When I got worried...

So fast forward two years...

I'm finishing up my masters thesis, I just started a job with The International Ecotourism Society, and I'm preparing to travel to Kenya for ESTC13 at the end of September.  I go in for my shots on Aug. 12 and then start my typhoid vaccine pills on Aug. 14.  Everything appears to be going well, I don't appear to have any of the negative reactions to the vaccines that several of my coworkers experienced.  Part of me wonders if the vaccines startled Wilbur.  I will probably never know what actually set Wilbur off that day, but on Sunday, August 25, 2013, Wilbur made his presence known.

I woke up and had two "episodes" (as I referred to Wilbur's temper tantrums before I found out about him) before 10 a.m.  I'd developed a headache and took a couple of Tylenol to help with the pain.  My headaches have never been something that I complain a lot about.  I recognize that compared to close friends of mine who suffer from migraines that a minor discomfort that typically goes away after a couple of over-the-counter pain pills is nothing to get concerned with.  So I didn't think anything of it until I made lunch that afternoon.  I had another episode and then went to fix myself a sandwich.  Again, thinking nothing of it until I realized I really had to concentrate on holding the knife and moving the my right arm.  I could speak but even to my ears I sounded off.  I had trouble thinking of words for things, I tried to name each of the items on my counter with limited success and what I could say sounded slurred.  That's when I panicked.

I called Catharine because she knew about the episodes and then I called Mercedes because I knew she would calm me down and help me figure out what to do next and she lives close by.  When she came over to my place a little later, I explained my symptoms and why I was so worried about trying to figure out what to do.  You see, I no longer qualified for student health insurance and as an independent contractor, I didn't qualify for health insurance through my job.  Since I'm usually very healthy and only have to deal with allergies when the seasons change, I should have been fine.  I had convinced myself that I could wait until Monday and go to the Student Health Center for help, that nothing was happening that meant I needed to go to the hospital (even though I had also convinced myself that I was having mini-stroke like symptoms; lesson learned :: stay away from WebMD and self-diagnosis).

I had episodes four and five for the day in Mercedes presence.  After number four, (which was Mercedes first time witnessing an episode) Mercedes declared, "that's it, we're going to the hospital right now!"  I had episode five after I'd been convinced I needed to go to the hospital but before we could actually get going.