Just had paramedics round

Was quite scary. I have a cold (again). Except this time I was extra dizzy, head pounding, started losing my concentration, quickly getting worse to the point where at about 7PM I had a mild hallucination, then a bit later, more vivid hallucinations and I forgot where I was, and was convinced I was in my old house in Sheffield. That's what I could see anyway. All while short of breath, so dizzy I couldn't move, and bitterly bitterly cold despite the gas fire being on full whack and me wrapping myself in a fleece blanket.

When the paramedic checked me out, he found that my core temp was 39.7'C.

He got me cooled down, on the paracetamol, and stayed around for half an hour or so. Amazingly once he started the process of cooling me, which involved filling me with tablets and then getting me to remove all my top clothes, turn the fire off, and then getting wife to bring a steady supply of cold water and cold wet flannels, I was amazed at how quickly my faculties started to come back, and as I hope you can tell, I'm now coherent again and no longer hallucinating

I'm not allowed to go to bed yet though. Paramedic made me phone the doctors to see if there was anything further I have to do, and even after the doc has called back, I have to stay alert for a few hours to make sure my temp doesn't start rising again, because apparently the brain just doesn't work when it gets that hot.

I can tell you, realising I was hallucinating, being barely able to breath, and being dizzy as anything, scared the living daylights out of me.

 

Blimey Dave,

Hang on in there. I've been there before, sounds like you've got a serious infection.

Got that way with Pneumonia, I took myself out into the garden & took my top off to cool down. If you get your hands cramping up & lungs getting full of fluid, get to hospital asap.

Look after yourself my friend.

 

Have you had your Gas Fire checked out ?

appliances can emit carbon monoxide, caused by incomplete combustion, and the danger is compounded when ventilation flues are blocked. The lethal gas has no smell or taste and at low dose will produce symptoms of dizziness, nausea and fatigue that are easily mistaken for flu and other common illnesses.

Jack McH

 

Flipping heck Clueless....hope you've had a good nights rest and are feeling better this morning....Take it easy

 

Daaaang Clueless!! Get your butt to the doc in case you DO have an infection!! Do what they tell you to. No half measures!! Keep us updated so we don't just wait and worry and GET BETTER SOON!!!

 

Thanks for the kind words all.

I feel much better today, just a sore throat left now. I'm off work though. I phoned my boss and told him what had happened, and that I feel fit for work but I've been diagnosed with flu both by the paramedic and the doctor that phoned me an hour later, and I let the boss decide if he wants to risk me infecting the whole office and that of a client I was due to visit (I didn't word it quite like that). He's told me to stay away today. I'm part relieved, but I'm part gutted because today was to be the climax of a sizeable chunk of work.

I have to try to see my doctor today, if only to hand in the massive pink form the paramedic left, detailing all his observations and actions.

As for the gas fire, its a fair point. I don't think we're leaking carbon monoxide though for a few reasons. The fire hadn't been on when I first started to feel bad. I put it on because I was feeling bad, but I'd been poorly for hours at work beforehand. Also, wife and son spend more time in the living room with the fire on than I do, and they're showing no symptoms. That said, complacency costs lives, and the fire hasn't been checked since just before we moved in over 2 years ago. Might be time to get it checked just as a precaution.

 

oh dear! Glad you are better

 

Phew.. late on a post as usual for me.. all sounds very scarry to me. my fingers crossed for a full recovery clueless.

 

Going to see the doctor later. Probably might walk into town or get the bus, because although I largely feel fine at the moment, I can't trust myself to drive as I think my brain has had some sort of temporary meltdown. Just after lunch time, despite me being wide awake, about an hour passed, more than long enough for my cup of tea to go stone cold, with me thinking about 5 minutes had passed. Wife asked me something (can't remember what) and it quickly became apparent that I had no recollection at all of anything in that had happened in that hour.

Last time I was ill enough to mess with my mind, I was about 4 or 5 and I saw psychedelic snakes crawling all around my bedroom. Back then it entertained me. No psychedelic snakes this time, just confusion, very mild amnesia, and yesterday a few brief hallucinations. Its not entertaining me this time, its pretty freaky.

I'm never going to refer to a bad cold as 'flu' again. Its not the same thing Bad cold = snot, muscular weakness, headache. Flu = freaky malfunctioning brain. At the moment, my body feels like ice when in fact I'm hot, I'm not sure I'm accurately remembering anything from the last hour, and in fact just aren't convinced of anything just now.

 

Sounds more like Pneumonia. Can you get Mrs T to walk down with you?

There is a jab you can get against it, doc gave it me after I had it twice.

 

I'm breathing ok now though Zigs, which I think rules out pneumonia. Wife will come along to doctors with me