posted November 19, 2004 08:02 PM         

Everything started on Wednesday. My grandmother and I were driving to my great-uncle's funeral, and on the way there, I got these really horribly painful cramps, and naseau too. Ugh, it was crappy. By the time we got there I was feeling a wee bit better. But after the mass, when everyone came outside to chat for a few minutes, I got extremely light-headed, and I felt as though my head was shrinking, I was sure I was going to pass out. I didn't really know what to do, but I told my grandmother, and when she saw me she was really startled because my lips were purple and I was very pale, according to her. Luckily, she was talking to some distant relative of our's that's a paramedic. He sat me down and brought me water, and although I still felt pretty shaky, my grandmother and I left to the reception.

When we got home after all of this, I took a nap because I was really exhausted. I had a weird dream though, it was mostly about war, and I don't know, it wasn't really scary, but it just made me feel extremely naseated and anxious. When I woke up I was really, really shaking and I was pretty much delirious, because it took me about 45 minutes to calm down and realize that I was in my house and that nothing in my dream was actually real. Then I came down with a really bad fever for the rest of the day+night.

At the reception I didn't actually eat much of anything, because my stomach was very weak. Later that day though, after I woke up and all of that, I really decided not to eat anything for the rest of the day after I got one of those not-so pleasant bodily functions, you know, at the risk of naseating all of you, diarrehea. And that's usually a clear indicator to me that I'll vomit later on. So, I didn't eat anything the rest of the night, and I didn't vomit, luckily.

The next day my fever was gone and I wasn't really naseauous any longer. But since then, I really haven't been able to eat very much. Everything makes me queasy, and when I look at it, I just don't want it. Today I had a cookie at lunch and three cookies when I got home. I took a nap, and when I woke up, I was naseaous again, and my stomach feels really weird now, I don't think I could keep anything down.

So ugh, I don't know. Could this be some kind of weird stomach flu? Am I just not vomiting because there's nothing in my stomach? Is it something else? Should I go to my doctor?

There's a second part to this question. If a mother dies of AIDS 14 months after she gives birth to a baby, is it more likely that she contrived AIDS after or before giving birth to that baby? And if the baby were to get AIDS through birth, how long would they survive? Would they be able to go years without having any symptoms at all?

posted November 19, 2004 09:59 PM         

P.S. Could very well be a flu. Re: your second question....I would think that you would be WELL past the danger stage. For some reason I thought it was 5-7 years, maybe at the most 10......HOWEVER, I am merely making a comment on something I think I read long ago, so please don't quote me.

posted November 20, 2004 03:45 PM         

Where were the cramps? Stomach or menstrual-like?

Sounds like it could be flu related, depending on where the cramps were. Could also be female stuff. Say, for instance, if you were to have a cyst burst on one of your ovaries... I would imagine it would be quite painful, and pain can certainly cause nausea.

I had a kidney stone once... a VERY small one that caused me so much pain I threw up twice in the waiting room of the emergency room .

posted November 21, 2004 12:14 AM         

The cramps stopped the morning of my great-uncle's funeral though, after that it was just fever/naseau/not being able to eat. God, a cyst burst sounds scary O_O.

I think I'll be fine though, I've been doing okay today and I've been eating. It's probably passing.

posted November 21, 2004 02:08 PM         

I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. I wanted to let you know how much this sounds like what I go through everytime I get my period. For years I have had awful periods that put me out for a day or two. I believe I have endomitriosis. They can only tell if you have it through an operation called a laraoscopy (sp?) but I have all of the symptoms.

Some months are worse than others. But normally I get EXTREMELY painful cramps. I mean REALLY bad - and I'm no wimp. I get nauseous and get sick even if I dont eat anything. I cant even drink water or I'll throw it up. And at the same time, I'm 'glued to the toilet', if you know what I mean. I get really bad hot flashes as this is going on and feel like I'm going to pass out. When it's really bad I get dizzy and all of my muscles get weak and I feel like I could collapse.

This all started when I was about 16 or 17, I got my first period when I was 14 and they were normal up until then. It is really scary and I've mentioned it to doctors and they say that I could have (non cancerous) ovairan cysts, or might just have endomitriosis but they cant really know without doing an operation. I guess endromitriosis is one of those things the doctors are baffled by. They have different theories of what is going on but still dont know exactly - so they dont have a 'cure' either. I dont have health insurance and I've been hoping this would work itself out because I dont want to have to get an operation.

What you described sounds like what I go through. I also get very pale and get dizzy, lightheaded. And after the throwing up and diareah part has passed my hot flashes turn into 'cold flashes' and I get really cold. I usually take a bunch of pain reliever and try to sleep it off covered up in bed. It totally wears me out.

This is really not good. Especially a few months ago when it happened while I was at work. I was fine and then all of the sudden, I had this wave of nauseousness come over me and started sweating. I took off to the bathroom and got really sick and thought I was going to die. It's really that bad - I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy. I was in excruciating pain and after my male boss looked at me (I dont think he believed I was sick at first) he let me go home. I felt dizzy and like I was going to pass out in the parking lot and didnt know if I'd be able to drive home. After sitting there for about an hour and getting sick again, I made it home. One of my co-workers who saw me, told me to go to the emergency room. I dont have the money for that though and in a way I'm used to it now and I know that after all of that suffering, it passes. It's embarassing when it happens like that though. Anyway....

The whole thing is really exhasting as well. It usually only happens on the first day of my period, after that I'm fine. (well, I have the normal cramps, but I'm not getting sick anymore)

I felt I needed to share this with you because your experience sounded alot like mine. For years I didnt know what was going on and my mom thought I was exaggerating I think. Then I found out that one of my aunts has endomitriosis and she sent me a bunch of info on it. BINGO! I thought, that's exactly what I have! I felt better knowing that I wasnt dying or something. It runs in families as well.

You may want to pick up this book: Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom by Christiane Northrup, M.D. It's really helped me out. She's all about Mind/Body wellness - creating Physical and Emotional health and healing. They are connected.

Glad youre feeling better. Hope this helps in some way.

posted November 23, 2004 09:47 PM         

Whoa, 26T, that does sound like what I had. Although, I never actually threw up and I only got really dizzy/faint once, but that was my first time ever having something like that happen to me.

Yeah, I had really bad cold flashes before my fever came in, I was buried under my covers.

But I also think it might be because I've been getting so little sleep lately that when the cramps came in my immune system was too weak to deal with them or something? Hmm.

Thanks 26T, that's awful, you don't go through it every period, do you? My grandmother has said that she always got very sick when she had her periods when she was young, but she hasn't had one in atleast twenty years so she can't really remember any details. Hmm, I'll just have to see what happens next month.

posted November 24, 2004 01:24 AM         

Well, I hope you dont have what I have. Keep us posted. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.