Episode at the School
Last night, I was extremely tired and fell asleep at 10:30pm, which is quite early for me. I slept through until 7:30am but I was so tired I felt like I didn’t sleep at all.
I felt exhausted all morning. I ate cereal for breakfast, caffeinated tea after, then soup for lunch. At 1:30 I went for a 10k run on the treadmill. I showered and went to the school at 3:00 to help setup for the PAC fundraiser. While setting up, I was helping a parent move tables. I noticed that it took all of the energy I had and I was barely able to lift the table off the ground. There were many student and parent volunteers in the gym so I went into the hall and sat down behind the door so I would be out of the way.
I don’t know how long I was out, but it was much longer than the previous episodes. The custodian walked by me a couple times, as well as a student, and a few other staff members. A few minutes later, there was a small group around me discussing the idea of calling 9-1-1. I tried to communicate but my eyes just started to water. One of the parents who knew of my condition came over and informed the others that she thought I was okay. Before long, someone found my daughter and everyone seemed to be quite relieved when she arrived and informed them that this was “normal”.
Shortly after, I felt myself coming out of it. I was able to take a few deep breathes, then I was able to speak. It took a bit longer before I was able to to move my feet. Once I had my energy back, I got up and went right back to work helping sort the donations.
It is embarrassing when these episodes happen in public. I forget how scary it can be for those who are not aware of my condition. Even those who know of it can feel uneasy until they have seen me in an episode and know what to expect.