I have to apologize for not keeping these diaries current. This past week has been quite a nightmare.

Late Saturday night, January 5th, I lost some of my hearing. Since this had happened before, I figured I was in for another bout with Meniere’s. On Sunday morning, January 5th, I woke up very nauseous and dizzy.   I spent most of the day lying on the couch and took my Serc as directed. By Monday I realized that the Serc was not working and began to think that maybe this had nothing to do with Meniere’s.  I also weighed myself on Monday and found that I had lost 34 lbs in 13 days. By Tuesday I knew something serious was going on. My temperature was now fluctuating between normal and 102 degrees. Not only was I very dizzy and nauseous but my head felt very strange.  I had what felt like a sore, stiff neck and the back of my head ached especially if I put pressure on it. The ache was different than a headache.

Tuesday afternoon I called Squirt and described my symptoms to him.  I told him that it no longer felt like Meniere’s.  Squirt told me that I probably had the flu.  He also reminded me of the internist appointment I had on January 14th.  On Wednesday I had a very strong feeling that if I did not go to emergency I would be in very big trouble.  At that  point I had absolutely no clue what could be wrong.  My husband took me to emergency  at 7:00 PM on Wednesday evening.  After a two hour wait in the waiting room and a one hour wait in the consultation room I begged my husband to take me back home.  However, we persevered and finally at 11:00 PM I was seen by the emergency doctor. I described my symptoms to him including the weight loss of 34 lbs in 13 days. He asked me if I had any other medical problems. I told him they were too complicated to get into right then. I did tell him that I had high creatinine levels, high sodium levels, high BUN and low potassium levels. The emergency doctor ordered some urgent blood work and to my surprise they discovered that I had dangerously low potassium levels.

They kept me in for 24 hours on a potassium drip. Thursday morning at 8:00 AM Squirt arrived in emergency. He walked into the consultation room where I had spent the night and said, “You really are sick!”  I answered with, “Yes and I have been trying to tell you this for the past three years!”  Squirt told me the emergency doctor had called him at 12:30 AM to tell him that I was in crisis in emergency. He muttered something under his breath about adrenals and Conn’s disease.  Squirt then left leaving instructions that I was to stay in emergency on a potassium drip until my levels were back to normal.

I was finally discharged at 7:00 PM on January 10th. I was given a prescription for potassium and told not to miss the internist appointment on Monday, January 14th.

I must say I feel much better but am very exhausted. I was told that I could expect to feel this way for a few days. They did not find out why I have lost 34 lbs in 13 days nor did they find out why I had this sudden potassium crisis. Just too weird.