In sickness and in health

Well the Dennetts haven't been doing so hot.

About 6 weeks ago we went to see a client of Brooks' at their home for a business overview. About 20 minutes into the overview I started feeling very nauseous. I stood up to go to the restroom and got really dizzy. Then my vision started going blurry until all I could see were bright colors and needless to say, I was a little freaked out. I started swaying and I explained to Brooks that I had no idea what was happening but I felt like I was going to pass out. I got cold and started moving my hand up and down vigorously which looked like a convulsion. I was still talking to Brooks trying to explain that we needed to go, and I was so scared because I didn't know what to do. My arms and legs went numb and I was sweating but freezing cold. Brooks said I was talking to him but looking up toward the ceiling like I was blind. He picked me up and rushed me out to the car. About halfway to the Emergency room my vision started returning and I remained conscious during the whole 5 minutes that it was happening. We decided not to go to the ER and went to wendy's to get my blood sugar up instead. I called first thing the next morning and set an appointment with my doctor for that day. The doctor diagnosed it as a panic attack and prescribed me some anti-anxiety/depression medication (celexa) and sent me on my way. Since then I've just had alot of nausea and loss of appetite which is a side effect of the drug :/

About three weeks ago on a Sunday Brooks was working out on the elliptical at the gym when he started getting really lightheaded and thought he was about to faint. He jumped off and walked outside to get some air and shortly after left the gym. He was scared out of his wits and decided not to go back the next day and he hasn't gone back since.

On Saturday morning, 6 days later we were in our office having a meeting and not 15 minutes into it he felt really shaky and faint like he felt before at the gym. He was really afraid and felt like body was going to shut down and I rushed him into the instacare. On the way there he was hyperventilating and just had a feeling of impending doom. He felt like he was going to pass out and die. Come to find out, his vitals were fine and the only thing that they knew to do because of the severity of his symptoms was to send him to the ER. After running an EKG and his blood-work, they diagnosed him with benign vertigo which is a way of saying "we don't really know why you are dizzy". They prescribed him a medication for nausea and dizziness called Promethazine and sent him on his way.

On the next Tuesday he woke up in the afternoon and started feeling really weird, like something was wrong with his body but he didn't know what. He had cold sweats and was shaking really badly. He was afraid something really bad was going to happen and starting panicking again. In a desperate attamept to avoid going to the ER again he took his Promethazine. This time I tried to calm him down with some deep, slow breathing techniques that I have learned from having anxiety attacks. He was laying down on our bed and getting into a meditative state. That calmed him down for a minute but then he heard his phone ring so he reached for it and BAM! His whole body had gone numb. That made him really nervous and he began panicking again. At this point he was sure he was going to die. I rushed him to the ER again and they did the exact same panels, labs and tests that they did the time before. This time they diagnosed him with Panic attacks, gave him an Ativan to calm his nerves and prescribed him with Xanax for the next panic attack(s).

He scheduled a doctors appointment soon thereafter and we saw his doctor for in depth testing that Friday. Brooks explained his symptoms to the doctor and his doctor ran (finally) some different tests and set him up with a 24 hour Holter monitor, which is basically a 24 hour EKG. You press a button when you have chest pain or any irregularity that you can sense and it records it for the cardiologist to review. A couple days later we got the results for the blood panels that they had ran at the doctors visit. The medical assistant told Brooks on the phone that his Hemoglobin was running high and he was at risk for diabetes, which Brooks festered about for the rest of the night. He was so scared that something bad was going to happen and starting thinking terrible thoughts about possibly having diabetes. He went to work that night wearing the Holter monitor and had a panic attack (which he thought was diabetic shock) about 45 minutes after he arrived at work. He felt dizzy again and wanted to try to control it without any medication but he gave in and once again decided to head to the ER. He took a Xanax before he headed there and had his coworker drive him to the ER. I was at home getting ready for bed when it happened and I was so worried about him, I met him outside the hospital and there he told me that he decided not to admit himself and that he was feeling better. I took him back to work and he finished out the night kinda drowsy and miserable but he made it. He recorded his panic attacks on the Holter monitor and we were both concerned that the dizziness had something to do with his heart so we were both happy that he had the problem times recorded.



This week Brooks has been having the attacks regularly but out of the blue at the same time.. Sometimes its when he first wakes up, sometimes its when he is at work, and sometimes its when he starts eating a meal. He has been really upset about the frequency of the attacks and hasn't had the greatest quality of life lately.

We saw the doctor again this morning. Anxiety was running high and we were both really nervous to see the newest test results. The Holter monitor report was great and there wasn't any irregularity whatsoever with the exception of a high heart rate during the panic attack. The only thing the doctor could see today was the Hemoglobin level and his blood sugar level were both a little high. He diagnosed him today as Pre-Diabetic. He set us up an appointment at the diabetes education clinic to get his diet on the right track, get his sugars under control and hopefully cure the faint feelings that he has been experiencing. Basically, the doctor suspects that the sugar level is the underlying problem with Brooks. Unfortunately for my poor hubby, only time will tell the outcome of this one.

Brooks' sister, my sister in law Courtney was also admitted to the ER on Tuesday night for severe back pain. She got an ultrasound in there and was informed that she had a Gall stone and emergency surgery was going to be required to remove the stone and the whole gallbladder so we've been helping his mom with his other little sisters and visiting Courtney alot. Her surgery was done on Wednesday night/morning? around 1am and completed around 2am. (technically thursday morning) She did really well but she had and is still having alot of pain :( They've got her on some pretty good pain killers but it must be really bad.. she should be released today or tomorrow. I'm still just glad its not me! *knock on wood*

After 6 collective hours in the ER (800$ later) and about 4 huge vials of blood not to mention sweat and tears too; I just thought I'd catch everyone up with a descriptive story since our statuses on facebook can only say so much.. *sigh*

Prayers and positive thoughts for us and our family are always appreciated. &Thank you so much for reading. Hope you have a wonderful, healthful day:)

One day at a time--this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.--Ida Scott Taylor

“So many people spend their health gaining wealth, and then have to spend their wealth to regain their health.” --A.J. Reb Materi