I’m writing this as a last resort for any help or advice. Something has been happening to my health and I can’t explain why.
I’m a college athlete. I used to play tennis for my representative college team. I haven’t been able to join practise for about 2 months now.
I started by getting extremely nauseous after and during practise. My coach would tell me to take it easy or made me leave early. I tried paying attention to my diet. My bloodsugar. I’m not on any medications. It kept getting worse every day until I had to take a break. On the last day i threw up something brown.
I was resting at home. Trying to recover. My coach made me go to the hospital to get my blood tested. Nothing came back as odd. On the same day I get a nosebleed. I call the clinic and they just tell me to apply pressure. I do it for an hour and the bleeding just contenues. I call back again and they tell me they’re too overcrowded to help me “over a nosebleed”. So I stay home.
I live alone. My parents and I don’t talk much. I never like to bother them with my stuff. I mostly keep to myself. A week goes past and I start getting nosebleeds every other day. I call the clinic and it goes straight to a call waiting line. Nobody picks up. My coach says if I can’t make it to practise soon I might lose my spot to another student that recently moved here.
I decide to go to practise the next day. I was supposed to play a match against the new student. I’m very nervous. I’m waiting for them to start. My nose starts bleeding again. I excuse myself to the bathroom to go stuff a tissue in there. I’m looking in the mirror and suddenly feel my pulse getting stronger. I feel lightheaded. I start to lean against the bathroom wall and I fall. My ears start ringing. At this point I’m scared. Everything is going black. I feel cold. My body is starting to shiver.
Next thing I know I see a janitor next to me asking what’s wrong. I guess I must’ve blacked out. He says I was just sitting there. I feel really confused and embarassed. I ask whats going on and he says everyone left. The place is closing. Apparentlt the coach thought I left home. I slowly get up and say sorry.
“Man what the hell? Did I pass out? Why did no one check up on me?” Im thinking to myself. I have no idea what to do so I decide to go to the ER. At the ER I get to see a doctor after an hour of waiting. She seems very annoyed at me and only asks me some basic questions. I try to tell her what happened and she just repeats the same questions and shrugs her head at the nurse.
“So you’re convinced you “randomly” passed out? And what do you want me to do about it now? Your vitals are normal”
Im shocked. I’ve never been talked to in such a condescending manner. I say yes and I request maybe some sort of medication. She tells me I can buy glucose tablets incase I feel nauseous again. Wtf? Glucose tablets. I have no other option than to go home. The nurse is starting to get agitated too.
I make a short trip to the pharmacy and then go home. I sit down for a moment and start wondering what’s up. I’m feeling frustrated at this point. My exams are coming up and I don’t feel well at all. It’s already late. So I try to sleep it off.
Next day I’m on a lecture taking some notes and my arm goes numb for a few seconds. It feels like pins and needles. I shake it off and try to move it around. I feel tired even though its already 10 am. I take a closer look at my arm and it’s starting to look red. It goes numb again. I shake it again. My classmate next to me says “dude what the fuck, stop you’re shaking the table around” I say sorry. Lecture ends. I go home again.
I’m opening the door. My keys keep falling out of my hand. Something is really wrong. I finally make it inside and lay down. My fingers feel stiff as I try to dial the ER line. They put me on hold. After an hour they pick up. My arm feels much better now. I ask for advice. The nurse literally hangs up on me. I call again. The nurse picks up and when I say hello they instantly tell me “we’ve gotten some information about you recently. We have reasonable suspicion that you’ve been making trips here and faking an illness. If you call again and contenue this we can file a report. Please don’t call the ER unless you have an actual emergency okay?”
Im speechless. I try to argue saying that’s not true. They hang up again. What the fuck do I do now? I get up and take a couple glucose tablets. I try to look up my symptoms but nothing shows up right. I’m feeling anxious. My heart rate is going up. I feel so mad. My nose is starting to bleed. I stuff another tissue in there and try to calm down. After two hours I drift to sleep.
Today I woke up at 5 am. I woke up because my heart rate was off. I crawl out of bed. I notice my legs are stiffer than usual. I try to stretch. It doesn’t help. I look back at my bed and notice the pillowcase is covered in blood. Another nosebleed I guess. I take the covers off. Now I feel truly ill. The blood is almost black. I feel weak just looking at it. My legs give up. My arm goes numb. In a matter of a few seconds I’m laying on the floor. I have my phone on the nightstand. I’m freaking out. I reach for my phone. I call my dad. He doesn’t pick up. My mom does. I tell her whats going on and she goes silent…
“Are you serious? You know the clinic called me yesterday and asked a few things about you”
“Mom please. I don’t have time for this. What was it?? Can you try to get me help I’m scared. I can’t move. I think I’m having a stroke or something”
“Yeah. They said you’d say that.”
“What?? Jesus christ mom I know we have our differences but I am on the floor. I need help.”
“I’ll call you back okay?”
I wait 15 minutes. Then 30. Then 60. I really need some water at this point and I’m hungry too. Finally I get a phone call. But it’s a private number.
“Hello?”
“We got information about you and we’re willing to take you in okay?”
I’m relieved hearing those words. They proceed to ask me really weird questions like if I’m armed or have any history of other illness. They tell me they will only take me in if I comply with that departments rules and don’t bring my phone. They refuse to tell me why.
They said they will arrive in an hour max. I feel numb but I’m fully awake. Can someone please explain if this is normal? Should I try to sneak my phone in? They seem very suspicious of me and I don’t understand why.