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pacthesis · 1 month ago

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im not kidding applebees all you can eat nearly killed me

had a great time

absolutely would do it again

PSA 1: if ur throwing up don't chug water and gatorade cause ur scared of dehydration (suck on ice cubes instead)

PSA 2: more than 32 oz of water per hour is probably too much (about a liter, roughly 2 "typical sized" water bottles- ur pee should be light yellow- not clear!)

PSA 3: if ur like me and you mindlessly sip water throughout the day AND/OR eating out makes you drink a lot of water/fluids and you have a habit of fasting when ur not hungry: that can be dangerous

im SO lucky to be alive and ok

i've written a long detailed diary entry mostly cause i want to comprehend what happened and never forget this:

first of all its not applebees fault

so friday the 13th lol (6/13/2025) me and pizza man do the all you can eat

my expectations were low but i really enjoyed it

except i tried the pecan blondie brownie dessert- shockingly terrible: dry and tasteless blondie, maple cream cheese sauce was actually gross imo (i don't think im picky especially when it comes to sweets) ice cream and nuts were fine though

but anyway i ate too much lmao

i wasn't that hungry- and it wasn't that good

i like to challenge myself sometimes- i was mostly curious: "if i could still do it" (it was kinda my party trick in college)

i had fries, coleslaw, 2 portions of popcorn shrimp, 2 portions of riblets, 1 portion of chicken tenders- then the whole pecan blondie brownie (pizza man didn't try it cause he thought it smelled icky lol)

thought i was gonna puke (didn't happen though) i was SO full

***

next day saturday (6/14/2025) i felt fine but didn't eat all day and just had a slice of pizza, egg and hash browns with ketchup for dinner cause i wasn't really hungry

i almost didn't eat dinner- i'll admit maybe i was curious: "if i could do it"

earlier that day we went to a church sale and half price books and hung out with pizza man's childhood friend: we were talking about how when we cook we don't add salt cause usually it just tastes fine while we think its funny how pizza man loves things to taste very salty...

that night he apparently has a dream where pizza man is eating straight up salt to "balance out his levels" or whatever

***

sunday (6/15/2025) father's day: i wake up feeling normal and ask pizza man if he wants to go to target cause i wanna get this bow hair clip:

he says sure but after he does his typical morning run with his mom

then i have this headache as im washing dishes- i think its caffeine withdrawal- i have my morning coffee and take 2 ibuprofen

but it gets worse- i throw up a couple of times- i don't feel well enough to go to target (or anywhere)

pizza man offers to go get the bow hair clip for me and returns with it within the hour

i was so nauseous i couldn't eat all day or move much

maybe it was a migraine but it was a first

i felt sensitive to light and noise and wore sunglasses and earplugs but wasn't sure if it was just in my head from googling my symptoms (pizza man's mom thought it was so funny he was out ignorantly grinding a cast iron pan while i was inside cringing lol)- i was miserable with or without the noise and light tbh

i read on reddit that people have "migraine hangovers" afterwards and often craved mcdonalds and i was like "aw man i can't wait until i feel well enough to crave mcdonalds again!" lmao

im using a foot bath cause i read it can bring some relief to my misery- it actually kinda works

pizza man asks if its ok if he leaves to have father's day dinner with his family and i tell him its ok but he returns quickly because he's worried about me

when he returns i ask him to make me some oatmeal (with water- im worried milk will upset my gut) and to bring me raisins with honey then i took another ibuprofen with a tylenol and an excedrin cause i was scared of having a stroke or heart attack (but immediately puked anyway)

i throw up into the foot bath, pizza man brings our (emptied) recycling bin over and i throw up into that too- im throwing up so much- so im chugging water, gatorade, pediatric (dose makes the poison)

i remember hiccupping uncontrollably

pizza man actually kept these bottles because he thought some documentation would be helpful for the doctors:

(it was these 2 along with a few cups of water we believe)

there wasn't diarrhea and i knew it wasn't food poisoning but i've had it a few times in the past and dehydration scared me

i was googling stuff like “when/at what point to go to ER” but felt like the vomiting would eventually stop then i’d be able to sleep it off- i just needed to stay hydrated

my vision was darkening (my kidneys were not keeping up so my brain was swelling and pushing against my eyeballs- i'll just say imo it sounds worse than how it actually felt lol)

i was like "im being smart- this is a close call- im gonna avoid going to the ER- im gonna show up for work tomorrow" then i time warped to wednesday in the hospital

i don't remember monday and tuesday

***

past midnight early into monday morning (6/16/2025) pizza man and his dad take me to the hospital cause im confused and can't talk right

i don't remember leaving the house

i don't even remember standing up from the end of the bed

apparently i walk- holding onto pizza man

he says i started drooling in the waiting room and that just seemed bad

they say they can have a room available by 2pm (its like 2am at the moment) but then they find one open

pizza man says at one point they asked him to leave the room so they could ask me some things- later when im released he asked if i remember what the questions were (i confirm i don’t remember monday or tuesday- not that i mind)

me and pizza man wait in the room alone for doctors and stuff- but then i vomit more (dark green bile) and start foaming at the mouth and convulsing

im having a seizure (generalized tonic-clonic) pizza man starts screaming for help and presses the call help button- obviously very traumatic for him to witness and watch

it lasts for about 180 seconds (3 minutes)

i snore super loud after the seizure according to my father-in-law- and my face was white and colorless

call me vain but i was glad i didn’t lose or chip any teeth or whatever

the doctors do the shining the flashlight in my eyes thing- pizza man says my pupils didn't react to the light at all (possible sign there may be an issue with the brain apparently)

they do a lumbar puncture into my spine to test for meningitis

they asked pizza man if he had any questions- he asks “what if its not meningitis?” and they basically go “we hope it is so we can treat it”

its negative

it also checked for subarachnoid hemorrhaging (can cause a stroke: bleeding in the area between ur brain and tissues around it)- also negative

doctor told my mom he was scared cause i was "healthy and young" and at this point there was only 7 things he could do for me

they insert the PICC line that goes to my heart (pizza man says "a really big guy" came and did it) and IV and catheter and begin raising my sodium levels

i continue to projectile vomit on several occasions over the course of the morning (some of the nurses joke about how they just have vomit all over them lol)

im encephalopathic, unable to follow commands and nonverbal

im high risk for decompensation (organ failure)

i have sepsis (my body's response to infection is causing injury to its own tissues and organs)

then suddenly my catheter rapidly fills up

they have rapid overcorrection- which is another medical emergency (listening to some videos on how to treat hyponatremia im kinda surprised they didn’t accidentally kill me- there are so many things to figure out prior doing anything plus it seems hard to get the water, sodium and potassium ratios right)

that put me at high risk for ODS (obstructed defecation syndrome- i guess i would always be constipated)

i had some predictions about my life and knew life was unpredictable in general but didn't expect at the age of 31 to be quote "the sickest person in the hospital"

apparently so many doctors are going in and out of my room- like a revolving door

before pizza man even contacted my parents my mom said she actually felt "things weren't right" that night somehow

pizza man was heartbroken cause he wasn't sure if i would "come back"

he said it was very hard to leave the hospital without me (he didn't expect that- it felt wrong for him) when he went up to the front desk he didn't even know how to ask: "can i uh- like..." and they go "oh- come back? yes! just give us her name" and he was like "yeah!"

my mom said the hardest question for her was "is she full code?" (should we do every possible measure in order to save the patient's life?)

she said yes

i read through (and partially summarized above and below) my long list of care notes and tests and i can see why the doctors were scared:

kidneys and organs were functioning

thyroid normal

no medications

no medical conditions

no alcohol/drugs

no tobacco (can lower sodium apparently)

no history or family history of epilepsy seizures migraines

before my parents leave a doctor says "im taking amy away to do the stent on her heart" and my mom was like "i thought nothing was happening tonight??" but doc leaves and goes "i cannot discuss that with you"

then a nurse comes to apologize to my parents and tells em "the doctor feels stupid- the stent is for the patient in the next room"

my mom woulda preferred if he came to apologize for himself of course

there was a band with a barcode on my wrist and we believe there is a system to confirm and keep people from getting mixed up but it was still spooky for my family to experience that

pizza man says me and his grandpa are the 2 people he’s seen so close to actual death

the doctors told my parents "she is unresponsive and mentally unstable"- it seems like they don't expect me to wake up

***

tuesday (6/17/2025) they hooked all these wires up to my head to check for brain activity but afterwards my mom said i was greasy and kinda "gross" looking lol

so she and my dad spent an hour and a half washing my hair

then i opened my eyes

the doctors are shocked and get very excited- they tried sticking me in an MRI machine but i tried to crawl out cause they put me on ativan

the neurologist kept asking me stuff like "how many nickels are in a dollar?", "what is this called? (pointing to a watch face or watch band)"

when he pointed to the watch face i said “watch”- when he pointed to the band i said nothing

then he would ask "what hospital are you at right now?"- i answered “hop kinsss”

he would then tell me which hospital we were at

then he would ask a couple of other questions and then ask “what hospital are you at right now?“ again

still answered “hop kinsss”

he asked "why is she saying that? what is hopkins? did she go to hopkins high school?" and my parents were like no! pizza man was like aw man if amy lives through this she will just think this is so funny

pizza man thinks "hopkins" just kind of sounds like "hospital"

but the neurologist said it was hard to tell if i got brain damage or if it was the ativan lol

my mom kept asking me "who is this??" and pointing to family members that visited:

i knew my mom and dad

for pizza man i said his name sweetly (we just celebrated our 10 year anniversary last month may 2025)

for my father-in-law i answered with his name but seriously (that made pizza man think "oh maybe amy is still in there") lol

i kept asking for coffee also lmao but my mom said that brought her some comfort because to her “thats a sign amy is still there”

they continue to raise my sodium slowly (if they go too fast that would kill me) pizza man tells my mom every time he took me to mcdonald’s he was saving my life- she laughs

pizza man says i had such dry lips and wanted water (couldn’t have it- was on fluid restriction) so my mom used these brushes to dab water on them

him and his dad thought my mom looked like a mother robin bird and the look on my face looked like a baby’s- they told her “she seems to really like the vaseline”

but my mom believed i was just still mostly a body, reacting (i don’t have any memories of this)

pizza man’s sister was like “this is great- amy’s getting everyone off of work” and i laughed when i was told that once i was conscious but that made me feel good cause i mean if this happened to someone else i knew i think i’d also be like “lets gooo- who cares about work!” tbh i kinda wanted to watch my own “car crash”

pizza man also brought the bow hair clip he got for me on sunday to see if i would remember it

and he brought this plush seal a childhood friend since middle school got for me a while back and asked "whats his name?" because he couldn't remember and i correctly told him "tory" (short for “tornado torpedo”)

i closed my eyes and puckered my lips for pizza man and my dad was like "she wants a kiss"

pizza man gave me a nice little kiss but wasn't sure if it was appropriate at the time but he thought it was sweet still

pizza man and visitors also enjoyed this giant monster rabbit that could be seen outside my window too i guess

the rabbit is my zodiac animal “secret friend” (a sign that brings balance and help in times of difficulty apparently) but they're really common to spot in the wild tbh

pizza man said it was also really hard to see my stuff around the home without me around

there was a 1:1 nurse with me monday and tuesday night cause i couldn’t call for help and they didn't want me trying to get up by myself or yanking on my stuff

***

by wednesday (6/18/2025) i "wake up"- i remember wednesday

nurse was like "hiii ur in the hospital" and i was like "..uhh this is real huh.. not a dream.."

im covered in wires and tubes: who knows what on my chest, IV in my right arm, PICC line in my left arm, hooked up to a catheter, finger oxygen sensor, bright yellow wristband that reads "FALL RISK"

im wearing a blue gown and white robe (pizza man says i got very cold)

initially i was like "oh god the financial cost of this" but quickly i was like "eh whatever- doesn't matter"

i actually upgraded my health insurance when i turned 30 just cause i thought "eh its time for better insurance"

doctors and nurses seemed surprised i made it

they were pumping me with sodium and potassium but at one point it dropped anyway but eventually my body just fixed itself and they kinda shrugged and were like "cool i'll take it!"

they send a dietitian student in and he asks me what i eat and he goes "huh- you eat healthy"

the neurologist visits and i loudly go “i remember you!” but im confused- i have no memories of him- he just has one of those looks

“neurologist” is also too complicated of a word for me to retain today so i keep saying “brain guy”

he says something interesting: “throwing up shouldn’t cause low sodium” (as i currently understand: low sodium can cause vomiting but not the other way around? i've heard doctors on youtube say the opposite- situations/cases can differ, people can be wrong and opinions can contradict i guess)

when we pressed with other questions he professionally answers that he can only talk about the brain- i kinda liked that (stay in ur lane brain boy)

my parents and a lot of pizza man's family came to visit me throughout the day

im shocked to hear about my seizure- but thats also a word i can’t retain- i remember it starts with the letter “s” and it wasn’t a stroke- i tell my brain “its like guards! seize him! seize! seizure..”

i talk about applebee’s all you can eat- my dad goes “ooh that sounds good”

pizza man said that day i was "more quirky" but he was ok with that- maybe even kinda liked it lol

he also said the doctors and nurses said i was "very nice" even when i was out of it and that i should put that on my resume (maybe a somewhat weird thing to say imo but whatever they mean well i guess- i think everyone gets a pass to be a cunt sometimes)

he leaned in for a hug teary eyed and went "thank you for coming back" and idk if it was the ativan or if it was just me unfiltered but i go "my body was doing its thing i don't think i had a say in that" lmao

another childhood friend since middle school (who didn't know this was going on) actually randomly texted me a trauma center game meme but i didn't have access to my phone until a few days later (it was a game i enjoyed when i was in high school and i was actually thinking about it when i was conscious in the hospital)

my parents and pizza man kept asking me if i would like pizza man to bring me the bow hair clip he got for me on sunday

i was like "bah nah that doesn't matter" but throughout the day they started seeing my memory was improving on its own

so while i was dying pizza man appeared on an episode of america's funniest home videos on tv and the host for whatever reason said "believe it or not, ladies- he's single"

pizza man knew i'd find it funny if i lived but at the time he didn't like that of course lol

he said he was thinking if i did die he was happy we at least had a nice last date at applebeees lmao

he said he wasn't ready for that though- he would've probably quit his job and stuff

i know i got extremely lucky but this actual experience wasn't that bad! i didn't have any suffering thanks to the doctors/nurses and my family and pizza man

the thought of going to the hospital was much much worse

and hospital food was pretty good actually!

a nurse helped tie my hair back to keep it out of the way

also when a nurse helped me go #2 she was like "the catheter must be so uncomfortable :(" and i was like "actually- its not that bad!" like whenever i'd see a commercial for one on tv i was like "oh god that looks awful" lol

tmi (this is all tmi tbh lol) for what it feels like to be hooked up to a catheter

at first i was like “how do i pee?” and they were like “you don’t- you have a catheter”

as time passed they were right- it just.. happens

#2 was usual though- except a nurse would watch me and hold my catheter as i carefully maneuvered to the bathroom- sometimes they would step out and close the door (cause it was awkward for them i assume) i didn’t mind at that point lol

actually even when im all there in the head i don’t even mind if im seen casually in my birthday suit by randos- its just never been weird for me for some reason

catheter itself didn’t really feel that weird or uncomfortable

i walk around a bit in the hallways with pizza man as he held my catheter- my legs felt very weak

he thinks the catheter makes me look like a grand theft auto character

when everyone leaves- i pass time by cleaning the dirt under my nails

i don't have a 1:1 nurse watching me this night and i fall asleep around 1:30am

***

thursday (6/19/2025) we have off from work- its the juneteenth holiday

on monday pizza man contacted my employer and they used 4 PTO days for the week for me

im a little naughty- i get up by myself and wash my hair in the sink

i knew it was a liability thing and i wasn't supposed to get up by myself- but i was curious (the curiosity of "if i could still do it"- maybe that drive might take me out one day lol) but i thought it wouldn't hurt anyone

my mom was a little annoyed/mad yet relieved when she found out lol

my father-in-law brings coffee and donuts both wednesday and thursday morning (cause i was always asking for coffee lol)

the neurologist or “brain guy” comes and asks me how many nickels are in a dollar- i confidently answer “100!”- pizza man thought that was cute

at this point they believe the seizure was from low sodium so they back off on another MRI or seizure meds

a nurse comes in and asks the visitors to step out- we both wear face masks as she removes the PICC line from my arm (was conscious for that and surprised to not feel anything as she took it out)

she goes "i'll show you it when im done" (doesn't ask if im squeamish- but maybe she could tell i was interested in that kind of stuff)

its very long- i tell her thats very cool- this is when i find out that was connected to my heart

she asks me if i remember why im in the hospital- i go “the migraine”- she goes “no well you couldn’t stop throwing up”

later another doctor and nurse come rip off the stuff on my chest, the IV, finger oxygen sensor- and remove the catheter also (felt that just a little lol)

i take a couple of tylenol every few hours to ease my headache

i worry and ask the doctors about it- i don't want to become dependent on it- they tell me its safe and my worries ease because i no longer feel like i need anymore that night (or for the following days)

so far the known issue was low sodium (117) and severe hyponatremia

the doctors are humans and have differing opinions so some thoughts contradict but so far the one belief that makes sense to me is "it was just the perfect storm"

in the evening im released from the hospital and pizza man brings me home

my mom is surprised- she thought i'd be well enough to go home the next day friday

but i didn't feel like i was currently dying- i thought it was time for me to leave and for the doctors and nurses to save someone else now

my parents and pizza man’s family drop off a lot of food and a gift basket

and my employer sent me flowers

i was maybe a bit surprised- been there for over 10 years but thought "eh maybe they'll think about letting me go" lol

***

friday (6/20/2025) the first full day of being home im pretty much normal with some slight memory issues (like forgetting where the tea goes, the name of pizza man's oldest aunt, not making my yogurt the "most efficient way", etc) and im using a walker as a precaution- im slightly wobbly

pizza man kept telling me it was so awesome to hear me around the home and that i “came back”

imo he was already very in love with me but he keeps saying the experience somehow made him “fall deeply in love” with me lol

he keeps checking my head for a fever and he watches over me carefully for the first couple of days at home- im sure he has PTSD honestly and i was worried about him but he’s doing great now actually

we’re really lucky the house has handle bars by some of the entrances and in the bathroom and its generally accessible because this used to be grandpa’s house- i expected the handle bars to be useful to us one day but not this soon

i was also looking at a fashion catalog and didn't feel "spicy" but felt more "heterosexual" somehow

but by saturday (6/21/2025) and sunday (6/22/2025) my memory is "very good" again, im not using a walker anymore and i looked at the catalog again and my sexuality feels queer as usual lol

pizza man asked me “how many nickels are in a dollar?”- this time i answered “20” after thinking on it for a few seconds

its incredible the people got me through this unscathed

before all this pizza man sometimes told me he was gonna be sad when my memory starts going because its just so good

but he told me he likes me however- and he would always take care of me and his goal is to do his best to help me become independent again- im still kind of processing that tbh

pizza man was like "when you were in the hospital i was like "oh man i wish amy was here with me so she could guide me and tell me what to do through this situation of her being in the hospital :("

then also i had an excuse to invite my friends over to hang out- that was nice

***

hyponatremia risk factors (korey stringer institute)

exercise duration greater than 4 hours or slow pace: no

AFAB: yes

low body weight: i guess

excessive drinking (>1.5 L/hour) during the event: possible

abundant availability of drinking fluids at event: possible

nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antidepressants, or diuretics use: my two 200mg of ibuprofen in the morning then the one 200mg of ibuprofen and 500mg of tylenol at night???? maybe they just added to the recipe for disaster

other drugs associated with SIADH (SSRI’s): no

not heat acclimatized: guess i don't sweat much but i mean i still sweat

low sodium diet: initially i was like LOW SODIUM?? HOW? but i've been reading nutrition labels (especially serving sizes) and i'll admit maybe its a possibility idk

extreme hot or cold environment: not those days (high: 73℉, low: 53℉ friday 6/13/2025 through sunday 6/15/2025)

i don't mind being a cautionary tale

because the cause of my hyponatremia seems to be possibly caused by my funky eating schedule and chugging liquids: so far the dr notes and advice to prevent me from having it again basically say "drink/eat sodium (2,300 mg/day) and don't drink more than 2 liters of liquids a day"

at first when they told me "don't drink more than 2 liters a day" i was like "yea- i don't usually do that- i only did that cause of that wicked headache and i was puking and scared" and when they were like "listen to ur body" i was like "yea- i do- i was just so nauseous i couldn't eat- tried anyway but i puked"

i was also much more concerned with the headache randomly coming back and not worried about my sodium levels- i believed the headache caused me to vomit and to drink water- which jacked up my sodium

but the more im reading and recalling what i did- the more i'll accept its possible the headache and sickness on sunday was caused by low sodium

i don’t think that was a migraine anymore

low sodium symptoms (https://www.singlecare.com/conditions/low-sodium-symptoms)

headache

nausea

loss of appetite

vomiting

feeling tired

dizziness

muscle weakness/cramps

“low sodium is a common health condition that can affect anyone, regardless of age, sex, race, or ethnicity”

generally when i eat out i drink a lot of water during and afterwards (im thirsty cause its salty)- so it probably wasn't good i drank a lot of water from applebees- then sipped water throughout the whole day saturday and only had dinner

same/similar thing apparently happened to brooke shields in 2023- and maybe also to bruce lee

told pizza man like any good scam how they get you is you think ur safe cause “thats not me- im not an athlete, out in hot weather, doing drinking contests- im a simpleton doing simple things”

i looked at my 30 oz water bottle and realized i can easily drink more than 2 refillings a day (doctors told me not to drink more than 67 oz or 2 liters a day)- so the possibility of me being over-hydrated isn’t really “out there”

apparently im kinda a "mindless" sipper throughout the day- so now i actively pay attention to how much i drink and limit myself to roughly "4 (~16 oz) water bottles/cups" a day (as per the kidney doctor's advice)

according to cleveland clinic

more than 32 oz of water per hour is probably too much (about a liter, roughly 2 "typical sized" water bottles)

ur pee should look light yellow- clear or colorless pee may indicate you have too much water in your body

stop drinking if you feel nauseous, bloated or have a headache- these are early signs that you drank too much water

its funny cause some doctors also said i should be drinking gatorade when i do my squats and push-ups

always thought it was a marketing gimmick or for extreme athletes in hot weather

but as far as i understand it sounds like i'll also be fine if i just eat some chips or whatever

last time i saw a doctor was august 2024: did blood tests- he said i was "extremely healthy" and to see him again in 3 years unless something comes up

i checked my sodium from previous years: 139 last year, 138 back in 2017

my mom also got her labs done recently and her sodium was 136 (below 135 is dangerous)

maybe its genetics and/or a similar diet and sipping habits

i used to see a primary care physician but it felt like a waste of time cause i was like 20 and nothing was ever going on

guess i got a good reason to see one again

i've been thinking about how i've been putting an effort towards working out and gained 4-5 lbs since january this year and i've thought "would this have ended up very different if i didn't gain that extra weight?"

spooky crazy

for whatever reason i was never mad or upset during this: i was trying to be patient, honest and accepting of whatever i felt or was going through- i let myself be weak and vulnerable- kept telling myself "take it easy, give urself a week- try not to be frustrated and trust ur body to recover"

there's some truth and context to "applebees almost killed me" but i think i understand the true actual cause of this mess was: my curiosity

anyway i went to hopkins for shits and giggles cause i’ve never been there before

and pizza man drew his “tippy salt” oc throwing salt at me lol

#hyponatremia

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