Holy Role Reversal, Batman!

Suddenly, I'm the caregiver.

Yesterday was a nightmare. Everything was fine and normal all morning; I had just put the turkey in the oven and was sitting down to take a break and do some crochet, when my husband Bob came upstairs saying he didn't feel well. He hardly ever gets sick, and when he does, he very rarely complains, so I knew something was really wrong. When he let go of the banister at the top of the stairs, he almost fell; I had to help him get to the couch. He said he felt like the room was spinning; he was white as a sheet and sweating like crazy. He had vertigo; vertigo so bad that he couldn't walk, and kept throwing up. I called 911, and they came and did some quick tests and evaluations, picked him up and hauled him down the front steps and put him in an ambulance.

I followed the ambulance to the emergency room; I was so upset, I swear I don't remember a moment of that drive. It took a few hours and a parade of young doctors, nurses and interns, but they finally figured out that Bob did NOT have a heart problem or a stroke (thank God!!). His only symptom was severe vertigo and the nausea that goes with it. You could see his eyes twitching back and forth, trying to track the spinning room. They gave him anti-nausea and anti-vertigo medicine, and eventually, after he was feeling better, they sent us home.

They think he has some calcification or something in his inner ear, which has gotten lodged in the wrong place and is causing this problem. I hope he's feeling better today; he isn't up yet, and I'm sitting here listening for signs that he's gotten out of bed, because if it's anything like yesterday, he won't be able to walk without help.

It's so strange; I've gotten so used to being the one that needs help! I didn't realize how much I've come to depend on Bob. Well, even though we didn't get our turkey dinner last night, I'm still so grateful for my blessings. In fact, I'm even more grateful now! It could have been so much worse. And here's a silver lining for you; I had my son turn the oven down to 200 degrees so the turkey wouldn't get overdone, and that turkey is the BEST I've ever cooked! I was starving last night when we got home, and I sliced off a piece. Delicious!! Maybe next year I'll cook it the same way, but WITHOUT the trip to the emergency room...