Living-Deliberately.com

So yesterday, when I “ran out of time” doing the Thinking Blogger awards, I was really writhing in my chair in pain and had just realized that I was NOT going to be able to wait for my doctor’s appointment the next day…but rather, I was headed to the ER NOW.

True, true…last week I had a mild UTI that I treated homeopathically with what I thought was success. I’d had no symptoms in four days and felt just a lingering nausea that I thought was hormonal. But then that nausea turned to this horrid heaviness that felt like I had bricks sitting on my gut and back. I was literally trying crawl away from my skin! Not really pain per se…just pressure.

So with less fanfare than I thought would occur, David came home and we off we went, with friends from church taking our children at the ER door to a fun evening of trampolines and freshly squeezed lemonade.

The hospital was newly remodeled; and true, true…that is not always a guarantee of cleanliness nor efficiency, said the Little Red Hen who has been inside too many. But my cassocked priest got my moaning self into triage quickly (the robe has that affect on people I think…it’s so official looking) and as I, who have had 5 children naturally, ranked my discomfort easily at an 8, was quickly sent to a room to await the doc.

The attendant told me her name. This tiniest of details stood out loudly to me. I have never had someone ranked under the “I’m your nurse” tell me their name. This is the girl who wheeled me into the bathroom, made sure I didn’t fall, and knew what to do. In my experience, they are typically a friendly bunch. But introductions don’t usually happen. How much easier it was though to have a name to call when I was done!

They apologized for the wait over and over but I didn’t notice it being long. David had just enough time to get a quick snack down the hall (it was dinner time) when the doctor came in. Now, true, true… I do not like being asked, “what can we do for you today?” when I am squirming in discomfort so much that I can’t lie still, and by someone who I want to examine me and TELL me what I need today. But, it was at least polite to ask. And with ER docs, there is absolutely NO guarantee that they will be “polite”.

He listened well. I was pretty exact with my description. The obvious answer was that it was either an ectopic pregancy or a rippin’ UTI. The pee was in the cup; all that was left was to test it.

They did. I’m not pregnant. I had only a slightly elevated white count; not the kind that is usually swimming with bacteria when someone is wriggling like I was. And let’s make that really past tense, because by now I’d had some kind of anti-spasm med and a pergaset. I was feelin’ very relaxed. The physical exam didn’t show any obvious cysts or anything. So I suppose if I’d been feeling fiesty, I would have wondered why he wasn’t running an ultrasound. Or doing blood work. But like I said, the ceiling tiles were so pretty by then…. :-).

He wasn’t really positive what was wrong so he went with what made the most sense to all parties and they sent me home with the UTI coctail. Anti-spasm med guaranteed to turn every fluid you produce pumpkin orange. An antibiotic. And a good old narcotic for pain. (Guess which one I’m NOT taking. I like walking and talking and functioning thankyouverymuch. I can deal with orange and well, bacteria needs to die anyway).

So today I was back up and at ‘em, abeit very slowly. One thing though…this anti-spasm med makes my eye balls feel crunchy. My brain feels like it’s sucking away from my skull and ears, drying up into a grey, crumbly cookie. I guess, with a condition that must be hydrated in order to flush through your system, it makes sense to create a drug that dries up your tissues? Well, who am I to argue. I’ve drunk enough liquid to swim in today and well, it’s all still inside.

The doctor’s nurse called to check on me today. Nice touch concluding the very nicest ER visit I’ve ever had, save for the one where Wheaton’s specialist met us as the hospital one night and we got to skip the entire check in and waiting room mess. Medicine is big business these days and while I never want to be treated so much as a customer that the establishment forgets I’m a patient who needs educated and caring treatment, I was thankful last night that some business influence made for a clean, kind, efficient, emergency room.

Trackback This Post | Subscribe to the comments through RSS Feed