Tyneisha Collins's story

I was at the car wash with my daughter and best friend when I started having major head pains like someone was hitting me with a bat up side my head.

I thought it was just my blood pressure being too high, but then it started feeling like I was about to have a heart attack or something. My best friend asked, “did I need the ambulance?”,  I said, “no I’ll try to make it home.”

My daughter and I walked to the bus stop and got on our bus and once we made it home I just fell asleep on the couch for about an hour ,then I decided to go ask my aunt for an headache pill, and once I took it my head got worse, so I went in my room and feel asleep.

For some odd reason as I was asleep dreaming it felt like I was awake and talking to my aunt and I kept waking up talking to nobody.

The first time I awoke I found myself leaning over the toilet throwing up. Each time I got up (4 times) I went to get a big cup of water and my legs got weaker and I was hunched over lower.

By morning time I decided to fix me and my daughter something to eat so I went down stairs and it took about 6 minutes just to get to the last step when I made a bowl of cereal I took one bite and didn’t want any more so I threw them away and went back to bed. Each time I laid back down my legs got stiffer and sorer. As I went to sleep, I was dreaming my aunt was waking me and telling me to put my blanket in the washer. I woke up sweating and barely could move. I went to the bathroom and tried to get back in bed and my aunt came in from work asking was I ok and did I need to go to the clinic or emergency room. At first thought I wanted to say no, but I was in so much pain I said, yes, so I got up and struggled to put on my clothes and my uncle Jesse drove me to the emergency room.

As I walked in I signed a piece of paper and sat down and waited for my name to be called. I didn’t know I was going to sleep until some lady woke me up. When they called my name I got up and walked behind everyone I was walking so slowly they had to get me a wheel chair.

When the nurse took me to a room I didn’t want to do anything but sleep. All I can remember is when the nurses kept coming in asking what I was here for and then I remember them taking me to another room and doing an i.v and I fell asleep.

I woke up to me pulling the i.v out my arm trying to use the restroom. when the nurse came in I told her I was trying to go to the restroom and she was trying to take the i.v out and I ended up having a bowel movement on myself and I went to the restroom and was just sitting there feeling very tired.

All I can remember is going in and out of sleep and the nurse asked was I ok and I just nodded my head yes , and I fell asleep again and I hear her say, “Ms. Collins are you ok?”, and I nodded again and she asked did I need help, I said yes and all I remember is her and another nurse helps me off the toilet and I fell back a little and they asked where I ok and I nodded.

When I woke up I see my mom and sister a little but not clear because I was in and out. From what I was told it was more than just them but I really couldn’t focus. When I finally woke up it was the next week Wednesday and my nurse had asked me did I want her to call my family to tell them I’m awake and I said yes.

My grandma was the first to come and I was so happy, then my aunt came but she couldn’t stay long. I asked her what was the day of the week,  she said Wednesday. I said how long I been in here, she said a whole week. I was surprised. I asked her what was going on and she told me everything the doctors told her.

She had said when I got dropped off Tuesday they was worried about me and why nobody had called and said anything ... so they had inboxed me on Facebook. She said she thought I had just got tired of everything and ran away but she knows I wouldn’t have left my daughter behind. They didn’t find out that I was in ICU until that Thursday because when she called they had told her I was discharged.

They had to feed me out a tube and when I did get to eat, I couldn’t eat regular, I had to eat thicken up soup and drink thick milk and juice.  It seemed they came in every hour to give me my medicine and give me antibiotics threw my i.v. after like 2 days I was feeling better but not well. But I was so ready to leave and get home to my family. I was always crying and having bad dreams about me dying because they said that they didn’t think I would have made it. I couldn’t do anything but try to get well and think about what if I die on my daughter she would be without a mother! When they said I was moving up stairs I was so happy because I knew soon will be heading home and it meant I was getting well.

Once I made it upstairs my daughter came to visit me but the whole time I was in ICU and upstairs she cried when I tried to pick her up because she really didn’t notice me. I was so ready to go home. Before I went home I had to learn how to walk again and it was a little hard but I did my best so I could be home. I could tell the infection messed with my brain because half the people who came to see me I didn’t know until I was recovering and I could hear  voices in my head as I slept. And it made me kind of scared to sleep.

The day I got discharged I went home bathed and went to bed I felt like I slept a whole week straight I was so tired ... and most of the things I knew before my brain had to refresh I felt blank minded at time. Since my recovery I have been having major headaches and my memory hasn’t been the same and plus ill fall or trip over air. Sometimes my neck gets stiff and I just sit and hope I don’t get sick again.

Tyneisha Collins
January 2014