I still don't know what happened...

[Tammy]

Last Monday, my husband took me in to a medical clinic for dehydration. I had been ill for two days. I'd been taking in lots of fluids, but when my hands started drawing up, we knew I needed an IV.

So they hooked me up to hydrate me, and got me settled into bed. Daniel went home (just a few blocks away) to check on the children, and then things went downhill from there. My hands went to sleep, and my arms started drawing up. I felt myself losing feeling, and I told the staff something was wrong, it was getting worse. Before long, I could not communicate. I was resisting unconsciousness and they were trying to reach the doctor when I had some kind of seizure, then all was still.

I was aware when the doctor finally came in, but I could not look at him or respond. I think they did something with my drip, then Daniel came in, looking very concerned. He said my arms were all drawn up over my head, I'd kicked the blankets off and my feet were stretched out straight. We have no clue what happened to me.

They added some electrolytes to my drip, and I started coming back. Soon I was able to respond again, and started getting feeling back in my extremities. I just rested there for the rest of the evening, then Daniel took me home for the night.

That was a week ago. My neck and back have been extremely sore from that seizure. We have to go back eventually to talk to that doctor and the nurses who attended me, to find out what happened, but I'm almost positive we'll never know. IF they do know, they will not likely tell us the whole truth. Please pray that we will get the information we need to know, if it is a blood sugar problem, an electrolyte problem, or what, so that we can avoid problems in the future.

[George]

Sister what an incredible journey that was! Bear in mind that I am not a doctor but it certainly sounds to me as if it was an electrolyte problem. The symptoms just seem to point to that being the cause of the dehydration and the seizure.

Dehydration is an interesting thing. When they hauled me off to the hospital in the ambulance a few weeks ago one of the first things I was really aware of was the paramedic saying that I was extremely dehydrated. I had no idea how that could have happened as I almost always have something to drink in my hand or nearby. When I got out of the hospital I got to doing some research to find out what was going on.

It is very commonplace these days to hear about how we should drink 8 glasses of water a day. That much water contains very little of the necessary electrolytes our bodies need. It also serves to actually flush the electrolytes out of our bodies. Drinking that much water can be bad for you too. It can cause problems with kidneys and various other things.

I now take a powder that is high in various electrolytes. It contains magnesium, calcium, zinc (very important), and a number of other things. It is a powder as I said and can be mixed with just about anything to make what amounts to a sports drink such as Gatorade or something like that only on steroids. (There aren't any steroids in it it is just really powerful.) The one thing it is lacking in is potassium. I have switched from using table salt of any kind to using potassium chloride. Just a small amount of it contains all the potassium the body requires.

This particular product is marketed by a company called LifeSource in Salem Oregon. It is called Fizzy Cal-Min. The "Cal" is in there because the source of the electrolytes is from citrate chelates and not inorganic sources such as oyster shell calcium and so forth. It tastes good too! You may be able to find it on the internet. Just one glass of it a day provides all of the necessary electrolytes we need each day.

Oh, don't try mixing it with carbonated beverages such as Coca-Cola. I am a bit head-strong and have a "let's see what happens if I do this" attitude. So one day I put the necessary amount of powder in a glass of coke and it looked like the science experiment we do with our children using baking soda and vinegar. Did it ever fizz! I didn't think it would quit and my wife just stood there laughing. When it finally slowed down her comment was, "You know you have to clean that up don't you?"

Anyway I shall carry you on my prayer list. Drink lots of liquids and keep the electrolytes in balance.

In Christ,
George

[Deleted]

Sorry to hear about that . Seizures are VERY scary, especially the first one. I'm epileptic so I know how bad they are.

I agree with George about dehydration. I tend not to be very thirsty and I always have trouble staying hydrated. I know it sounds weird but Koolaid helps me stay hydrated. I get tired of the water taste after awhile so this helps.

The seizure you had sounds like complex partial seizures, the type I have.

I'm praying for you!

Katrina