Home for two days, feeling a bit better. The iron drip I got has given me some energy but I still have to rest between chores. So I’m doing a little, resting some and doing some more, etc. The hospital doctor in residence highly recommended I take Flintstones multi vitamin. The pill is shaped like a little monster. Hilarious.

I canceled my next two appointments with the physical therapist until I can get confident enough to drive without incident and, of course, I am rethinking using this particular outfit. My friend, Tonie recommended him and he is very knowledgeable, but after the interview, he handed me off to an assistant for the actual work and it is the assistant, Linda, who will be working with me, so I am not thrilled with that arrangement. I am inclined to look elsewhere.

The exercise that triggered the problem involved my lying with my neck on a Feldenkrais roll -- that's the styrofoam roll about 5 inches around and 5 ft. long. Clasp my hands, put my elbows together, reach behind me and arch my back. I think this caused the vertebrae to pinch the nerves that were already compressed and cause the reaction. I was a bit shaky when I left, but I figured that would pass.

So I left and went to Verizon. My new handy, dandy smart phone had gone through an update and then I couldn't get in because it wouldn't recognize my password. They reset it and I left and went to Publix supermarket. I got a few things, felt faint, decided not to do any more and went to the checkout counter where I doubled over. The staff got me a chair. At that point my entire body went into spasm and neuropathy, which affect my feet, took over all of me. I felt that at any moment I would lose consciousness. So I called Ed and asked him to come get me. He was on his way, and then the store staff called the EMTs with my permission and they both got there at the same time.

Once in the ambulance, I was hooked up, and the IV always makes one feel better. In the hospital, blood was taken and I was diagnosed with anemia, a hemoglobin reading of about 9, when it should be 12. (This is a mystery as I had a check-up two weeks before and it wasn't caught.) It was decided I would spend the night so that an echocardiogram could be done to rule out a heart problem. When Ed saw me in the market, he was convinced I was having a heart attack ... said I had all the symptoms.

I had only toast that morning before the therapy session and I didn't get to eat till 9 p.m. The nurse in the ward to which I was admitted rustled up a TV dinner. The next day I had breakfast, lunch and dinner before I finally got discharged. When asked about the food, I said, "It will sustain life."

The nurse rubbed my back with a pain cream which is better than what I was using, and they called in a prescription and the pharmacy said my insurance doesn’t want to cover it and it costs $100-plus. What’s in it, molten gold? The pharmacy said they would pursue this. Anyway, I got to take home the tube the nurse was using. They also gave me a muscle relaxant and Ed picked that up today. I will use it at bed time.

My bff , Nadine, said I should read up on illnesses caused by flea bites. She thinks that’s what was up. But I said, no. Fleas don’t cause spinal stenosis and scoliosis.

When I was being wheeled around in the hospital on the gurney, I would wave at myself in the ceiling mirrors. Hi.

Because of my age, the medics are always wanting to test aggressively. Enjoy. Nothing wrong with my heart. See? Despite my insurance, I am leery of seeing the cost for all this.

Even though it was only a day and a half, it messed with my head and I felt odd going home. Also, they had the bed wired and an alarm would go off if I tried to get up. I was using a commode because I was attached to a heart monitor and the IV thingy. So I called for help. When 45 minutes passed with no assistance, I took a chance and, luckily, the bed alarm wasn't on. Not that I would have cared at that point. Make a racket, go ahead.

The staff was lovely, impressed with my young look and affect (that's always a kick) and thought the dialogue between me and Ed was hysterical. He kept interrupting so at one point I said, "Ed, withdraw, please."

xx, Teal