Guillain-Barre: 1 Year Anniversary

Today marks my one year anniversary with Gullain Barre.

One year ago today I woke up after dropping of ThuyKha to the airport for her midnight flight back to Atlanta, Georgia.  Eight hours later, I woke up and stood up.

Whoa.  Why am I so wobbly?
I can't stand up straight.

I take showers every morning, so I walk into the bathroom.  Something feels even worse.  I've been getting numb since Friday and today was Tuesday, June 10th, 2014.  It's been crawling up my body starting with my left foot on Friday night when I was standing in that underwear store where ThuyKha was swapping up the 5 for 180k deal.  LOL!

Saturday we were doing stuff because she was leaving and I was just going off adrenaline.

Let's rewind.

It's Friday night June 6th, 2014.  Where were you?

I'm standing in an underwear store.  I take my left croc off and touched the tile floors with my bare foot.  I couldn't feeling anything.  It was so odd.  Like I had a dead leg, but I had been standing - doesn't make sense.

The next day, we go shopping or something.  I can't really remember but I do know that we had just moved out of our apartment into co Chi's house while she was on her trip with chu Dung.  We were watching Ben who was eight at the time.  And I forget when but the water tank on the ceiling broke.

ThuyKha and I were watching TV and then all of the sudden it sounded like was raining.  Inside the house.  And it was.  The tank the roof broke, pushed the water through a light fixture on the freakin 5th floor of their mansion.  I panicked of course, but other than the house flooding - we HAD IT.

Sunday I have no idea.

Monday I went to work and now the numbness has gone into my hand.  Fucking can't type properly.  And my eye is blurry as shit, but I thought it was my contact.  That night, I finish my sixth day of my new job at "The Dream" but when I came home and took out my contact my vision was still messed up.  We go over to chu Thao and co Dung's place for one last dinner with ThuyKha before she leaves.
At this point, I'm numb from my left foot up to at least half of my face because one eye was still working right.  I probably drop ThuyKha off at 10:30pm or something.  We had our moment as we didn't know when the next time we would reunite for kinship, love and world peace.  But I actually did not cry.  I don't know if I was just OK with how life was playing out OR I was just so numb I couldn't feel emotion.  Just kidding!  That's being so dramatic.

I woke up Tuesday and that's where we are, a year ago today.  I woke up and stumbled.  Both my feet were numb now and I had my catch myself from my initial get up from the bed in the morning routine every human does everyday of their entire lives.....  Today was different and would change me for the rest of my life.

I thought to myself while I was taking a shower that I probably couldn't drive to work today.  But I had to go.  I can't miss my seventh day of work!

I got ready all fucked up and for some reason that day, I must have been extra smart but I was so fucked up I actually took about $1,500 and all my paperwork with me that day.  Medical records, passport, and of course in Vietnam - extra Dong.  I actually had mostly dollars, but whatever.  I just made myself laugh.

I drove to the local grocery store down in D7 where I first met Tung Do, Owner XO Tours and Drive Vietnam.  Hi anh Tung.

As I opened my mouth to speak to the xe oms I suddenly realized that I couldn't speak.  Or at least not clearly enough for them to hear me because I had to repeat myself 4-5 times.  I asked for a ride to work and that I needed to drop my bike off at my house around the corner first.  He followed me back to co Chi's and I locked up.  Hopped on his motorbike and right as we passed the Creasant Mall in Phu My Hung, I was thinking man I'm so fucked up right now.  I really should go to the hospital.  So at that moment, I took ThuyKha's advice and I called Victoria's clinic where we both have had some great experiences.

I made an appointment for 9am.  I called work and told them I was having issues seeing clearly and that I was headed to the hospital.  Off I went.

I get off the motorbike, catch the dude's number and walk up into the clinic.

I can't feel half my body.  My left eye has gone completely useless now.  And it's so hard for me to swallow right now.  My throat doesn't seem to work and I can't speak properly.  I'm mumbling even more than I normally do.  I can't fucking speak.

I get called in and sit there on the table.  Now at this time, I was messed up but I could still see out of one eye and this "doctor" was asking me questions and looking on Google as I told him what had been happening.  He was literally on Google right in front of me and I was just thinking how fucked up this was that he was Googling what he thought I might have.  I was offended.  He tells me I have a stroke and suggests I go to FV hospital.  At this point I'm so upset I was going to pay him for his Google searches I just said fine.  I'll go there.  I paid him maybe like $50 to $75 for the worst medical check up I've ever had.  But at least he pointed me in the right direction.

I took a taxi to PMH and gave them all the paperwork I just paid for.  Checked in with all this junk whatever.  My appointment was for 2pm and it was probably 11am by now.  I called that xe om guy and went home to take a nap.  I woke up at 1pm, called the xe om and went back to FV hospital to some Vietnamese doctor who seemed like he was playing doctor for the day.  Once again, I got screwed.  I paid for some x-ray there, maybe costs me $100 or $150 I honestly can't remember.  But they told me it was a neurological and they did not have any neurologist who could stay over night.  I would have to go to District 5 to the University hospital.  Great.

I called another taxi and went straight there.  It turns out to be a hospital I probably walked across everyday for 3 months while living in District 5 in Tan Da right next to the Parkson Hung Vuong.

I stumble to whatever nice person I can find because right now I can't walk straight, my eyes are getting worse, I haven't eaten anything all day or now that I think about it, I didn't even drink anything to this point.  I walk somewhere and said English.  I need someone who speaks English.

**I did this because all day I had been speaking Vietnamese in the beginning to be polite and show off but they kept putting me with Vietnamese doctors who I couldn't understand since their terminology was way above me.  It just just better to have an English speaking person at this time.

Whatever.  I get to this desk, tell em I speak ENGLISH.  The girl tells me they're closed.  That's when I broke, I spoke Vietnamese....  I told her the following in Vietnamese:

Look, I've been to three hospitals today, I can't walk straight.  I need to see a doctor.  I know you're closed but I'm about to drop right here.  I can't see. I can't speak.  I need help.  I need help.  She goes off to find her boss or something, I can't remember.

What I do remember though is going down three stairs because I was focused on not falling on them.  I took a step and slipped a bit but caught myself against the wall.  Luckily a nurse saw me, brought me over to the other girl who was helping me.  She must have been watching me, but she helped and I was so thankful.

I think they put me in a wheelchair after that and pushed me into the ER.   A gigantic room with about 8 people in it with a bunch of nurses.  It was super cold and it felt like my toes were frost biten or something so I put them under the blanket.

Nurses came by eventually, maybe a doctor.  Explained to me that they needed $500 for some tests.  I said I just paid a bunch of money at Victoria's and then at FV hospital.  I have all the paperwork with me.  She kept explaining to me in Vietnamese and English where she could but the key words couldn't be translated.  After a 5 minute questionnaire by me I said fine.  Just make sure I'm OK.  I'll pay whatever.  I have money!

I get a choice between sharing a room with 1 person or 2 people or 4 people.  Or be a boss with my own room.  But I opted for the sharing with 1 person, it was the right choice at the moment.

I got pushed into the room, settled in.  And then I finally thought that I should call someone and let them know.  Earlier in the day,, I called Phung though.  I told her I was going to the hospital and that I might need help.  If so, could I call her?  She said yes.  She said yes!

I called two people.  Minh Tuyen and Phung.  Minh Tuyen came that night with chao and something to drink.  I was so happy to see her.  Phung told me she'd come in the morning and hook it up.  Cool I thought.  I'm good....  I thanked Minh Tuyen, watched her cry for me and went to bed.  When I woke up the next day though, all hell broke loose.

KABOOM!




Friday 6
Saturday 7
Sunday 8
Monday 9
Tuesday 10