Whenever you go to a convention, you always want to have a good time, hang with friends, and then go home happy. I've always had the fear that I would end up at the hospital at a con in another state, and this past weekend, that's exactly what happened. I've been dealing with type 2 diabetes for some time, and thankfully treatments and diet have kept it at bay for the most part. About a week ago, my doctor made a change to my meds, and soon after, I started noticing my blood sugar being much higher than normal. I spoke to my doctor and they suggested to keep going and alter my diet more. I try to, but I begin feeling nausea, fatigue, and stomach pains. After getting to the convention, I manage to get my badge and then eat something. I was having some bad siatic pain and kept feeling tired, so I am thankful FWA has a disabled registration entry. Soon after I eat, I start feeling more and more nauseous, until eventually I throw up. I feel a bit better after throwing up, but a couple of hours later, I throw up again, then again, and again. Tavi brings me some water, ginger ale, and Gatorade, and we start trying stuff like Pepto, thinking it is my stomach acting up again. (I do have a small ulcer that sometimes gives me issues, especially if I experience food poison or something. Nothing stays down, not even just plain water. Over and over I empty my stomach by vomiting into a plastic bag Tavi brought me. My body is in a lot of pain and I feel really disoriented and am limited to doing little other than moan and vomit. Friday morning, nothing is better, so Tavi tells me he is calling medical assistance. I don't want to, because of the fear I listed above, but I tell Tavi to go ahead, since it's clear this is something more than a stomach virus. They arrive, take me to the hospital, and after a while they tell me I'm experiencing DKA, or diabetic ketoacidosis. Diabetic shock. My blood was literally too acidic for my body, and killing me. If Tavi hadn't had called the medical staff, I would likely have died. I already appreciate my munk so much, and that's only grown as a result of this. I end up staying in the hospital the entire weekend, missing the con without getting to do anything I had planned to, but eventually start to get better. I was able to keep food and liquids down, and everything tasted like the best food ever. Eventually my appetite comes, back and I keep getting better, but my blood sugar is still higher than it should be, even after eating low-carb hospital food and drinking lots of water. I had hoped they would let me go on Monday, the day we had planned to go home anyway, but I had to stay until Tuesday. Then on Monday, we found out a tree fell on our house due to soaking up too much rain and falling over, which is another fear of mine. This triggers my anxiety big time, but we soon find out the damage isn't as bad as it looks, and people start working to remove the tree right away. Up until Monday, I had been in the ICU with very attentive staff, good treatment, and lots of wishers well. Then they move me down to an actual hospital room and it's all dark and very old, less advanced and cozy as the ICU. This eventually gets me thinking about how sucky things are and how they might not get completely better. I have a panic attack in the middle of the night and sit up, unsure what to do. Tavi wakes up and asks me what is wrong. I tell him I just want to go home over and over, in tears, and can't deal with the stress anymore. Tavi gets up, hugs me, and holds me for a while in the darkness of the room. Once again he makes me feel better with his love, and we both eventually go back to sleep. I wake up later, eager to see the doctor and ask if I can be sent home. It takes a while, but they do come by, and they tell me I can go home if I feel up to it. I say yes, and some time later we are finally on our way home.

So yeah, pretty crappy weekend, but it could have been worse. I am infinitely thankful to Tavi as well as those I received well wishes from. I'm still not at 100% and the house still needs to be dealt with, but things are slowly returning to normal. It can be a little hard to concentrate at times, and I get spells of dizziness as well as weakness from being stuck in a bed for days and throwing up so much. My arms are pin cushions, but I've dealt with that many times before from hospital stays. I hope nothing like this never happens again, but if it ever happens to you, just remember that there are people out there who do care about you and want to see you get better.