The Last 36 Hours
Yesterday, I woke up feeling really nauseated. This has been happening a lot in the mornings recently (no, I'm not pregnant) so I went to work anyway thinking "oh, this is just like all the 
other times it'll go away." Well, 3 hours later, I still felt like I was going to puke everywhere so I told Leslie I wasn't feeling well (she said "I'll bet you're pregnant. This same thing happened to Jennifer, she got really sick and then 3 weeks later she found out she was pregnant" this, of course, made me nervous) so I called the doctor and got an appointment for 11am.
So I jump in a cab and head to Eastern Market. 30 minutes later, I'm peeing in a cup (for the first time that day) and giving blood (for the first time that day.) They run a pregnancy test, it was negative (told you so!) and she checks some other things and says "i'll give you a prescription for some anti-nausea pills." I say "will I be able to go back to work?" she says "yes" I say "cool!" So I leave the office and head across the street to the CVS. Lots of people in line and I'm still feeling nauseous so I sit down. 10 minutes after I drop off my prescription, I feel really nauseous, you know the one with the tickle that says you're going to actually puke this time? Yeah, that one. So I run outside and puke in a trash can on the street. Fun times! Puking in the middle of Eastern Market during lunchtime. So I go back inside to get some mints and crackers and finally get my prescription. Well, after I puked I called back to work and said "I just got my prescription, I'm going to go home for a minute to let it kick in, I'll call you back" and I go to sit at the library steps to let the meds kick in. Well, I stop feeling nauseous, but start getting horrible pains in my stomach. So I walk home, crying the whole way because it hurts so much and call mom. She calls me back later and says, call the doctor. I call the doctor and deal with an idiot nurse (seriously! she couldn't keep any of the facts straight.) and then the doctor calls me again. She says "time to go to the ER." So I call a cab and of course, it never comes. An hour later, I walk to eastern market and hail a cab, drive back to the hospital near the KC, and start the waiting game.
This is 4pm. 45 minutes later, I'm registered but still waiting. an hour later, they call me in for the testing part of the day. So i pee in a cup (2nd time) and give more blood (2nd time) and wait some more. This time, they leave the IV hookup in my arm. This is 6:30pm.
Finally around 7pm, I'm called back into the back where the beds are. I change into my gown with AJ's assistance as I can't bend my right arm due to the IV being there. I lay down and wait. Finally a doctor comes in (2 of them, actually, teaching hospital) and they say "we're going to give you fluids, and more nausea medicine and see how you feel in a bit after your labs come back." AJ leaves to go back to the theatre that's right next to the hospital and says, I'll be back when you're done with your fluids. I think, cool! That'll time out perfectly!
30 minutes later, they roll me out of my private room and into the hallway. The meds have basically knocked me out so I don't really care except that I have to cuddle with my purse, just in case. I have to pee really badly during this time so I ask a nurse and she un-hooks my IV and I go pee. A trauma comes in as I come back and I ask another nurse to re-hook the IV and he says he's too busy right now but he'll come back. 20 minutes later, my nurse comes back and re-hooks up my IV and says "the next time you need to go, let me know because we need another urine sample" Damn. I fall back asleep and about 30 minutes later, I have to pee again. I tell the nurse that I'm feeling better and she says okay, "I'll get the doc, go pee in that cup." I pee in the cup and go back to my bed.
Around 10pm (15 minutes later) AJ comes back and sees me sitting on the bed holding a cup of my pee. Fun! The doc comes back and says "How do you feel?" I say "better" she says "okay, I'm going to bring you some crackers and juice and if you can keep them down 10 minutes, you'll be released." So she brings me the crackers and juice (she was a resident, I guess they can bring the juice.) I eat them and drink it. (Did I mention the pee is still sitting there?)
So I keep everything down for 10 minutes. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. 40 minutes. Then they take my pee and I"m still sitting there. Finally around 11:45pm, they says "Okay, everything came back normal. You have an upper respiratory infection. A virus. There's nothing we can
do. We're giving you a prescription for the nausea and call your doctor in a few days if you're not feeling better."
And at midnight, I went home. And passed out. I woke up at 8 when AJ left, 9 when my doctor called and 10 when my coworker called. I watched an episode of America's Best Dance Crew, then ate soup and took more medicine, watched Lost and fell asleep around 1pm. 8pm, I woke up again. It's now 9pm and I had soup and wrote this blog.
That was the last 36 hours! Fun times!
other times it'll go away." Well, 3 hours later, I still felt like I was going to puke everywhere so I told Leslie I wasn't feeling well (she said "I'll bet you're pregnant. This same thing happened to Jennifer, she got really sick and then 3 weeks later she found out she was pregnant" this, of course, made me nervous) so I called the doctor and got an appointment for 11am.So I jump in a cab and head to Eastern Market. 30 minutes later, I'm peeing in a cup (for the first time that day) and giving blood (for the first time that day.) They run a pregnancy test, it was negative (told you so!) and she checks some other things and says "i'll give you a prescription for some anti-nausea pills." I say "will I be able to go back to work?" she says "yes" I say "cool!" So I leave the office and head across the street to the CVS. Lots of people in line and I'm still feeling nauseous so I sit down. 10 minutes after I drop off my prescription, I feel really nauseous, you know the one with the tickle that says you're going to actually puke this time? Yeah, that one. So I run outside and puke in a trash can on the street. Fun times! Puking in the middle of Eastern Market during lunchtime. So I go back inside to get some mints and crackers and finally get my prescription. Well, after I puked I called back to work and said "I just got my prescription, I'm going to go home for a minute to let it kick in, I'll call you back" and I go to sit at the library steps to let the meds kick in. Well, I stop feeling nauseous, but start getting horrible pains in my stomach. So I walk home, crying the whole way because it hurts so much and call mom. She calls me back later and says, call the doctor. I call the doctor and deal with an idiot nurse (seriously! she couldn't keep any of the facts straight.) and then the doctor calls me again. She says "time to go to the ER." So I call a cab and of course, it never comes. An hour later, I walk to eastern market and hail a cab, drive back to the hospital near the KC, and start the waiting game.
This is 4pm. 45 minutes later, I'm registered but still waiting. an hour later, they call me in for the testing part of the day. So i pee in a cup (2nd time) and give more blood (2nd time) and wait some more. This time, they leave the IV hookup in my arm. This is 6:30pm.
Finally around 7pm, I'm called back into the back where the beds are. I change into my gown with AJ's assistance as I can't bend my right arm due to the IV being there. I lay down and wait. Finally a doctor comes in (2 of them, actually, teaching hospital) and they say "we're going to give you fluids, and more nausea medicine and see how you feel in a bit after your labs come back." AJ leaves to go back to the theatre that's right next to the hospital and says, I'll be back when you're done with your fluids. I think, cool! That'll time out perfectly!
30 minutes later, they roll me out of my private room and into the hallway. The meds have basically knocked me out so I don't really care except that I have to cuddle with my purse, just in case. I have to pee really badly during this time so I ask a nurse and she un-hooks my IV and I go pee. A trauma comes in as I come back and I ask another nurse to re-hook the IV and he says he's too busy right now but he'll come back. 20 minutes later, my nurse comes back and re-hooks up my IV and says "the next time you need to go, let me know because we need another urine sample" Damn. I fall back asleep and about 30 minutes later, I have to pee again. I tell the nurse that I'm feeling better and she says okay, "I'll get the doc, go pee in that cup." I pee in the cup and go back to my bed.
Around 10pm (15 minutes later) AJ comes back and sees me sitting on the bed holding a cup of my pee. Fun! The doc comes back and says "How do you feel?" I say "better" she says "okay, I'm going to bring you some crackers and juice and if you can keep them down 10 minutes, you'll be released." So she brings me the crackers and juice (she was a resident, I guess they can bring the juice.) I eat them and drink it. (Did I mention the pee is still sitting there?)
So I keep everything down for 10 minutes. 20 minutes. 30 minutes. 40 minutes. Then they take my pee and I"m still sitting there. Finally around 11:45pm, they says "Okay, everything came back normal. You have an upper respiratory infection. A virus. There's nothing we can
do. We're giving you a prescription for the nausea and call your doctor in a few days if you're not feeling better."And at midnight, I went home. And passed out. I woke up at 8 when AJ left, 9 when my doctor called and 10 when my coworker called. I watched an episode of America's Best Dance Crew, then ate soup and took more medicine, watched Lost and fell asleep around 1pm. 8pm, I woke up again. It's now 9pm and I had soup and wrote this blog.
That was the last 36 hours! Fun times!
posted by ruehllin at 9:04 PM
1 comments
