Trip to the ER...
Capricorn
Hey, well, it has been a long, painful and nerve wracking day.
This morning before I was about to get in the shower before heading to work, I felt a bit of abdominal pain. I didn't pay it a lot of attention. It wasn't that bad. Sort of like I might be about to have a bout of diarrhea, you know, that cramping sensation.
I walked to work (about a half mile) and told my boss that I was having abdominal pain and that if it didn't begin to subside I was going to go back home. Sure enough, after sitting at my desk for a while, I could feel this wasn't getting better. I tried sitting on the pot for a few minutes hoping to sense some 'movement' but nothing. So, I walked back home.
By this time the pain was fairly intense, sort of like if someone socked you hard in the gut. It was continuous, not intermittent, and it didn't matter what position I was in... sitting, lying down, walking... it was all equally painful. Not crying out loud painful but sufficiently so to feel "rough".
After doing some googling around and seeing these could be early symptoms of appendicitis, I decided I wanted to go to the ER just in case. My best friend, Mindy, was planning on coming to visit me away so I would get a ride with her. However, my boss said I shouldn't wait but should call an ambulance as that would get me into and through the ER faster. So, I called 911 and they had some first responders (firemen) here very quickly. However, they did not have an ambulance... apparently there were all out and the one they could get wouldn't be to my place for awhile. As we were discussing all that Mindy shows up and the FRs said going with her was going to be faster. So long as I was ambulatory (I was), I'd have to go through the same triage.
So we went to the ER, not that far away, and of course had to sit and wait for a VERY long time. I was miserable the entire time and was instructed not to eat or drink anything. Blood was drawn, blood pressure taken, information gathered, urine sample given.... but still we waited. Eventually I was taken to a private room (I have good insurance through my work) and met the Dr for the first time. After going over everything she ordered an IV for fluids and morphine.
This was my first morphine experience. In fact, except for two other occasions in my life (one at around age 12 for a broken arm and another 5 or 6 years ago for a nose bleed that wouldn't quit) this was only my 3rd time ever in an ER (as a patient). It's a good hospital, friendly staff, so had a lot of people taking care of me. Everything just took FOREVER (since I hadn't been hacked to pieces in a car wreck or was otherwise at death's door).
Eventually they took me for a CT scan and an hour or so later the results were in: Kidney stone. That ain't great but its a far cry better than having surgery to remove an appendix. So now I'm on pain medications (the ones they gave me at the hospital have now worn off and it is about time for a second dose) and some sort of dilator. I have to pee through this little mesh thingy until I get the stone which I am then to take to my GP.
Anyway... as these things go not an awful experience. Just painful and now having to deal with monitoring my body temperature, one thing and another, for the next several days.
I'm so thankful that Mindy was there to give me a back rub while we waited for two hours in the ER waiting room. She's a real trooper and helped me deal with the day, get a sandwichs and fill my prescriptions afterward, as well as bringing me home. Thank god for good friends!
This morning before I was about to get in the shower before heading to work, I felt a bit of abdominal pain. I didn't pay it a lot of attention. It wasn't that bad. Sort of like I might be about to have a bout of diarrhea, you know, that cramping sensation.
I walked to work (about a half mile) and told my boss that I was having abdominal pain and that if it didn't begin to subside I was going to go back home. Sure enough, after sitting at my desk for a while, I could feel this wasn't getting better. I tried sitting on the pot for a few minutes hoping to sense some 'movement' but nothing. So, I walked back home.
By this time the pain was fairly intense, sort of like if someone socked you hard in the gut. It was continuous, not intermittent, and it didn't matter what position I was in... sitting, lying down, walking... it was all equally painful. Not crying out loud painful but sufficiently so to feel "rough".
After doing some googling around and seeing these could be early symptoms of appendicitis, I decided I wanted to go to the ER just in case. My best friend, Mindy, was planning on coming to visit me away so I would get a ride with her. However, my boss said I shouldn't wait but should call an ambulance as that would get me into and through the ER faster. So, I called 911 and they had some first responders (firemen) here very quickly. However, they did not have an ambulance... apparently there were all out and the one they could get wouldn't be to my place for awhile. As we were discussing all that Mindy shows up and the FRs said going with her was going to be faster. So long as I was ambulatory (I was), I'd have to go through the same triage.
So we went to the ER, not that far away, and of course had to sit and wait for a VERY long time. I was miserable the entire time and was instructed not to eat or drink anything. Blood was drawn, blood pressure taken, information gathered, urine sample given.... but still we waited. Eventually I was taken to a private room (I have good insurance through my work) and met the Dr for the first time. After going over everything she ordered an IV for fluids and morphine.
This was my first morphine experience. In fact, except for two other occasions in my life (one at around age 12 for a broken arm and another 5 or 6 years ago for a nose bleed that wouldn't quit) this was only my 3rd time ever in an ER (as a patient). It's a good hospital, friendly staff, so had a lot of people taking care of me. Everything just took FOREVER (since I hadn't been hacked to pieces in a car wreck or was otherwise at death's door).
Eventually they took me for a CT scan and an hour or so later the results were in: Kidney stone. That ain't great but its a far cry better than having surgery to remove an appendix. So now I'm on pain medications (the ones they gave me at the hospital have now worn off and it is about time for a second dose) and some sort of dilator. I have to pee through this little mesh thingy until I get the stone which I am then to take to my GP.
Anyway... as these things go not an awful experience. Just painful and now having to deal with monitoring my body temperature, one thing and another, for the next several days.
I'm so thankful that Mindy was there to give me a back rub while we waited for two hours in the ER waiting room. She's a real trooper and helped me deal with the day, get a sandwichs and fill my prescriptions afterward, as well as bringing me home. Thank god for good friends!
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Sagittarius
