Welcome Home ER Visit

If you would have asked me last week when I thought I would ever get back to my old place of work, I would not have said soon.
Unfortunately for me fate had another answer in mind.
Last night I went to watch the NE Patriots game at a good friends house.
The game was great to watch, until the 3rd, when the Pats really just ran away with the ball. I had 3 beers, some nachos, chicken wings and hung out for a bit. It was getting close to 8pm and I thought it was about time to call it a night. For those of you with school age kids you know that 8:00pm on a school night is considered late. Long gone are the days of drinking at Frat parties until 3:00am and then heading to Economics first thing in the morning. Just no longer happens. Right before I left the house I made one big mistake.

My friend has been using a new supplement that has worked wonders for her.
She had been talking this drink up all night long. It really works for her and has lowered her cholestorol and improved her overall health. She told me it was made of fruits and berries and it tasted very good. Before walking to my car she handed me a shot class with about 2 ounces of juice in it. I drank it down, commented on its taste and took my kids to the car.

On the way home I turned onto Sodom road. It is not a very well lit or straight road. It is known to test your driving ability with its quick turns on rainy nights. Last night was one of them. My daughters and I were signing Christmas carols and just being silly. When I got to the middle of the street I began to have some after effects of this drink. My heart began to race, I got sweaty and cold. I had a tough time swallowing. I tried to blow it off and keep driving. I stopped at a local store to buy a bottle of water to possibly help with these symptoms. As I approached the door, the owner told me they were closed and I could not get the water. I hopped back in the car and flew about 6 miles to my parents house. Once inside I tried to lay down to see if I could get the symptoms to pass. I told my mother what went on and that I thought I was having a reaction to the drink. She took my blood pressure and my pulse. My BP was 135 over 120 and my pulse was 130. I tried again to rest. No stopping my rapid heartbeat. Feeling like I was going to pass out I asked my mom to call an ambulance. I really felt very ill.

Westport resuce arrived from the Main rd station, in what felt like ten minutes. I am sure it was less. Once inside the ambulance they ran an IV and hooked me up to the blood pressure machine. I started ringing all types of bells during the ride as my blood pressure topped out at 145 over 155. At this time I felt like I was going to pass out for sure. I was hot, dizzy and had the thoughest time swallowing. Once inside the ER they gave me a wonderful little pill that reversed the effects of the little purple drink. It brought my heart rate under control and I was home sometime after midnight. I was warned to avoid caffeine and nicotine as well as any other stimulant. It appears that this little drink contained a lot of berries that are stimulants. Again, I only drank 2 ounces. I felt the effect of this stimulant for the rest of the night. I had episodes for the rest of the evening where my heart raced and then slowed down again. I was very lucky.

Everyone in the ER asked me why I would have just drank the drink. First of all this person giving it to me is a friend and we have been friends for a while. She was not trying to kill me. Secondly, I have never experienced a reaction to any food or drink in my life. I am not an allergy prone person. Not the smartest thing I have ever done and I sure as hell will never do it again. This also means that Red Bull and all energy drinks are out of the line up for me, so said the nice ER doctor. I will listen too. No rush to visit my old place of employment anytime soon