had no short term memory. What
was going on was described to me
as if my inner child had taken
over and run a muck.
My husband searched for the right
facility to address my mental
state. He never left my side, even
when I began to forget him and
my children. He said I never slept
and I “danced” for days. I used
social media in this state and my
husband would remove my random
posts. I dressed and behaved
in a manner that stopped me from
going into public. Then I began to
hurt myself.
This was my second episode
within six months.
The first hospitalization had me
on a ten day hold. Both trips began
at the emergency room. It
took me several months to understand
the mania episodes I experienced.
It was the lack of potassium.
The medical term for this
condition is Hypokalemia.
I later questioned why I had to
wait until I was transferred into a
mental health unit that the vitamin
issue was properly addressed. I
have witnessed my husband receive
potassium intravenously at
the hospital after having a seizure.
I began to wonder if I could have
been treated the same way and
avoided the mental health lock
down.
Could a simple IV of the powerful
nutrient bring me back to the
land of lucid thoughts and sanity?
It is a question I hope I will
never have answered. I hope
what I have learned helps me
avoid that mental scenario again
and maybe, just maybe, I can
help others facing similar issues.
I began researching my questions.
I quickly learned first responders,
like Carrie Rydzik
who I met through twitter, deal
with both physical and mental
health issues daily on the front
lines. As a first responder she
explained to me that it is their
job to get the patient to the hospital
safely and sometimes must
restrain a patient to ensure that
happens. She explained it is up
to the hospital what issues are
addressed and in what order.
Carrie went on to explain she
personally had not encountered a
patient in psychosis but encountered
patients under the influence
of a substance. She expressed the
strong need to consider a patients
physical health first. “We
do what we can to protect the
patient. So they do not hurt
themselves and sometimes we
have to put restraints on them.
We would transport them to a
hospital first in case they are
hurt”, said Ms. Rydzik.
We must ask, do emergency
room providers consider a patients
mental health after the
acute physical health is stable?
Do they think of possible chronic
diagnosis and their play on the
patient, when looking at initial
lab results? Did I have to be
locked down in a mental unit
before I was given the potassium
I needed to begin to heal, both
physically and mentally.
I also learned from my doctor
that consuming to much salt can
actually cause your potassium
level to deplete. Considering I
was once prescribed lithium as a
treatment I began to wonder why
it had taken me so many years to
learn that this was in fact a huge
cause of many of my mental
health issues. I had always
craved salt and was told I had a
lithium deficiency. So naturally,
(Connued from page 15)
16 — iPain Living Magazine