Nausea & Me

Over the past year nausea & I have developed a close, personal relationship.  Meningitis, when it's in full swing, causes such a gut wrenching nausea that you get sick until there is nothing left inside your stomach, until the bile has burned your throat and scorched your tongue and all you can do is cry weakly in between bouts.  The poor nurses obviously feel horrible for me as they desperately pump Zofran and Phenergan alternately into my IV as often as they can.  The only relief comes when the anti-nausea medication works in conjunction with the Dilaudid to give me an hour or two of fitful sleep here and there.  I'm not sure if this reoccurring meningitis has given my stomach a predilection for queasiness but I am far more sensitive to certain smells and tastes now.  Foods that I used to love in the past need to be avoided at all costs and the scent of Jimmy's favorite meatloaf in the oven is enough to make me gag.  

Then there's the chemo.  For me, on the pill form, it causes a low grade nausea.  Something that's just stewing in my stomach and waiting for the right moment to flare up in full.  It's like that slight, but very annoying, headache that buzzes in the back of your head all day.  Now that I'm currently waiting for insurance approval of the IV chemo, I can only imagine that the nausea will be worse on a stronger dose like that.  We will see.  

In the last year I have also developed coping mechanisms to handle the nausea.  I have found certain foods that seem to settle my stomach and my amazingly wonderful husband is quick to run out for them at the first sign of nausea.  I was not blessed to have children with Jimmy but I just know that he would have been that husband that ran out in the middle of the night to get me Starbursts, Pringles and a container of cream cheese.  After the first bout of meningitis, the only food that I could eat was cold food such as a Frosty from Wendy's, salads, cottage cheese, pudding or yogurt.  It took nearly a year for me to start drinking hot coffee again and forget about eggs...I used to eat them almost every day but the idea of a scrambled egg now...blahhh!  

Meghan's Nausea Relief List

   1.  Zofran-better living through chemistry!

   2.  A Wendy's Frosty

   3.  A mocha frappe from McD's (are we sensing the cold, sweet, chocolately theme?)

   4.  Laffy Taffy's

   5.  A Slim 4 with cheese from Jimmy Johns

I can't tell you how many times Jimmy has dropped everything and ran to get one, or all, of these items for me.  I am one lucky woman!   

Revenge of the Meninges.....

One thing I have learned with this disease....never assume.  Never get complacent while your symptoms are in remission because you never know when they are going to rear up and bite you in the tush.  This week for example.  I had many things to tick off my to do list.  By Monday afternoon, I had our bread baked (and somehow managed to break the glass plate in our microwave, go me!) but I started to feel quite blah.  By 2 I was on the couch, by 2:15 I was shaking with a headache and a fever and by 2:45 I called my husband home.  By 5 I was in the hospital getting my 8th spinal tap of the last 10 months.  My temp was at 103.  The nausea and vomiting began.  Sure enough, meningitis strikes back...AGAIN.  This was my 5th bout since mid December.  I was moved into an ICU room by 11 and there began the round of wake ups for neuro and vital checks.  The biggest blessing with this stint of meningitis was that it didn't seem to affect my brain as much.  What a blessing!  I always knew who I was and where I was at all times. 

I was in ICU until Wednesday and then moved to a "general population" room as I like to call it where they could stop wearing the gowns and masks.  The MRI was pretty unpleasant.  About half way through I was sure I was going to be ill so I made them stop.  I really dislike MRI's under the best of circumstances but when you are coping with nausea and headaches from meningitis as well as a headache from the spinal tap, it's no walk in the park.  

The two best things about being ill is all the prayers & love that pour out to us from family, friends and our church family, as well as the lovely visitors I get in the hospital and at home afterwards.  This time around an old old old (yep David, you are OLD!) friend came up to visit whom I haven't seen in years.  He came bearing chocolate ice cream!  :)

Tuesday had been miserable with headaches and pains.  By Wednesday night I was able to wean off all of the pain meds which is wonderful.  Thursday morning I was raring to go and the doctors were so surprised (this what happens when they give you intravenous steroids that would make a football player happy) but they released me!  

Now the recovery journey begins.  Building up my energy, getting back into sleeping at home without hospital wake ups but with other distractions like husbands and dogs, learning to take it easy (which, ask anyone who knows me, that does NOT come easy to me) and to just relax.  

I'm looking forward to a weekend of nothingness.  I'm knitting my boy a hat, and will work on some other projects that only require me to sit on my rear and relax.  I am hoping next week I can start to (SLOWLY...so don't yell yet Lea) get back into the swing of things.  Here's to hoping we can keep the meningitis at bay......