still so so full even after not eating since Friday night, and I was blowing my nose 1,000 times an hour. The steroids like always had really bad side effects but at this point I didn't care. I stayed up the whole night Tuesday with my heart racing out of my chest, my lungs hurting, my left arm numb, and stopping breathing every time I drifted off to sleep. Steroids do that to me every time. So all day Wednesday I laid on the couch and tried to heal after eating a little ice cream here and there. At this point besides my throat finally feeling better, I was starting to get concerned why I wasn't really getting better. I still couldn't sleep either still.
I got 2 hours of sleep sitting up Wednesday night and woke Thursday feeling the same and with the constant week-long headache. I slept another 2 hours total Thursday night and woke up Friday having to go to work because there was 'nothing' wrong with me. Friday my voice was gone and I had developed a WICKED deep deep deep chest cough that wouldn't stop until I gagged non-stop. Nothing offered even a little bit of relief but Mucinex and cough drops/gum. I SUFFERED through work. Friday night I slept 5 HOURS!!! Win!!!!
Saturday and Sunday my cough got worse and I laid on the couch. Monday I had to go to work again but my antibiotics were out at this point. I was forced to do physical labor in the heat Monday and absolutely suffered. My fever came back. I felt like passing out. Wednesday my lungs started feeling incredibly painful at work and it was hard to breathe. I went back to the doctor again, with 'nothing' wrong with me but they prescribed me another 5 day antibiotic pack.
5 hours of sleep Wednesday night and I woke up Thursday feeling a tiny bit better. I was still blowing my nose and deep coughing 1,000 times an hour. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I laid on the couch sleeping 6 hours total a day sitting up. I still felt ehh. But Monday morning, on the last day of my antibiotics again, I felt normal. I had stopped couching, stopped blowing my nose, my stomach felt normal and I could eat again, and I finally slept 8 hours that night! The rest of that week I felt good.
Then mom visited me Thursday night and I had been working in those bad conditions at work again and stayed outside looking at my house again and my head felt like it did 3 weeks prior and my vision blacked out for 2 hours. I couldn't see anything. Mom drove me home and I drank Gatorade and went to sleep early panicked. On Friday I took it easy at work but still had to go in the hot conditions and felt very similar to the night before. I spend Friday night resting and taking it easy. From then on I have felt normal and it has been another week and a day.
I honestly have severe PTSD from the whole last month. I don't know what happened to be honest. I scares me so much. A few moments during that time, it was so bad I almost wanted to be put out of my misery I hurt so bad. I was so so so sick for 3 weeks straight. What was wrong me and what happened? If you have any idea what I had, can you let me know in the comments? I NEVER get sick and NEVER have to go to the doctor. This was by far the worst I have ever felt in my entire life. Even worse than when I had full blown pneumonia 4 years ago (last time I was sick even at all). Some insight would really help me out especially since I am scared to get this again. Even now my throat hurts slightly every now and then. I gained 7.5 pounds in the 3 weeks even though I didn't eat ANYTHING hardly at all (but a few cough drops and like 10 bites of ice cream every day). *And no i'm not pregnant*
So now I am trying to stay positive and not think about it moving forward. That was such a bad bad time and I worried I was going to literally die. It's scary when doctor's don't take you serious.
Cody in his element.
Cody was sick for about a week also, but not as severe and had very different symptoms. One of the nights while I was sick, Cody couldn't stop coughing for over an hour (of seriously non-stop coughing, surprisingly just like me) and couldn't breathe and kept choking. He started turning blue around the lips and I was so panicked. I got him medicine and tried to give him tips that helped me during those attacks I had been battling all week. After another 30 minutes and deep slow breathing techniques and sips of water, he was mostly able to calm down, breathe, and get his normal color back. It was so so so so so scary.
........................................................................
Through the craziness of September, somewhere in the midst of it, there was some sunshine. Our little nephew was born!
Cody's oldest brother (half brother) and his wife had their second son, Kamren Daniel Scurlock. 8lbs 5oz 21 inches long.
5.5 year old Kaden was so excited he finally got a sibling!
.................
During the midst of all of that also...... Cody and I were unfortunately stolen $2,800 from but managed to get most of that back, all but $600. It was 100% not our fault and we are very very upset about it. That story is for anther time.
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During the first weekend of feeling better, Cody took me to get Sonics new fried oreos!!! 6/10 good!!
Oh! Also on August 27th before the craziness happened, I went the first day the PSL came out at Starbucks for the year! Delicious as always! This year they aren't putting whipped cream on the PSL's so that is a little sad, just foamed milk.
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The next weekend I visited mom and Morgan and we took a little day trip to Gatlinburg!
Sweet Sasha!
Gatlinburg went all out for their Fall decor! I LOVED it!
We started our morning by eating at the pancake pantry which I had been wanting to try for YEARS. It was pretty good! I got walnut orange pancakes!
Afterwards, we got to ride the new gondolas to the Anakeesta village!
The views were breathtaking! The rocking chairs were a plus too!!!
If it weren't so hot I could have stayed there forever!!
The had tree bridges in the sky!!
They also honored the people who lost their lives in the devastating fire 3 years ago. It was interesting learning about the facts of those dreadful days.
We ended the day by visiting the Christmas store and purchasing Christmas presents!
What a fun weekend with family!!
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Also to add to all of September's stress, it was very difficult to miss 4 day's of work (had the doctors note). If you didn't know, back in the beginning of June I (along with the 8 other members of my group in Innovation at Shaw) were told we had 2 days to find a new position within the company because our group was being shut down. Talk about a shock. I was so caught off guard. I scrambled to find a new group hopefully still at my plant, and thankfully joined a LEAN manufacturing group under a really great boss at RP. I worked this job for 2 months until my then boss came in and announced that he along with a lot of other people were leaving the company. I was SHOOK. Very distressed, I worried about where my job was going. Someone from another plant was absorbed into our plant/group and happened to be the new plant manager at my plant for our third product that we were launching in October. He is a great boss too! So I quickly made the stressful transition once again and have been able to take part in a very unique opportunity starting up a new line and new product. I am so excited. Monday starts the first day where I will be working 7 days a week 14+ hours a day until at least Christmas when we are hopefully making A grade product. I will be exhausted but it will be all worth it. I am the only process engineer on the line!!!!
This year has truly lived up to it's word, calm, and what state I need to strive to be in. With the craziness this year and last few months have brought, I try to stay calm. There has been so much change.
Also, our house is waaaaaay behind schedule. We can't move forward with even the smallest things such as painting the walls. It took 3.5 months for the brick to be complete. I don't know when we will be moving in. Maybe next year?
Also Cody will be having serious feet surgery (wheelchair bound for 8+weeks) in the midst of moving into the house.
October
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Trying to take in all of this change and my last time having a weekend (during my favorite time of year unfortunately) I am trying to make the best of it all and keep my mind positive.
I walked the greenway today to clear my head and be strong walking into the season of life and to try to keep my body and mind healthy.
Leaving the greenway God placed two ducks under my car. I had to navigate the car wheels around the peaceful ducks and they didn't move an inch just quietly sleeping.
Yesterday Cody and I drove up to Kingsport TN to watch UT finally win and spend time with Morgan and Edgar. I have been looking forward to a double date with my sister and her spouse, and me and my spouse since I was in high school imagining how fun it would be. It was a blast! We had a double date at Cheddars and got to play with their dogs in their little place!
My mom has been on a cruise this past week for her fall break with Gigi and Granddad and Sasha was so excited to see them when they returned.
A week before that mom was in Denver for a conference! I was jealous she got to visit Colorado! I've got 18 states marked off my list, I will reach all 50 one day!
As for now, I don't know. The next 3-4 months will be so unknown with my new position at work, Cody's surgery, maybe moving into our house, and navigating the holidays around all of this. I also have some other serious plans to achieve that I will talk about later!
Stay tuned and bear with me while I try to figure all of this out!
P.S. Check out my 50 facts about me post on the blog toolbar for entertainment about me!
With so much love,
Kayla Raborn
10/13/19
