A Terrifying Experience Last Week

It is winter in Northeast Ohio. What that means is Monday could be 55 degrees and Tuesday could be a blizzard. We just never know due to getting Lake Effect snow. As a cancer patient in active treatment, we all know our immune systems are weak and we must stay away from germs and sick people -- that is our mantra.

From feeling great to sick

Well, last Friday I felt great. No one I know was sick or had been sick. By late evening I realized my daily stomach ache was getting a bit worse but not enough to concern me. I spent the evening relaxing and watching television. My daughter-in-law went to be upstairs and I went to go to my bedroom downstairs.

I remember walking into the bathroom. Next thing I remember was opening my eyes, laying on the floor. I got up and sat on the toilet but by then my daughter in law came down to see what the noise was. I told her I fell and was fine. She thought I tripped or something and went back to bed.

I stood up and as I started for the door, everything went black and next thing I knew I was on the hallway floor. I got up very slowly and kept saying to myself, "get to bed, get to bed." My bed was less than 6 feet from the hallway. I stood up again, walked into my room, and again, opened my eyes and I was on the floor and my daughter in law was there. By then she realized I didn't trip, something serious was happening. I don't know who was scared more -- her or me. I sat up and just sat for a few minutes. My head was still spinning but I managed to get into bed. I fell asleep and had a great night sleep. The reminder upon waking up was a sore nose and knees and several broken fingernails.

Trying to recover

The next day I called my oncologist. By this point, the sight of food turned my stomach, I had a headache and a stomach ache. I also started vomiting that day. My oncologist felt that I must have passed out due to dehydration. As a result of my stomach ache all day, the day before, I realized I had hardly drank any water. I spent the next few days trying very hard to keep myself hydrated but the water just made me more nauseated. Thank goodness for Zofran because it helped me immensely. I may have had a stomach bug but I was determined not to faint again.

I had pneumonia a year or so ago and attributed that to one lung and suppressed lung function. This was just a plain ole' stomach but my body was dealing with it in a totally different manner than I had ever experienced. For the next 4 or 5 days, I continued to try to stay hydrated but literally went days without eating -- food was just nasty.

Be aware of your health

Then one day I woke up and felt absolutely fine. As fast as it hit me the night I kept fainting, it went away just as fast. Be very careful with these stomach bugs this winter season. Be aware of how your body feels and what is going on.

Editor’s Note: We are extremely saddened to say that on January 28, 2020, Jennifer Toth passed away. Jennifer was a passionate advocate for the Lung Cancer community. She will be deeply missed.