Diana Darby ** "I V" ** Intravenous

Wednesday

Two mornings ago
I woke up to another one of those calf cramps.
The kind that I can feel coming on,
but can never seem to stop.
I leapt to the floor
And fought to get my foot down
and flexed,
before the cramp
left my leg in a twisted knot.
I stood there
flexing and wincing,
doubled over in pain.
The pain was so intense,
and so strong,
it was like a wave
knocking me over.
I remember saying, “Oh God”
and then falling face down on to the bed.
It was a horrible rush of feeling,
like right before you vomit
and you can’t stop it.
I was on the bed,
passed out,
Mark shaking me,
saying my name,
asking me if I was o.k.
But I didn’t answer.
It was a good minute
before I could speak.
Words wouldn’t come out of my mouth.
I just lay there
like I had been flattened,
like I had had a stroke.
When I did open my eyes
I felt as if I were under water.
Everything was hazy
and dreamlike.
Then I felt nauseous
and a cold sweat broke out
over my entire body.
I was drenched.
I asked for water
but couldn’t sit up
to drink it.
I took a few sips and then
I fell back asleep
and when I woke up,
it was almost eleven.
The rest of the day
I hobbled from room to room
lost,
still unsure of what happened.
My sister, the doctor,
had lots of theories.
I needed to get my electrolytes checked
and see a cardiologist,
because I might have a heart arrhythmia.
Or even something worse.
None of her choices made me feel any better.
I prefer to think that I just overdid it in yoga class.
Next week I’ll take level 2 instead of level 3.