 | 9 Jan 08 |
At the end of 2007, I proclaimed that 2008 would be great! And so far, it has been….although in a strange sort of way.
For the last couple of weeks, I’d been fighting a bout of pneumonia. Those of you who’ve had this nasty piece of business, know it’s no fun. It seems to take forever before you start feeling human again, much less able to breathe properly. Well, last weekend, I started feeling a bit stranger than usual (yeah, I know, scary, huh?) and decided I should go to a small walk in clinic to get myself checked out. Dizziness, foggy brain, blurring vision, I’m thinking I’ve picked up an inner ear infection to go along with my handy-dandy pneumonia. Um…that self-diagnosis wasn’t quite right. Here’s the sequence of events that followed….
ï® Clinic closed and feeling worse in ten short minutes, decide to go to emergency room at local hospital.
ï® Local hospital runs blood work, urinalysis, yada, yada. Everything checks out fine.
ï® Local hospital decides to do a CAT Scan just to make sure . . .
ï® Twenty minutes later, I’m being shipped off via ambulance to another hospital so I can be seen by a neurosurgeon. (Actually got a pic of me being carted off to the ambulance below. One of my daughters took it with her camera phone.) Deborah has a subdural hematoma. Frontal lobe no doubt.
ï® Get to second hospital, surgeon waiting. Another CAT Scan, another confirmation…yep, my brain is bleeding.
ï® Admit said Deborah into hospital and start running more tests than a Vanderbilt PreMed student.
ï® Blunt force trauma the surgeon explains. No, Deborah says, didn’t get bonked on the head.
ï® News of no trauma, traumatizes neurosurgeon. In come more specialists—hematologist, oncologist, internist….
ï® Two days of being stuck, prodded and poked, more CAT Scans, an EEG, MRI…
ï® Findings? Same subdural hematoma that has to be followed up with more CAT Scans until it dissipates or does something….oh, yeah, and they found a funky sinus disease that’s going to need surgery.
At the moment, my arms look like they belong to a heroin junky, but, hey, small price to pay to still have a half decently functioning brain, right? Fingers crossed it stays that way. Like I said, 2008 is gonna be great! I’m still alive, able to think, laugh, dream, write, and hope. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has in store for me! 
© 2008 – 2009, Deborah LeBlanc. All rights reserved.
Deborah LeBlanc is an award-winning author and business owner from Lafayette, Louisiana. She's also a licensed death scene investigator and an active member of two national paranormal investigation teams.
She is the president of the Horror Writers Association, president of the Writers' Guild of Acadiana, president of Mystery Writers of America's Southwest Chapter, and an active member of Sisters in Crime, Novelists Inc, and International Thriller Writers Inc. In 2004, she created the LeBlanc Literacy Challenge, an annual national campaign designed to encourage more people to read, and founded Literacy Inc. a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting illiteracy in America’s teens. She also takes her passion for literacy and a powerful ability to motivate to high schools around the country.
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Oh Deb!! Hugs, hugs and more hugs! My blood ran cold reading your post. I command you to get better and insist that you remain healthy the rest of the year *stamping foot* Can you tell I’m a bit of a control freak LOL.
Seriously. Be well.
by wendy roberts January 9th, 2008 at 8:24 amDeb, OMG how scary! I swear this stuff can only happen to you. Please take care of yourself and get well!
by Jen January 9th, 2008 at 8:51 amWow, that is scary. Please be very careful and get well soon.
by HollyD January 9th, 2008 at 9:12 amDeb, get well soon. That is so scary!! Your brain is important, no more leaks!!
by Amanda January 9th, 2008 at 10:38 amPneumonia – bad
Sinus infection requiring surgery – worse
Bleeding brain – worse yet
Life – priceless!
Not to make light of your situation, but I wondered if I was reading another excerpt that missed the blog last week. I really hope you get well soon!
by Erin Hunter January 9th, 2008 at 12:07 pmDayum, Deb! When you do it you do it good! Get better soon!
by Karin January 9th, 2008 at 1:12 pmDeb!!!!! At least you haven’t lot your humor. It’s because I DIDN’T want to go to an emergency room (you know, there’s sick people there!) I finally broke down and saw my doctor today. I have bronchitis. Got antibiotics and prednisone. Hoping by the time I go to Chicago that not only am I 100%, but you’re back to your old self.
by allison brennan January 9th, 2008 at 3:10 pmI’m getting over pneumonia, too, and I concur: It’s sucky. Bleeding brains? Not good. Not funny at all (until afterward when everything is ok).
Blunt force trauma? Some of the coughing I’ve been doing feels like blunt force trauma. Could that have been it?
I hope the sinus diagnosis now will save you more heartache later. Get better soon.
by Jean January 9th, 2008 at 5:45 pmDear Deb,
Keeping you in my prayers!
by JulieB January 9th, 2008 at 6:42 pmWow – sending positive thoughts your way, Deb! You sure are taking all this much better than I would. I hope you completely recover soon – I’m looking forward to seeing you again in Salt Lake City.
by Debbie Kuhn January 9th, 2008 at 6:48 pmDEB!! Holy crap. Man, I had no idea…. I am so glad you are okay. WOW.
And what’s this about SLC?
by Natalie January 9th, 2008 at 9:13 pmMy thoughts and prayers for you Debbie, but I love that you held you humor. I honestly believe humor will get us through most moments until we can break down with honor sometime after the fact…away from all those eyes in the maddening crowd. Get better girl.
by Cele January 10th, 2008 at 8:55 amJeeze, Deb. I look away for a minute and you’re in the hospital? I’m so glad you’re okay now.
You do manage to make a Kodak moment out of even the scariest subjects, even when they involve you. That’s resilience. But I guess I’d expect that of someone who writes such edgy horror.
Like Stephen King, I know you’ll use this as grist for your mill.
Stay well.
Jake
by J. Carson Black January 10th, 2008 at 11:43 amYikes, that’s scary! I hope you’re feeling much better. (((Hugs)))
by Emma Sanders January 10th, 2008 at 7:10 pmDeb, you sound so upbeat, so I’m going to be upbeat too. I’m picturing you whole and healthy.
by Edie January 10th, 2008 at 9:24 pmI hope you feel better soon. Glad you followed your gut and went into the hospital.
by Nicole Bovey January 11th, 2008 at 12:28 amThanks for the well wishes, everyone!
Jean, I hope you get over your pneumonia soon! Although reluctant to do so, the neurosurgeon did concede to the fact that the hematoma could have been caused by excessive coughing, albeit rare. The guy actually believed I was covering up being hit, can you believe it? Have to give him some concessions, though. He doesn’t know me…doesn’t know that any man dumb enough to hit me would have FAR greater issues to deal with than a subdural hematoma! They’d be planning the bastard’s funeral.
Look forward to seeing you in SLC, too, Deb. Yep, Nat, I’ll be at the World Horror Convention in SLC in March. We need to try and hook up while I’m there!
Thanks again, everyone….Wendy, Jen, Holly, Amanda, Erin, Karin, Allison, Jean, Julie, Deb, Nat, Cele, Jake, Emma, Edie, and Nicole, for your well wishes. All of them sure make the recovery process a hell of a lot better.
)
by Deborah January 12th, 2008 at 7:57 amI, too, hope you are feeling better Deb! I’m glad it wasn’t something more serious!
by Carol M January 14th, 2008 at 9:40 am