Mystery Sickness | Teen Ink

Mystery Sickness

May 23, 2011
By paytin BRONZE, Paulina, Louisiana
paytin BRONZE, Paulina, Louisiana
4 articles 0 photos 2 comments

“Oh God, what did I just do?” I thought to myself as I took my second pill. An hour ago I had just taken my medicine, and I completely forgot that I had taken it already. It was just Imipramine, which is the medicine I take to control my bladder. It cannot be that bad of a medicine, so I thought. I could not move for about 5 minutes. I was in complete horror. I felt chills run down body. My ride for school would be here in ten minutes. I looked out the window and saw the sun rising. Telling my mom what I had accidently done was the next thing that rushed into my head. I ran to her room as fast as I could and told her what I just had done.

“I do not know what kind of medicine that is! I am not sure if it can affect you in any way!” My mom had just finished telling me. “I will call poison control and see what they say, tell your ride to wait outside for a minute.” She said. I walked outside and it was a little chilly. It was late October, and Halloween was just next week. I told my ride to wait a few minutes, and I rushed back inside. My mom had just gotten off the phone with poison control, and her face expression did not tell me if it was good or bad. She finally said “They say that it will just make you a bit drowsy. Do you want to go to school today”? I had a big math test today that I just had to pass. I could not miss school. “Yeah I will be fine. I will go.” I said. She told me to call if I needed anything. First period was agonizing. I could only keep my eyes open for a second. My head hit the desk so hard it awoke me. Was I really just sleeping? I never sleep in class. Everyone was staring at me. My teacher asked if I needed to call home because I did not look so well. I just could not abide it anymore. I had to call home. My mom came get me, and she brought me to her office at work. There is a sofa in her office, so I fell asleep very quickly. When I awoke it was 5:00. My mom had awakened me. I slept the whole day, and I also slept on the ride home. When I was walking into the house I felt a slight pain in my back. I just thought I slept crooked. I did not eat that night, and I did not eat for the next 4 days. I felt nauseous all the time. I could not even look at food. I felt by body getting weaker and weaker every day. I told my mom about my pain and she called the doctor. The doctor told my mom that the medicine I had been taking was for depression, but it was also used for bladder control. Depression medicine is usually very strong. My mom was very shocked that Dr. James Mairo, a bladder specialist, did not tell her that the medicine was also a treatment for Depression. My mom told them how I was reacting to the medicine, and the doctor told her to bring me to the hospital right away.

I did not want to go to the hospital. I was refusing. I could barely move my legs now, and I had not eaten in 5 days. The whole ride to the hospital I was shaking and very nervous. I did not know what was in store for me. I never did like the thought of being in the hospital, so I was terrified. My phone buzzed. I checked the text message, and it said:
Joshua: 1:9 look it up when you have time. It should make you feel better. From Whit
Well I obviously did not have my bible with me, so I could not look it up right then and there. I would wait until I was all settled down to find a bible. We did not wait long in the emergency waiting room. They took all my information down, and they sent me to a room. They sent me to the pediatric center. When I walked into the emergency room the bed was so small. I did not think I could fit in it but I did. When the nurse left I noticed my mom, my friend Harley, and my sister Presley all staring at me. I hated to cause trouble to them. They could be doing something tonight other than sitting here and watching me hurt. After two hours of being in the emergency room I had to use the restroom. That was a problem, since I could not move at all. We called a nurse in. She helped me up and she walked me to the bathroom, very slowly. It took about ten minutes there and ten minutes back. The doctors had ran many tests and everything seemed okay. Well obviously things were not okay. The doctor had come in the room to tell us that the medicine had been washed out of my system a long time ago, and they said I should not be acting the way I am. They told me I should stay overnight because they believed something was wrong with my nerve system.

While they were wheeling me in to my hospital room, I felt very dizzy. I closed my eyes. When we got to my room I opened my eyes. The room was very big. It had a chair on the side of my bed. It had a bed that moved to my position when I moved. They had a sofa also. I hated to be trapped in a bed all day and all night. I felt worthless at that point. It was eleven o’clock P.M when I finally laid in my bed. I slept for five minutes, and before you knew it there was nurses giving me medicine and asking how I was feeling. Now do not get me wrong I loved the generosity, but I was exhausted. I wish they would leave me alone. All throughout the night nurses were coming in to refill my IV bag and giving me medicine. I didn’t get much sleep. At seven o’clock A.M I awoke to a lady with big wings on her back, and she had a blue wig and a wand. She saw me awake and told me “Happy Halloween!” Wow, it was Halloween already. I had no idea it was Halloween, I just thought I had a strange nurse. I wanted to go home, and enjoy my Halloween. I did not want to be cooped up in this room all day and night again. When the nurse left I saw my mom sitting on the sofa. I guess Harley and Presley left last night while I was resting. I asked my mom to give me a bible so I could read the verse my friend had told me to look up. I opened to Joshua1:9 and it read:
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

I thought about that verse for a very long time. She was right. It did help me a lot. I felt stronger, not physically but mentally. The doctor had come in and said that a nerve specialist would come see me very soon. I asked him if I would be able to be discharged today. He told me that it all depended on what the nerve specialist would say. Soon after he left a lady walked in and introduced herself as the “nerve doctor”. She asked me questions, a lot of them, and she ran a couple of tests. She took out a giraffe looking stick, and she hit my knee with it. “Did this lady really just hit me with a giraffe? Does she think I am five?” I am thirteen! I thought to myself. She told me I was fine, and nothing was wrong with me. My mom had lost it by then. She said “She can’t walk! She doesn’t want to eat! She can’t MOVE! She is not fine.” She was right. Did these people think I was crazy? The doctor had told my mom to walk outside and talk. I wish they would not do that. I like to know what is going on. I hate being clueless. I wanted to go home NOW. I did not care if I would not walk anymore. I needed to get out of this hell hole. My mom came back in the room unaccompanied. She said that the doctor had told her that all this was being caused by stress. I did not respond right away. I defiantly was not stressed out. That was the last thing I was. I was scared, yes. I was angry, yes, but that is because I hated this place. My mom told me that we would see the physiatrist. “NO, I do not need to see anybody. I am not stressed one bit.” I said. My mom did not make me go. She knew I was not stressed out. These doctors were crazy. That day I started to eat a little. I was not as nauseous anymore. I had been getting better. That night I was discharged from the hospital. They said they could do nothing for me anymore. It will have to go away on its own. I packed my bag, and the nurse wheeled me out to the car.

To this day we do not know what caused that sickness. It went away a week after I was home. I began to eat normally again, and I was brand new. We are still confused on what happened, but I have defiantly learned my lesson about being careful with medicine. I still think something was caused by the medicine, but my opinion never mattered to the doctors. I am sure it was just a coincidence that the day I took the medicine I happened to get sick… Yeah right.

The author's comments:
When I became sick, I realized that it would not be easy to get rid of whatever I had. I have learned my lesson to be careful with medicine. No matter how big or small the pill is, it can be very dangerous. Also, I learned that I should be very thankful for the healthy human being I am. Some people do not get the chance to walk everyday, and some people live in hospitals. I am very happy that I can share my experience with all of you.

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paytin BRONZE said...
on Jun. 7 2011 at 8:23 am
paytin BRONZE, Paulina, Louisiana
4 articles 0 photos 2 comments
I hope you all enjoy my article! i worked very hard on it. I would love any tips or advice to improve in my writing. Thanks!