Korean Job Discussion Forums

khyber · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Compunction Junction

This last weekend I was paralyzed for the morning. I woke up sunday unable to get outta bed; hell, unable to swing my arms/legs/core in any direction. I couldn't even roll over onto my stomach. Later on, when I passed out, I got an ambulance ride to a hospital where I was greeted with 2 doctors and 4 nurses scurrying around me.

Apparently my situation was much more serious than I would have put together. The doctor is now 90% sure that I have something called "Hypokalemic Periodic Paralysis" which means I get paralyzed for a while when there isn't enough potassium in my system to get my nerves+muscles to fire.
So they dumped a bunch of KCl into my blood and I was fine in a matter of a few minutes.
Apparently this can attack your diaphragm OR heart and I coulda died.

So either I have this HPP situation or I have major kidney issues or cancer on my adrenal gland.

I can't figure out what is the "best" disease to have; seems they all suck.

I'm SO glad this happenned in Canada and not Korea.

Has anyone else experienced temporary paralysis...EVER? Isn't it about the maddest thing"?

mole · Joined: 06 Feb 2003 Location: Act III

Scary stuff~! Shocked

I've never had any similar experience, but I'm sure I will after reading your vivid account.
I'm the second biggest hypochondriac I know. Mom's aunt is #1.

kermo · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:19 pm Post subject: Re: Here's a weird one...

eamo · Joined: 08 Mar 2003 Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.

Outside of drinking too much rum........no! Never been paralysed!!! Laughing

That's scary though. I would've shat my pants.

rockstarsmooth · Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Location: anyang, baybee!

peppermint · Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:56 pm Post subject:

I've heard of the potassium thing before. An ex boyfriend's roommate had it.

I've got family members with kidney trouble and cancer. From what I gather, the paralysis thing (while it's got to be terrifying) is easier to manage than either of the other two. Take care, and go get some bananas!

Czarjorge · Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 12:30 am Post subject:

Tardive Dyskinesia is where you get a temporary paralysis of muscles, sort of like stroke victims. I new a girl in college this happened to, and its cause was, according to the doctors, SLEEPING WITH A FAN BLOWING ON HER FACE. Perhaps this is the origin of fan death?

write of weigh · Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Location: Mars

Yes i experienced a type of paralysis when I was younger, as in university days. I would be sleeping and would wake up, but my body was still asleep. Oddest thing in the world. My mind was awake and ready to move and my body wouldnt move. Sometimes i would stop breathing and slowly be suffocating, but i eventually would always wake up. I learned to kind of enjoy the freakiness of the situation.

A friend of mine had similar experiences, so I thought nothing of it. Hasnt happened in years. Possibly lack of potassium was the culprit of my paralysis as I ate a bunch of junk food in my uni days.

Good luck

write of weigh · Joined: 08 Sep 2007 Location: Mars

Grimalkin · Joined: 22 May 2005

write of weigh

What you experienced is not uncommon. The body often paralyses us when we're dreaming otherwise we would sleep walk (when the body fails to do this is when sleepwalking occurs). Sometimes we wake before the paralysis has worn off and that causes experiences like yours. Bananas and draughts have no effect on it one way or another.

khyber

I hope things turn out better for you than they appear now. Maybe if it's some sort of kidney disease it might clear up. When I was a child my parents were told I was unlikely to survive to my teens because of some sort of congenital kidney disease. Then much to everyone's surprise it just cleared up and here I am today. Hopefully things will turn out not to be so bad for you as well.

khyber · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Compunction Junction

Thanks for the words of support.
It turns out that the paralysis was possibly an expression of my symptom of hypokalemia.
I could either:

1) Have some kinda kidney issues (or perhaps a diabetes)
2) Have the hypokalemic periodic paralysis
3) Have cancer of the adrenal glands.

I'd have ignored this last possibility except I'd read it in a medical journal and my doctor asked how my ...oh well let's be frank, sex drive was. No comment.

So earlier today I had a blood test for all my adrenal gland produced hormones (FSH, LH, testosterone) and an ultrasound.

I asked her, "Is it a boy or a girl?"

She didn't even humour me with a snort or giggle ..... *beep*