Health Scare

Back on March 30th, 2023, I had a health scare. I was having difficulty swallowing and losing function in both my hands. I had my husband take me to the emergency room around 6 pm. I was admitted within a half hour for observation, and some tests were done. By 10 pm, I was told they might have to intubate me and asked if something went wrong can they revive me. I was starting to get scared. By then, I had lost all use of my hands and could barely swallow. By the next day, I was intubated and rushed to the ICU, where I spent ten days. My body was attacking my nervous system, and they couldn't figure out why. A lot more tests were done. One came up positive for Botulism. After treating me for that and two rounds of antibiotics, my body stopped attacking itself. Once out of the ICU, it was a hard road ahead. I was in the hospital for over 30 days. I had PT for ten days to walk again and regain the use of my hands and arms. It has been a month since I was released, and I still struggle with my arms and hands. The doctor says it might take up to six months to regain their full use, or they might be partially paralyzed for the rest of their life. 

Back to the Botulism part of the equation; After the doctors asked my husband and son if I did any canning, the Health department sent people to my apartment to find out where the Botulism originated. They found nothing. I only can small batches of jam for Christmas and was told that canning jams wouldn't cause Botulism. I was also told that I could have gotten it through a store-bought product, even though it is rare it can happen. Botulism is what caused my body to attack my nervous system. I did briefly die and could have become fully paralyzed. 

I wanted to share this with those of you that do pressure canning. Please be careful and make sure that you follow the procedure thoroughly. Even though my Botulism didn't come from pressure canning, I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I went through. Fighting for your life is very scary, even though I only remember parts of it, and it still haunts me at night while I try to sleep. 

Thanks for stopping by,

VeronicaNorrisDesign