On our first night in Chicago, my Sister woke me up in the middle of the night to tell me to get in the bed. I was apparently standing up next to the bed, but I was bent in half and my head was laying on a pillow! I don't remember doing that. Apparently, even past that moment, all I could manage was barely crawling in the bed, without covers (a Keebs no-no), to finish out the night. What happened to get me to that moment is STILL a mystery!
The night before we left, I stayed at my Sister's house to make it easier to leave (her town is closer to Memphis than mine and I wanted to leave my car at my house). So I started the night before in a strange bed anyway, and I never sleep good away from home. For that matter, since I've slept on the couch for years anyway, I'm not really used to sleeping in a bed. We stayed up late chatting and watching TV, so I probably didn't get much sleep from the get-go, but I took my meds and slept as normal when they kicked in, even if it was later than usual.
We left for the airport fairly early in the a.m., and I had a Coke Zero on the way, and another one at the airport along with some candy. I had a water on the plane, but I managed to spill it on me before I had my first drink of it, and the pretzels I keep as a memento instead of eating (I'm weird that way). Apparently, Chicago isn't big on Coke, because every single place we went only had Pepsi. I don't do Pepsi, even in emergency situations. So, by midday, still no food or drink other than the two Cokes and candy (by that time, on an average day, I would have downed multiple Coke Zeros and probably an Energy Drink or two, but no food...I don't usually eat during the day, only at night anyway).
We checked into the hotel (which had a mini bar, but no regular fridge and no soda machines by the ice machine, and the mini bar had no sodas relative to Coke) and immediately headed to the hop-on-off bus to travel around to see the city. We took the entire route, just to get our bearings, and headed back to the hotel to change for the ghost tour we had booked that night and (thankfully) I got my clothes for the next day ready while I waited for my Sister to get ready. At this point, it was around 5 pm, with no food or drink all day, but we got back on the bus and the meet-up for the ghost tour was at a restaurant, so by 7 pm, we were eating. I had two alcoholic drinks (which were fairly watered down) and more water with a HEAVY meal. but I'm not a lightweight by any means, so two drinks shouldn't have affected me.
The ghost tour lasted two hours, so by 10 pm, we were walking back to the hotel, and if I still had any alcohol in my system, after two hours walking around, I would be surprised. Honestly, of all the places we went, only one place felt truly haunted, and it freaked me out enough that I had to really focus to keep from walking away. From that moment on, I kept looking behind me because it felt like something was behind me the entire time (that feeling stayed with me even after I got home for about three days, but that's another story).
There was a Walgreens on the way, so we stopped and got Cokes, water and snacks. I bought three Coke Zeros and two waters. One Coke I had finished before we walked into the hotel. One I drank once we got into the room and took my night meds with. Now, at this point, I'm not sure if I didn't take my night meds in the right order (some I take two of, others one and I may have gotten them mixed up), or what, but they usually take about an hour and a half minimum to work. I decided to take a bath and took one of the waters with me. Take note, I have NEVER taken my meds wrong before and I have drank alcohol before (in MUCH larger quantities) with them, so again, I don't think that was the issue, but the time lapse between downing meds and bath was probably less than 10 minutes.
At this point, things got murky. I fell asleep in the tub with the water still RUNNING (thank goodness for overflow drains)! Once the water got cold, it woke me up, but I have no idea how long I was in there for. My Sister figures not very long (she was already asleep when I came out), but I don't really remember getting dressed in my jammies afterwards. I do remember also falling asleep on the toilet (which I use to get dressed on in hotel bathrooms with marble floors so I don't crack my skull...I am a klutz), but again, I can't account for the time I spent there either. Then I apparently just walked to the bed, dropped my head on a pillow, and passed out! When my Sister woke me and told me to get in the bed, I still wasn't sure what was happening, but I did manage to crawl in enough to be considered "in the bed", despite the lack of covers, and there is where I stayed for the rest of the night without moving (I usually toss and turn all night long).
I woke up the next morning before my Sister (another complete first), refreshed and ready for the day (not me at ALL) and, although the next day pretty much went the same (no sodas or food until late, alcohol with late meal, meds, tub, bed), the weird stand-up sleep coma never happened again! It was really WEIRD and, although I don't like pictures of myself being taken, I wish my Sister would have gotten a pic just so I can figure out what happened! I remember thinking "what the hell?" and crawling in the bed, but my thoughts never got passed that point or could remember how I got in that position. And I can trace my steps backwards to toilet (sleep), dressed (sleep), tub (sleep), but I can't remember the in-between parts other than waking up from each step and thinking "what the hell?" and then falling asleep again.
So, what could have caused it? The pre-late night sleepover at my Sister's? The early flight/jet-lag (for a two-hour flight?)? The lack of Coke during the day? The possible Ghost Host? Maybe a med mix-up? Or a combination of several factors?
The following day was pretty much the same, although I did eat during the day, but I still was Coke-denied thanks to the city's apparently aversion to it. That night, we ate at the Hard Rock, where I had less food and WAY more alcohol. I took my meds a LOT sooner to drinking than I did before, we stopped at Walgreens again and got more Cokes and waters and I did the same routine with my meds as before, but I didn't have the same coma episode that night as before. It was, quite possibly, the weirdest thing I've ever done on a vacation before, and that's saying something!
The night before we left, I stayed at my Sister's house to make it easier to leave (her town is closer to Memphis than mine and I wanted to leave my car at my house). So I started the night before in a strange bed anyway, and I never sleep good away from home. For that matter, since I've slept on the couch for years anyway, I'm not really used to sleeping in a bed. We stayed up late chatting and watching TV, so I probably didn't get much sleep from the get-go, but I took my meds and slept as normal when they kicked in, even if it was later than usual.
We left for the airport fairly early in the a.m., and I had a Coke Zero on the way, and another one at the airport along with some candy. I had a water on the plane, but I managed to spill it on me before I had my first drink of it, and the pretzels I keep as a memento instead of eating (I'm weird that way). Apparently, Chicago isn't big on Coke, because every single place we went only had Pepsi. I don't do Pepsi, even in emergency situations. So, by midday, still no food or drink other than the two Cokes and candy (by that time, on an average day, I would have downed multiple Coke Zeros and probably an Energy Drink or two, but no food...I don't usually eat during the day, only at night anyway).
We checked into the hotel (which had a mini bar, but no regular fridge and no soda machines by the ice machine, and the mini bar had no sodas relative to Coke) and immediately headed to the hop-on-off bus to travel around to see the city. We took the entire route, just to get our bearings, and headed back to the hotel to change for the ghost tour we had booked that night and (thankfully) I got my clothes for the next day ready while I waited for my Sister to get ready. At this point, it was around 5 pm, with no food or drink all day, but we got back on the bus and the meet-up for the ghost tour was at a restaurant, so by 7 pm, we were eating. I had two alcoholic drinks (which were fairly watered down) and more water with a HEAVY meal. but I'm not a lightweight by any means, so two drinks shouldn't have affected me.
The ghost tour lasted two hours, so by 10 pm, we were walking back to the hotel, and if I still had any alcohol in my system, after two hours walking around, I would be surprised. Honestly, of all the places we went, only one place felt truly haunted, and it freaked me out enough that I had to really focus to keep from walking away. From that moment on, I kept looking behind me because it felt like something was behind me the entire time (that feeling stayed with me even after I got home for about three days, but that's another story).
There was a Walgreens on the way, so we stopped and got Cokes, water and snacks. I bought three Coke Zeros and two waters. One Coke I had finished before we walked into the hotel. One I drank once we got into the room and took my night meds with. Now, at this point, I'm not sure if I didn't take my night meds in the right order (some I take two of, others one and I may have gotten them mixed up), or what, but they usually take about an hour and a half minimum to work. I decided to take a bath and took one of the waters with me. Take note, I have NEVER taken my meds wrong before and I have drank alcohol before (in MUCH larger quantities) with them, so again, I don't think that was the issue, but the time lapse between downing meds and bath was probably less than 10 minutes.
At this point, things got murky. I fell asleep in the tub with the water still RUNNING (thank goodness for overflow drains)! Once the water got cold, it woke me up, but I have no idea how long I was in there for. My Sister figures not very long (she was already asleep when I came out), but I don't really remember getting dressed in my jammies afterwards. I do remember also falling asleep on the toilet (which I use to get dressed on in hotel bathrooms with marble floors so I don't crack my skull...I am a klutz), but again, I can't account for the time I spent there either. Then I apparently just walked to the bed, dropped my head on a pillow, and passed out! When my Sister woke me and told me to get in the bed, I still wasn't sure what was happening, but I did manage to crawl in enough to be considered "in the bed", despite the lack of covers, and there is where I stayed for the rest of the night without moving (I usually toss and turn all night long).
I woke up the next morning before my Sister (another complete first), refreshed and ready for the day (not me at ALL) and, although the next day pretty much went the same (no sodas or food until late, alcohol with late meal, meds, tub, bed), the weird stand-up sleep coma never happened again! It was really WEIRD and, although I don't like pictures of myself being taken, I wish my Sister would have gotten a pic just so I can figure out what happened! I remember thinking "what the hell?" and crawling in the bed, but my thoughts never got passed that point or could remember how I got in that position. And I can trace my steps backwards to toilet (sleep), dressed (sleep), tub (sleep), but I can't remember the in-between parts other than waking up from each step and thinking "what the hell?" and then falling asleep again.
So, what could have caused it? The pre-late night sleepover at my Sister's? The early flight/jet-lag (for a two-hour flight?)? The lack of Coke during the day? The possible Ghost Host? Maybe a med mix-up? Or a combination of several factors?
The following day was pretty much the same, although I did eat during the day, but I still was Coke-denied thanks to the city's apparently aversion to it. That night, we ate at the Hard Rock, where I had less food and WAY more alcohol. I took my meds a LOT sooner to drinking than I did before, we stopped at Walgreens again and got more Cokes and waters and I did the same routine with my meds as before, but I didn't have the same coma episode that night as before. It was, quite possibly, the weirdest thing I've ever done on a vacation before, and that's saying something!
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Linda