Google Gratitude

I woke up at 5:15 AM, to my husband calling my name from the bedroom doorway floor. The dogs and I responded a bit slowly, having come out of a deep sleep. I helped him up from the floor and onto the bed, where he told me he’d woken up on the floor in the hallway, apparently from a faint. He was feeling dizzy and slightly nauseous, but in no pain. We took his blood pressure (BP) and found it was very low. What to do?

Google, of course. Looking at only reliable sources such as the NIH and Mayo Clinic, and following their suggestions, I elevated his feet, gave him water to drink, and then some caffeine in the form of a cup of coffee. Also got him a bowl of cereal, got dressed, and made myself a quick bowl of oatmeal, thinking we’d have to be taking him somewhere. While doing all this, I was simultaneously calling the Nurse hotline — the magnetic calling card had been hanging in our kitchen for years, gathering dust. Finally put to use! The nurse confirmed all I’d done, but urged us to go to the ER for further evaluation.

He had in the meantime recovered somewhat, and his BP had improved. It was still quite low but no longer in the danger zone.

Complications: two dogs to deal with. Ours, and our daughter’s who was staying with us for a few days. I quickly let them out, left them a full bowl of fresh water, and left the front door unlocked so that a neighbor could look in on them later in the day if needed.

I grabbed a few protein bars, a travel mug of coffee for me (so I wouldn’t also have a fainting spell from caffeine withdrawal), and we were off to the walk-in clinic of our doctor’s practice, just 15 minutes away. Pulling into the parking lot, we were met by a desert of concrete. Took a minute, and we realized it was Saturday, no clinic or doctors there today. Back in the car, we were fortunately just five minutes from the hospital and the ER. It also was nearly empty, but open for business. He was taken right away. A bag of saline was administered intravenously and the preliminary questions and exams began.

In our haste to get out of the house, my husband had left his phone at home. Thankfully I’d recently updated my iPhone Notes app with his medications. After he was settled in the ER and was stable and waiting to be moved to the Observation area of the hospital, I drove home to see to the dogs and gather some things for him (phone, a book, hearing aid charger and case, toiletries, etc.) When I returned he was in the Observation area, tiny cubicles surrounded by curtains. This area was also nearly deserted of patients. He was recovering well, and in good care. We met with a very informed, friendly P.A. who explained things so far — various tests and labs had been done, ruling out several scary things. The likely outcome so far: within the last few months he’d been diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation, and his meds had been adjusted accordingly. They now apparently need further adjustment.

Currently he’s waiting for the results from the last of the tests, an echocardiogram, and hopefully he will be discharged sometime today, with a modified meds list and instructions to follow up with his doctors.

Friends and family have asked me if it was scary, and I actually found it not to be so. Time and experience teaches us to act rationally, based on good information.

Where would we be without Google?