When Everything Changed

September-October 2024

Although I loved working for the city, meeting so many unique people and hearing their stories it eventually became stressful and detrimental to my health. My anxiety spiked, and that’s a whole story in itself. I constantly worried that saying the wrong thing to certain coworkers might cost me my job.

So, I picked up a second job that aligned more with my long-term goals. That job strongly recommended the flu vaccine—something I didn’t regularly get.

Looking back, it seems I may have been subconsciously protecting myself all along. Not long after the shot, I got violently sick.

It started small. I lost my appetite, which didn’t raise too many alarms at first because I already didn’t eat as much as I should’ve. But soon after, I noticed that when I did eat, I felt full way too quickly. I wasn’t using the bathroom regularly, and I started throwing up frequently.

Then one morning, I woke up with tingling in my legs. The only way I could describe it was like when you’ve been on the toilet too long with your elbows digging into your thighs, numb and weird. It wasn’t painful, but it didn’t feel right.

Still unable to eat and now dealing with this new symptom, I went to get medical help. The first time, I was told there wasn’t anything seriously wrong and that I was just dehydrated. They gave me antibiotics for a possible infection and sent me home.

Four days passed,nothing changed. I went back. This time, they told me I might be overly stressed, but again noted that I was very dehydrated. No real answers. Just vague assumptions.

Meanwhile, I was getting worse. I nearly passed out behind the wheel. I was exhausted, nauseous, and mentally drained. My family was growing more and more concerned.

By the time I walked into work looking like I had downed a bottle of wine unsteady, disoriented—it had been four weeks, three EMS calls, and seven ER visits.

Finally, at 1 a.m., a doctor really looked at me. He said, “We’re admitting you. Something’s clearly wrong, and we need to figure it out.” He was the first one to take me seriously.

⸻

Bestie Visiting me!

In my next post, I’ll talk about what happened after I was admitted. What the doctors found, how quickly things escalated, and how my life changed in ways I never saw coming.

Thanks for reading and walking through this with me. If you’ve ever felt dismissed by the medical system or like your body was trying to tell you something no one else could hear—you’re not alone.