So, yesterday was a pretty.. interesting day.
As most of you may know, I am Epileptic. I have suffered from Epilepsy/Seizure Disorder since I was a 6 week old baby. This has been a life long struggle for me and an even bigger struggle for my loved ones around me. Because of my illness, I have suffered many near death experiences, cruel bullying and ridicule, and a lot of set backs in my life goals.
Last night was probably one of the most frightening.
I don't remember anything, and from my point of view everything was mostly dark. I was unconscious through 90% of the "event"... So I have to give you the story from Kerry or my mother's point of view and what they told me had happened.
I had been feeling kind of sick over the weekend, but never really had any seizures or problems minus auras and some nausea. I wasn't sure what was triggering the sick feelings, but since I wasn't seizing I did my best to just ignore it. That was my first mistake..
My biggest mistake was allowing myself to get back in to drinking Sundrop. I'm not sure if many people know what Sundrop is, but here in Tennessee it is an extremely popular "lime" soda that is extremely addictive. In other words, POISON.
While Sundrop is delicious and for the longest time was the love of my life, I have discovered that it has been the reason for many of my near death escapades. I am heart broken at the idea of never being able to drink it ever again, but it is nothing more than an addiction that was literally killing me and it is in my best interest to never put it in my body again. It is best to warn the rest of you about exactly how dangerous this drink really is....
Ever since my fiance and I started dating, I have been on a pretty intense health kick. I have been eating clean and healthy, plus cutting all sodas from my diet completely. This includes Sundrop. Cutting the addiction was hard, but for about 3 to 4 months I did really well without. I hadn't had any seizures, and my health had improved greatly. Kerry kept me updated on my medication, fed me healthy foods, and I had been drinking more water and left Sundrop completely out of my daily routine. I had gone from drinking up to 6 Sundrops a day to none what so ever. While I was suffering from this addiction, however, I also suffered from regular seizures. In and out of the hospital, not having a clue what was triggering most of them. So you can imagine after finally experiencing some freedom for a couple of months, yesterday was a big punch to the face.
I don't remember anything, I just remember waking up in the ambulance confused and frightened. From Kerry & my mother's point of view...
My mom came by to bring December, my yorkie, home from visiting her and my dad. She was standing in the doorway talking to Kerry while I was napping on the couch. I stood up, walked in to the front room, and waved hello to my mother. They said I seemed a little groggy and off balance. I went walking towards Kerry, reached for him, and fell forward. I caught myself on his shoulder, looked up at him, and I was gone. My eyes rolled back in to my head, and I collapsed. Kerry was able to catch me and gently lay me down in the floor, but my whole body went stiff and I started shaking. The scariest part is I wasn't breathing. My mom told me that I turned blue, and she had to push on my chest and pry my mouth open with her thumb to get me breathing again. My tongue was stuck to the top of my mouth and it took ten minutes for the actual seizure to stop. I was unconscious/blacked out for a good while. I don't remember anything until I woke up in the ambulance being stabbed to death by two incompetent ambulance drivers.
Don't even get me started on how useless the hospital was. Hospitals and doctors have never been able to help or benefit me in any way, but I think last night was one of the worst experiences. The ambulance took their sweet time getting me to the hospital. And once I was conscious, none of them seemed to know how to take blood. They were trying to get my blood sugar, but all they did was constantly miss my veins and end up stabbing me about 5 times in each arm. My left hand is completely useless right now. Swollen and purple, extremely damaged from how many times one of the idiots stabbed me and drug the needle in and out of my skin about 15 times. They poked and stabbed me until I was yelling in pain, demanding they stop. They finally checked my blood sugar by pricking my finger because none of them knew how to use a needle. Couldn't they have just used that method in the first place and saved me all the pain? I am more damaged and injured from the ambulance ride than I am the actual seizure. And to make matters worse, when they got me out of the ambulance and pulled me inside on the stretcher, I had to lay there and listen to one of the men from the ambulance flirt and carry on pointless conversation with the woman at the front desk. They sat there discussing an outfit the girl had been wearing in one of her Facebook pictures for a good 5 minutes before I finally spoke up and asked them if they had forgotten I was laying there on a stretcher. I honestly would have been better off if no one even bothered to call these idiots to come and get me.
It took the woman at the desk about 10 minutes to get my name. Due to my adoption when I was 10, my name had changed since the last time I had been at that horrible hospital.. (I was unable to go to my regular hospital and was stuck at the Hixson Memorial Hospital)... The woman continuously asked me my name and "if i was sure" that my name was correct. I was ready to pull my hair out.
"I was adopted years ago. My name is K'LEE APPLE HENRY!"
"Is K'lee your middle name?"
"NO. I just said that APPLE is my middle name. K'lee Apple Henry!"
"I have something different in the computer.."
"Like I just said, I was adopted and my name changed!"
"Is that your maiden name? Did you get married?"
"NO. I WAS ADOPTED. My name is K'LEE APPLE HENRY!"
"So your first name is K'lee?"
"YES."
"Where does the Teresa come from?"
"IT DOESN'T! That doesn't matter!! That is not my name!! My name is K'LEE APPLE HENRY! It's VERY SIMPLE!"
By this point my frustration was obvious. She was lucky I didn't jump from that stretcher and across that desk on her.
After the incompetent fool finally took a couple of seconds to understand the English language, my name was settled and I was in a room. After a few pointless hours of having blood taken, tests run, and having my name and birthday asked from me exactly seven thousand and twenty nine times from every person in that hospital, I was ready to be home. A pointless trip.. I would be better off suffocating and seizing in my kitchen floor at home. I can not express my hatred for hospitals enough.
But enough rambling.
Luckily, the end results were that I came home safe and sound. I am sick, tired, pale, and weak. But I'm alive. So that is all that matters for now. All in all, it boils down to those damned Sundrops. I let myself go back to drinking that poison and made myself sick.
I did research, and learned that Sundrop contains an ingredient called that triggers seizures in Epileptics. So it wasn't hard to figure out what made me sick. It induces seizures in anyone with any form of a seizure disorder, along with a lot of other horrible side effects. This stuff is extremely unhealthy, and even though I always knew it was bad for me, I didn't fully understand how dangerous it was until now.
I was killing myself by drinking this stuff, and I really need to make sure to not let it happen anymore. It's very hard considering I am addicted, but I have to tough through it. The first thing I wanted this morning (or evening, better yet) when I woke up was a Sundrop. I craved it like something fierce.. and it has been a battle with myself all day.
I strongly suggest that everyone else look long and hard in to Sundrop and what kind of things you are putting in your bodies when you drink it. I know a lot of people who love Sundrop as much as I do, and are just as clueless about how bad it really is.
I read that it can cause:
MISCARRIAGES
PREGNANCY PROBLEMS
ARTHRITIS
EXTREME WEIGHT GAIN
SEIZURES
EARLY MENOPAUSE
SKIN DISORDERS
BREAST PAINS
BREAST CANCER
CERVICAL PROBLEMS
DAMAGED BRAIN CELLS
HEAR DISEASE
And much, much more.
And this isn't just one of those regular warnings of harmful side effects that can happen after thousands and thousands and thousands of drinks. These are things that can happen to anyone who just drinks a few of these things. It is a very serious issue. I had no idea how bad it truly was. And now that I do, I am extremely freaked out and feel worried about how much of this I have honestly put in to my body. So everyone be very careful, and watch what you allow in to your system and in to your diet.
But in other news, I am ok and safe at home. I need a few days to rest and recuperate, not to mention get my ill mood under control. I should be back on my feet and back to normal in a few days. Recovering from seizures is a really difficult task, and any one else who deals with this illness can agree with me.
I just need to say that I am very thankful for my sweet fiance and my awesome mom. Without them, I probably wouldn't be here to write this blog right now. I just hope that everyone can start to open their eyes and start to see exactly how dangerous this really is for me. I have dealt with a lot of bullying because of my seizures, and have even been accused by many ignorant people of faking this. After this, I hope that those of you who have given me problems can see that what I have been going through is very real and that if they can't say something intelligent and positive, they need to just shut up and stay away from me. Epilepsy is a very serious illness with no cure, and people die from it every day. And I hope that somehow my blogs and me sharing my experiences can help raise awareness and put a stop to the hatefulness of people who do not understand and cause others like me any problems.
If you, too, are struggling from seizures and bullying, please stay strong. I am with you, and I know and understand your struggle. We are strong people. Stronger than any average person. We endure more than the average human body is supposed to handle, and we emotionally and physically put up with so much. We do struggle, and we do suffer, and we do fight and remain powerful. We are a strong group of people, and we can do this!!!
As most of you may know, I am Epileptic. I have suffered from Epilepsy/Seizure Disorder since I was a 6 week old baby. This has been a life long struggle for me and an even bigger struggle for my loved ones around me. Because of my illness, I have suffered many near death experiences, cruel bullying and ridicule, and a lot of set backs in my life goals.
Last night was probably one of the most frightening.
I don't remember anything, and from my point of view everything was mostly dark. I was unconscious through 90% of the "event"... So I have to give you the story from Kerry or my mother's point of view and what they told me had happened.
I had been feeling kind of sick over the weekend, but never really had any seizures or problems minus auras and some nausea. I wasn't sure what was triggering the sick feelings, but since I wasn't seizing I did my best to just ignore it. That was my first mistake..
My biggest mistake was allowing myself to get back in to drinking Sundrop. I'm not sure if many people know what Sundrop is, but here in Tennessee it is an extremely popular "lime" soda that is extremely addictive. In other words, POISON.
Ever since my fiance and I started dating, I have been on a pretty intense health kick. I have been eating clean and healthy, plus cutting all sodas from my diet completely. This includes Sundrop. Cutting the addiction was hard, but for about 3 to 4 months I did really well without. I hadn't had any seizures, and my health had improved greatly. Kerry kept me updated on my medication, fed me healthy foods, and I had been drinking more water and left Sundrop completely out of my daily routine. I had gone from drinking up to 6 Sundrops a day to none what so ever. While I was suffering from this addiction, however, I also suffered from regular seizures. In and out of the hospital, not having a clue what was triggering most of them. So you can imagine after finally experiencing some freedom for a couple of months, yesterday was a big punch to the face.
I don't remember anything, I just remember waking up in the ambulance confused and frightened. From Kerry & my mother's point of view...
My mom came by to bring December, my yorkie, home from visiting her and my dad. She was standing in the doorway talking to Kerry while I was napping on the couch. I stood up, walked in to the front room, and waved hello to my mother. They said I seemed a little groggy and off balance. I went walking towards Kerry, reached for him, and fell forward. I caught myself on his shoulder, looked up at him, and I was gone. My eyes rolled back in to my head, and I collapsed. Kerry was able to catch me and gently lay me down in the floor, but my whole body went stiff and I started shaking. The scariest part is I wasn't breathing. My mom told me that I turned blue, and she had to push on my chest and pry my mouth open with her thumb to get me breathing again. My tongue was stuck to the top of my mouth and it took ten minutes for the actual seizure to stop. I was unconscious/blacked out for a good while. I don't remember anything until I woke up in the ambulance being stabbed to death by two incompetent ambulance drivers.
Don't even get me started on how useless the hospital was. Hospitals and doctors have never been able to help or benefit me in any way, but I think last night was one of the worst experiences. The ambulance took their sweet time getting me to the hospital. And once I was conscious, none of them seemed to know how to take blood. They were trying to get my blood sugar, but all they did was constantly miss my veins and end up stabbing me about 5 times in each arm. My left hand is completely useless right now. Swollen and purple, extremely damaged from how many times one of the idiots stabbed me and drug the needle in and out of my skin about 15 times. They poked and stabbed me until I was yelling in pain, demanding they stop. They finally checked my blood sugar by pricking my finger because none of them knew how to use a needle. Couldn't they have just used that method in the first place and saved me all the pain? I am more damaged and injured from the ambulance ride than I am the actual seizure. And to make matters worse, when they got me out of the ambulance and pulled me inside on the stretcher, I had to lay there and listen to one of the men from the ambulance flirt and carry on pointless conversation with the woman at the front desk. They sat there discussing an outfit the girl had been wearing in one of her Facebook pictures for a good 5 minutes before I finally spoke up and asked them if they had forgotten I was laying there on a stretcher. I honestly would have been better off if no one even bothered to call these idiots to come and get me.
It took the woman at the desk about 10 minutes to get my name. Due to my adoption when I was 10, my name had changed since the last time I had been at that horrible hospital.. (I was unable to go to my regular hospital and was stuck at the Hixson Memorial Hospital)... The woman continuously asked me my name and "if i was sure" that my name was correct. I was ready to pull my hair out.
"I was adopted years ago. My name is K'LEE APPLE HENRY!"
"Is K'lee your middle name?"
"NO. I just said that APPLE is my middle name. K'lee Apple Henry!"
"I have something different in the computer.."
"Like I just said, I was adopted and my name changed!"
"Is that your maiden name? Did you get married?"
"NO. I WAS ADOPTED. My name is K'LEE APPLE HENRY!"
"So your first name is K'lee?"
"YES."
"Where does the Teresa come from?"
"IT DOESN'T! That doesn't matter!! That is not my name!! My name is K'LEE APPLE HENRY! It's VERY SIMPLE!"
By this point my frustration was obvious. She was lucky I didn't jump from that stretcher and across that desk on her.
After the incompetent fool finally took a couple of seconds to understand the English language, my name was settled and I was in a room. After a few pointless hours of having blood taken, tests run, and having my name and birthday asked from me exactly seven thousand and twenty nine times from every person in that hospital, I was ready to be home. A pointless trip.. I would be better off suffocating and seizing in my kitchen floor at home. I can not express my hatred for hospitals enough.
But enough rambling.
Luckily, the end results were that I came home safe and sound. I am sick, tired, pale, and weak. But I'm alive. So that is all that matters for now. All in all, it boils down to those damned Sundrops. I let myself go back to drinking that poison and made myself sick.
I did research, and learned that Sundrop contains an ingredient called that triggers seizures in Epileptics. So it wasn't hard to figure out what made me sick. It induces seizures in anyone with any form of a seizure disorder, along with a lot of other horrible side effects. This stuff is extremely unhealthy, and even though I always knew it was bad for me, I didn't fully understand how dangerous it was until now.
I was killing myself by drinking this stuff, and I really need to make sure to not let it happen anymore. It's very hard considering I am addicted, but I have to tough through it. The first thing I wanted this morning (or evening, better yet) when I woke up was a Sundrop. I craved it like something fierce.. and it has been a battle with myself all day.
I strongly suggest that everyone else look long and hard in to Sundrop and what kind of things you are putting in your bodies when you drink it. I know a lot of people who love Sundrop as much as I do, and are just as clueless about how bad it really is.
I read that it can cause:
MISCARRIAGES
PREGNANCY PROBLEMS
ARTHRITIS
EXTREME WEIGHT GAIN
SEIZURES
EARLY MENOPAUSE
SKIN DISORDERS
BREAST PAINS
BREAST CANCER
CERVICAL PROBLEMS
DAMAGED BRAIN CELLS
HEAR DISEASE
And much, much more.
And this isn't just one of those regular warnings of harmful side effects that can happen after thousands and thousands and thousands of drinks. These are things that can happen to anyone who just drinks a few of these things. It is a very serious issue. I had no idea how bad it truly was. And now that I do, I am extremely freaked out and feel worried about how much of this I have honestly put in to my body. So everyone be very careful, and watch what you allow in to your system and in to your diet.
But in other news, I am ok and safe at home. I need a few days to rest and recuperate, not to mention get my ill mood under control. I should be back on my feet and back to normal in a few days. Recovering from seizures is a really difficult task, and any one else who deals with this illness can agree with me.
I just need to say that I am very thankful for my sweet fiance and my awesome mom. Without them, I probably wouldn't be here to write this blog right now. I just hope that everyone can start to open their eyes and start to see exactly how dangerous this really is for me. I have dealt with a lot of bullying because of my seizures, and have even been accused by many ignorant people of faking this. After this, I hope that those of you who have given me problems can see that what I have been going through is very real and that if they can't say something intelligent and positive, they need to just shut up and stay away from me. Epilepsy is a very serious illness with no cure, and people die from it every day. And I hope that somehow my blogs and me sharing my experiences can help raise awareness and put a stop to the hatefulness of people who do not understand and cause others like me any problems.
If you, too, are struggling from seizures and bullying, please stay strong. I am with you, and I know and understand your struggle. We are strong people. Stronger than any average person. We endure more than the average human body is supposed to handle, and we emotionally and physically put up with so much. We do struggle, and we do suffer, and we do fight and remain powerful. We are a strong group of people, and we can do this!!!
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