Personal Narrative: Eli's Wake Up With His Dad
Some time later, Eli is once again woken up by his Dad, however this time was different. His dad seemed somewhat enthusiastic for some reason or another. Being dazed from sleep, Eli doesn’t think anything of it, until his dad tells him the news that may change his life… “I just received an email from Mayo clinic. They had a cancellation and we were next on the list. Your appointment starts tomorrow morning, so we are leaving tonight.” His dad giddily stammers, “We will pick your mom up on the way through the cities.” Not fully comprehending what his day was saying, as he was just woken up, “Ok, cool” is all Eli musters as a reply. As soon as he gets out of bed, Eli grabs his backpack, but for a much more exciting reason than going to school. He packs a few sets of clothes inside, because appointments at Mayo are multi day excursions, his toothbrush, and his iPad. By the time he is done, his Dad has made lunch and Eli gladly eats it. He has worked up an enormous appetite. After finishing packing and eating, Eli decides to watch a little tv before he must start the trip down to the cities to pick up his mom, who currently works there at a hospital as a midwife, and then to Mayo clinic in Rochester. Once the
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episode of Sportscenter he was watching concludes, it is time to leave. Eli walks up the stairs, which with the news he just received are not quite as large of a burden. His dog greets him at the top and Eli pets her and says goodbye. A family friend will be watching her while Eli and his Dad are away, but he still hates leaving her for any length of time. After the goodbye is over, Eli slings on his backpack and leaves the house with his Dad. They walk out to the car and get in together. Once his Dad starts driving, Eli, like always, falls asleep and doesn’t wake up until they arrive in the cities.
Eli’s mom is waiting at their rental house and she strolls down the front steps and to the car as she gets in she happily greets them and says,”Isn’t this exciting? We could finally get some answers.”
Eli, as he always does, reservedly responds,” Ya it is.” Jaded by all of the failed attempts, Eli doesn’t get too excited, but he knows he is going to one of the best medical facilities in the world. Once their exchange is complete, Eli drifts back off into sleep to the sound of the radio and his parents quietly conversing.
Around dinner time, Eli wakes up to his Dad pulling into a diner that Eli’s parents saw as they were driving. Again hungry, Eli excitedly unbuckles himself and follows his parents into the diner. When they walk in it is dimly lit but delicious fragrances are wafting from the kitchen. So they find a booth and sit down, a waitress soon comes over with menus. It only takes them a few minutes to decide what to order, Eli decides on a bacon cheeseburger. The kitchen cooks their food in a timely fashion and the waitress carries it out to them. Eli devours his burger at a much more rapid pace than his parents eat their food, but he gladly sits and waits for them to finish. Not too long after, Eli’s parents finish eating, they pay for the food, and all leave the restaurant. Now the final leg of the journey begins, Eli, despite having just eaten, is again low on energy. He buckles himself in and then soon slips back into sleep.
About an hour later Eli is awoken by the bright lights of a city. Knowing this means they are finally to Rochester, Eli gets excited. His Dad expertly maneuvers through the bustling streets and to the hotel that his Mom booked while they were driving. Eli’s Dad drops them off at the front door with their bags and goes to find a parking spot. While he is doing this, Eli and his Mom check into the hotel and get their room number. It doesn’t take very long so they just wait in the lobby together until Eli’s Dad is finished parking the car. His Dad doesn’t take long and within 10 minutes he comes back and they go up to their room together. When they reach their room, Eli sets his bag down and begins getting ready for bed. He takes a shower, brushes his teeth and then crawls into bed. As always, sleeping comes easy to Eli and after a small amount of time he’s asleep. Now the next couple days come as very much a blur to Eli, because it is almost all testing and speaking to doctors. Therefor, they will be covered in less detail than the previous day.
The next morning Eli is awoken much earlier than he is used to, at 6:30. His introductory appointment begins at 7:30 and they have to walk through the Skyway to Mayo clinic. Eli pulls on some clothes and eats a bagel his parents picked up for him. Once he is done eating, they all leave the hotel and begin the longest walk Eli has attempted in a long time. It doesn’t take long for Eli’s hip to ache more and more, but the thought of finally feeling better propels him forward.
When they reach the clinic Eli is surprised by what it appears to be.
Much to Eli’s amazement, Mayo Clinic isn’t a hospital at all, it is actually multiple incredibly tall office buildings inside of one complex. The center of the main buildings is a set of elevators that take you to all the different floors, which specialize in different branches of medicine. Eli and his parents are instructed by the schedule they received to go to the pediatric floor. Finding the right elevator, they all get in and ride it to their designated floor. “Now it is looking more like a hospital,” thinks Eli. On the other side of the door is a large colorful, waiting room and a desk. They walk up in and check in at the desk, then find a seat and wait to be called into a
room.
First, Eli is taken by a nurse to get all of his vitals measured and then is brought to an exam room where he finds his parents waiting for him. Sitting down in the chair closest to the doctor’s computer, Eli once again waits with his parents. Not too long passes before they hear a knock on the door and see a doctor walk in whose name is Dr. Jones, yes like Indiana Jones. She introduces herself and sadly her first name isn’t Indiana but that’s ok. After introducing herself, she instructs Eli to tell her his medical history. Eli, having done this many times before, recites a detailed history of himself, with a little help from his Mom. Once they have finished Dr. Jones tells them her suspected diagnosis. She believes Eli is suffering from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS for short. Basically, this means Eli has an elevated heart rate, and when he partakes in any activity, even getting out of bed, his heart rate skyrockets. This causes extreme fatigue because his body is almost constantly in fight or flight mode, which is exhausting.
As for the hip, Dr. Jones unfortunately says, “We aren’t specialized in sports medicine, but we will refer you to a doctor in the cities who is one of the best in the country.” That wasn't quite the news Eli and his parents were hoping to hear, but they would still be extremely happy if they could help his reduce fatigue. Dr. Jones proposes a plan to help lessen the effects of Eli’s POTS, which involves: Drinking 3-4 liters of water a day, eating 7-10 thousand milligrams of salt, taking a beta blocker to lower his heart rate, and exercising for an hour every day. Before they can start that, though, Dr. Jones must confirm that Eli does in fact have POTS. To do this Eli undergoes several tests. He is given a blood draw, an EKG, a stress test, and the final test is a tilt table test. Overwhelmed by the whirling craziness of the first few tests, Eli is grateful to start the last test and be done being, what feels like, a lab rat for the day. For the final test, the tilt table test, Eli follows two technicians into what looks like a scientific torture chamber. There is a movable table with straps and large machines with electrodes protruding from them. Trusting that they aren’t going to torture him, Eli gets on the table and lets the technicians strap him down. Once strapped down, Eli has the electrodes stuck to his body to track his heart rate and activate his sweat glands. After turning on the electrodes, the technicians just sit and monitor him for ten minutes. When ten minutes are up, they move the table into a vertical position and wait another ten minutes. They do this and Eli’s heart rate shoots from 85bpm to 150bpm and stays there until they lower the table. This has just confirmed that Eli has POTS and the test is over.
Completing the test, Eli walks out of the room and his first day at Mayo is over. He walks back to the hotel with his parents and almost as soon as they get back Eli is asleep for the night.
The next day Eli has one final appointment with Dr. Jones and it is again early in the morning. Eli is awoken, takes a shower, gets dressed, eats breakfast, before heading back to Mayo with his parents. Knowing that this might be the day in which he starts his road of recovery, Eli walks a little faster and acts a little chippier. He and his parents find the right elevator and just like the day before, ride it up to Dr. Jones’ office.
They patiently but excitedly wait for a nurse to come and bring them to an exam room. Finally, they hear a nurse call, “Eli Uban,” and they all get up to follow the nurse to the room together. Impatiently, they have to wait a little longer for Dr. Jones to come in. A little time passes, but they soon hear a knock on the door and in walks Dr. Jones. She bears the exact news Eli and his parents were hoping for, her suspected diagnosis was correct and that the treatment plan should help Eli start to feel better. Prescribing Metoprolol and reminding them of the treatment plan is the last thing Dr. Jones does before letting the happy family leave. Eli and his parents leave with a smile and hope that this could finally be the fix that Eli needed.
Fast forward a year and Eli is doing very well. He now goes to school full time and is really enjoying being able to do so. No longer reserved in the hallways, Eli now stops and talks to friends who greet him. The day still tires him out, but nowhere near the exhaustion of a year ago. This all can be traced back to that fateful October Wednesday that changed my life.
episode of Sportscenter he was watching concludes, it is time to leave. Eli walks up the stairs, which with the news he just received are not quite as large of a burden. His dog greets him at the top and Eli pets her and says goodbye. A family friend will be watching her while Eli and his Dad are away, but he still hates leaving her for any length of time. After the goodbye is over, Eli slings on his backpack and leaves the house with his Dad. They walk out to the car and get in together. Once his Dad starts driving, Eli, like always, falls asleep and doesn’t wake up until they arrive in the cities.
Eli’s mom is waiting at their rental house and she strolls down the front steps and to the car as she gets in she happily greets them and says,”Isn’t this exciting? We could finally get some answers.”
Eli, as he always does, reservedly responds,” Ya it is.” Jaded by all of the failed attempts, Eli doesn’t get too excited, but he knows he is going to one of the best medical facilities in the world. Once their exchange is complete, Eli drifts back off into sleep to the sound of the radio and his parents quietly conversing.
Around dinner time, Eli wakes up to his Dad pulling into a diner that Eli’s parents saw as they were driving. Again hungry, Eli excitedly unbuckles himself and follows his parents into the diner. When they walk in it is dimly lit but delicious fragrances are wafting from the kitchen. So they find a booth and sit down, a waitress soon comes over with menus. It only takes them a few minutes to decide what to order, Eli decides on a bacon cheeseburger. The kitchen cooks their food in a timely fashion and the waitress carries it out to them. Eli devours his burger at a much more rapid pace than his parents eat their food, but he gladly sits and waits for them to finish. Not too long after, Eli’s parents finish eating, they pay for the food, and all leave the restaurant. Now the final leg of the journey begins, Eli, despite having just eaten, is again low on energy. He buckles himself in and then soon slips back into sleep.
About an hour later Eli is awoken by the bright lights of a city. Knowing this means they are finally to Rochester, Eli gets excited. His Dad expertly maneuvers through the bustling streets and to the hotel that his Mom booked while they were driving. Eli’s Dad drops them off at the front door with their bags and goes to find a parking spot. While he is doing this, Eli and his Mom check into the hotel and get their room number. It doesn’t take very long so they just wait in the lobby together until Eli’s Dad is finished parking the car. His Dad doesn’t take long and within 10 minutes he comes back and they go up to their room together. When they reach their room, Eli sets his bag down and begins getting ready for bed. He takes a shower, brushes his teeth and then crawls into bed. As always, sleeping comes easy to Eli and after a small amount of time he’s asleep. Now the next couple days come as very much a blur to Eli, because it is almost all testing and speaking to doctors. Therefor, they will be covered in less detail than the previous day.
The next morning Eli is awoken much earlier than he is used to, at 6:30. His introductory appointment begins at 7:30 and they have to walk through the Skyway to Mayo clinic. Eli pulls on some clothes and eats a bagel his parents picked up for him. Once he is done eating, they all leave the hotel and begin the longest walk Eli has attempted in a long time. It doesn’t take long for Eli’s hip to ache more and more, but the thought of finally feeling better propels him forward.
When they reach the clinic Eli is surprised by what it appears to be.
Much to Eli’s amazement, Mayo Clinic isn’t a hospital at all, it is actually multiple incredibly tall office buildings inside of one complex. The center of the main buildings is a set of elevators that take you to all the different floors, which specialize in different branches of medicine. Eli and his parents are instructed by the schedule they received to go to the pediatric floor. Finding the right elevator, they all get in and ride it to their designated floor. “Now it is looking more like a hospital,” thinks Eli. On the other side of the door is a large colorful, waiting room and a desk. They walk up in and check in at the desk, then find a seat and wait to be called into a
room.
First, Eli is taken by a nurse to get all of his vitals measured and then is brought to an exam room where he finds his parents waiting for him. Sitting down in the chair closest to the doctor’s computer, Eli once again waits with his parents. Not too long passes before they hear a knock on the door and see a doctor walk in whose name is Dr. Jones, yes like Indiana Jones. She introduces herself and sadly her first name isn’t Indiana but that’s ok. After introducing herself, she instructs Eli to tell her his medical history. Eli, having done this many times before, recites a detailed history of himself, with a little help from his Mom. Once they have finished Dr. Jones tells them her suspected diagnosis. She believes Eli is suffering from Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, or POTS for short. Basically, this means Eli has an elevated heart rate, and when he partakes in any activity, even getting out of bed, his heart rate skyrockets. This causes extreme fatigue because his body is almost constantly in fight or flight mode, which is exhausting.
As for the hip, Dr. Jones unfortunately says, “We aren’t specialized in sports medicine, but we will refer you to a doctor in the cities who is one of the best in the country.” That wasn't quite the news Eli and his parents were hoping to hear, but they would still be extremely happy if they could help his reduce fatigue. Dr. Jones proposes a plan to help lessen the effects of Eli’s POTS, which involves: Drinking 3-4 liters of water a day, eating 7-10 thousand milligrams of salt, taking a beta blocker to lower his heart rate, and exercising for an hour every day. Before they can start that, though, Dr. Jones must confirm that Eli does in fact have POTS. To do this Eli undergoes several tests. He is given a blood draw, an EKG, a stress test, and the final test is a tilt table test. Overwhelmed by the whirling craziness of the first few tests, Eli is grateful to start the last test and be done being, what feels like, a lab rat for the day. For the final test, the tilt table test, Eli follows two technicians into what looks like a scientific torture chamber. There is a movable table with straps and large machines with electrodes protruding from them. Trusting that they aren’t going to torture him, Eli gets on the table and lets the technicians strap him down. Once strapped down, Eli has the electrodes stuck to his body to track his heart rate and activate his sweat glands. After turning on the electrodes, the technicians just sit and monitor him for ten minutes. When ten minutes are up, they move the table into a vertical position and wait another ten minutes. They do this and Eli’s heart rate shoots from 85bpm to 150bpm and stays there until they lower the table. This has just confirmed that Eli has POTS and the test is over.
Completing the test, Eli walks out of the room and his first day at Mayo is over. He walks back to the hotel with his parents and almost as soon as they get back Eli is asleep for the night.
The next day Eli has one final appointment with Dr. Jones and it is again early in the morning. Eli is awoken, takes a shower, gets dressed, eats breakfast, before heading back to Mayo with his parents. Knowing that this might be the day in which he starts his road of recovery, Eli walks a little faster and acts a little chippier. He and his parents find the right elevator and just like the day before, ride it up to Dr. Jones’ office.
They patiently but excitedly wait for a nurse to come and bring them to an exam room. Finally, they hear a nurse call, “Eli Uban,” and they all get up to follow the nurse to the room together. Impatiently, they have to wait a little longer for Dr. Jones to come in. A little time passes, but they soon hear a knock on the door and in walks Dr. Jones. She bears the exact news Eli and his parents were hoping for, her suspected diagnosis was correct and that the treatment plan should help Eli start to feel better. Prescribing Metoprolol and reminding them of the treatment plan is the last thing Dr. Jones does before letting the happy family leave. Eli and his parents leave with a smile and hope that this could finally be the fix that Eli needed.
Fast forward a year and Eli is doing very well. He now goes to school full time and is really enjoying being able to do so. No longer reserved in the hallways, Eli now stops and talks to friends who greet him. The day still tires him out, but nowhere near the exhaustion of a year ago. This all can be traced back to that fateful October Wednesday that changed my life.