First we headed to Sausalito. It was a beautiful day and meandering along the quiet streets of Sausalito was a perfect way to start our trip. As a kid I used to go sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge with my dad and we always left from the docks in Sausalito. I wasn't a huge fan of the actual sailing part since it made me want to puke every time (this was before I discovered the magic of Dramamine) but I always loved Sausalito. Walking through that town always made me feel like I was walking through a painting. The quaint shops, serene views of the bay, and the architecture of all the buildings makes the town look like it is straight out of an artist rendering of a seaside village.
During every trip to Sausalito we always drove past a little blue florist shop with gorgeous flowers outside. Even as a child I was a hopeless romantic and always dreamed that someday my true love would buy me flowers from that little shop. I told Jeff this story years ago and now we never pass through Sausalito without him stopping to buy me flowers from that shop. It is one of the most romantic things he has ever done for me and this trip was no exception. He pulled the car over, jumped out, and returned with my favorite flower. Next we checked in to our hotel in San Rafael and took advantage of the free drinks at the Embassy Suites reception. For dinner we headed to another sleepy seaside town - Tiburon. We didn't realize how sleepy this town was until we got there at a whopping 7:00 p.m. and the whole town had practically shut down. We did find a Mexican restaurant that was open and were able to enjoy a nice dinner together.
We got back to the hotel and planned to head to the jacuzzi at 10:00 p.m. for the adult-only swim. That's when I got a nasty stomach ache and felt like I was going to be sick. Cursing the Mexican food for ruining our romantic night I headed for the bathroom and proceeded to attempt to use mind power to keep all food in my stomach. The last thing I wanted to do was get sick, I just wanted the feeling to pass and for our night to continue. Suddenly I felt my right hand go numb and start to cramp up. I thought that was weird but was really too focused on not vomiting to care too much. But my hand got worse and I couldn't stop it from cramping up. This freaked me out. It was like my thumb was attracted to my wrist and I couldn't stop it from bending in a totally uncomfortable way.
Now my stomach ache was a distant memory, I was fully focused on the fact that I could not control my own hand. Then my left hand did the same thing. Now I am panicking. My arms from the elbow to my hands were paralyzed in a horribly uncomfortable position. I can't even describe how it felt but it was terrifying. That's when I called for Jeff to call 911. He made the call and then tried to make me as comfortable as possible. We both tried to stay calm but it was so scary. My legs started to cramp next and I was convinced I was going into shock or having a seizure or something. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before, but I like to self diagnose so of course I decided my whole body was shutting down and I would be losing consciousness any minute now. I kept picturing that scene from Pulp Fiction where they have to stab Uma Therman in the heart with that giant needle...
The paramedics arrived soon (though it seemed like an eternity) and immediately asked if I have issues with anxiety. I thought this was a supremely stupid question to ask, obviously I am dying so get out the giant needle STAT! I told them that I don't have issues with anxiety and they quickly assured me that they had seen this before and that all I needed to do was slow down my breathing to make it stop. Once I realized that I wasn't dying and that this was something that the paramedics had seen before, I started to calm down. I then realized where I was and said to the paramedic nearest me, "Ewwwww this is so gross, I am lying on a hotel bathroom floor!" He thought that statement was funny and agreed to move me to a chair.
In the chair another paramedic proceeded to explain to me that I had hyperventilated. This seemed ridiculous to me, I wasn't stressed when it happened and I had never hyperventilated in my life. Then he said the pain from the stomach ache could have caused me to hyperventilate without me knowing it. It wasn't that painful a stomach ache though. The whole thing made no sense. I definitely started to panic after I became paralyzed but I don't know what really started it.
All in all, five paramedics, a hotel representative and of course my husband all were in our hotel room watching me unfurl myself as I slowed my breathing. I didn't have to go to the hospital and within 30 minutes I was able to move my hands again. They all left our room and the only remnants of the experience were my sore wrists. To be watching the Food Network from my hotel room less than an hour after thinking my heart was about to stop was surreal. Not exactly the romantic night we had in mind!
The next day we were determined to salvage our trip and headed to San Francisco. We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge - something I have always wanted to do. It was so awesome!
Then we had a picnic in Golden Gate Park and headed to Stowe Lake where we rented a row boat. Jeff rowed me around the lake in a scene right out of a movie - we even had background music compliments of the iTunes on Jeff's cell phone.
Our final stop was at the Japanese Tea Garden where we had tea and walked amongst the beautiful gardens. That is one of my favorite spots in San Francisco and it was a perfect ending to a wonderful day.
We spent three hours in the car trying to get home (horrid traffic) and ended up meeting our kids and Cheri at Bounce Spot. Back to reality with a renewed sense of what is important in life and an even stronger connection with my wonderful husband.
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