Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Dramatic Day ...

Holy Mother of mayonnaise...
Today was one for the record books. Had a lovely ... and fairly new ... client coming in for a haircut. She's seen me 2 or 3 times. She's an adorable 50-something ovarian cancer patient. She's metastatic and thriving ... as are several of my lady-loves. Cute as a button and wears her 50-something years like she's in her early fourties.
When she sat in my chair, I could tell that something was amiss. She was answering my questions about her hair in vague ways ... and then began answering my questions in tongues, almost. My thought was that she had mixed up her meds and that had thrown her off, a bit.
I went to the back room to get her some water. Told her that I thought that we should probably do her haircut on another day when she was feeling better. Said that we could sit and chat.
She became more confused. So, I offered to drive her home.
At this point, her eyes became glossed over, she turned her head, and started to moan. Next thing I know, her head is bent back and her entire body was as stiff as a plank.
I put my hand behind her neck and held her legs ... so she would not slide out of the chair ... chimed over to my boss that she was having a seizure. Another client came over and we held her. For several minutes ... the seizure seemed to last a lifetime. She wasn't breathing throughout the whole ordeal. I just kept telling her that I was there and that she needed to breath. As her lips turned blue, I was just on the verge of laying her on the floor, as the only thing I knew was that she was going to need CPR.
FINALLY she took a bit of a breath. And, at almost the same time, I heard the paramedics' sirens. My co-worker, Ashley had called them some minutes prior, thankfully.
Thank goodness that my client and I have this "cancer connection." I was able to let them know that she is an ovarian patient and has a porta-cath, is on chemo, is metastatic, and that she might need a brain scan to make sure all is well.
Thank goodness that I heard from this sweet gal tonight.
She is home. She is with friends. She is stable and amazing.
What a lovely, lovely woman she is.
Please send love and prayers to "K" tonight.
xoxo
Anna

2 comments:

BethanyAronowMA said...

Sounds like synchronicity to me. How amazing that she was with you when this happened, and that you could offer such excellent support and inform the paramedics of her condition. I am glad she is okay. You're an angel, Anna!

Sarah said...

Jimminy Cricket...what a stressful situation, and one I know you handled with grace.