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| At least I got a room with a view. |
I thought I was done with ERs and hospitals for a while...not so. Everything has been going very well with me, healthwise. I was feeling really great. This past Thursday night, I went to bed with some abdominal discomfort. Not really pain, but I knew something wasn't right. As always, I think it may be food poisoning, but I've had that enough that I know what it feels like. I went to bed anyway, hoping it would go away. A couple hours later, the discomfort got worse. As I lay in bed, so many thoughts went through my mind. Who would watch Little P if we had to go the ER? Who would take over RT's class the next day? Do I want to go through the whole ER procedure?
I woke up RT and told him my concerns. We talked it over, and he told me not to worry about all that stuff I mentioned earlier. We'd do what we had to. So, after an hour, the pain increased and I was vomiting. We loaded up all of Little P's belongings (in case we took her to day care the next morning) and went to the hospital. This was around midnight.
The ER was empty! Thank goodness! I was admitted right away. I got hooked up with the IV and had all the necessary blood draws. They quickly ruled out pancreatitis (which I suspected it wasn't). I also had x-rays and a CT scan. I was diagnosed with small bowel obstruction. This can often be a side effect of past abdominable surgeries. So, I had the privilege of having an NG tube shoved up my nose through to my stomach. As the nurse explained how it would make me tear up, burn my nose, irritate my throat, make me vomit--I was scared and panicky. I did not want that tube in me! As I looked at my sleeping daughter, I mustered up the courage and said let's do it. I pulled through like a champ! It was relatively easy. It did not feel good, and I wanted to pull it out--but RT kept reminding me that it was for the best. The tube was suctioning out all the junk in my abdomen to reduce the swelling and let my bowels rest.
I had to be admitted to the hospital. By now, it was 10:00 AM. Of course, as soon as they wheeled me into the room, they explained the circumstances about my roommate. I knew that wasn't a good sign. Why do I always get stuck with the loony bins? I was told that I would be moved right away when they had a room ready for me (that didn't happen until 6:00 PM).
Overall, the hospital stay was not too bad. I was not in a lot of pain. The tube actually alleviated the vomiting. The tube was very uncomfortable.
The next morning, I had more x-rays. The surgeon came in and basically said everything looked fine. I could go home!!! They took the NG tube out (double hooray!), and I started feeling nauseated. Uh-oh. I tried to sip some liquids and vomited that up as well. But, still, I was ready to go home to see my daughter.
Finally, I was discharged and headed for home. I felt so nauseated and my head felt like it was splitting open. At least I was going home. As I walked in the door, I heard Little P laughing and having a good time. My parents had come the day before as well as my sister to help watch her and give RT some support. I gave her a big hug, but it seems like she didn't even miss me! She was having too much fun with her grandparents.
Finally, I was discharged and headed for home. I felt so nauseated and my head felt like it was splitting open. At least I was going home. As I walked in the door, I heard Little P laughing and having a good time. My parents had come the day before as well as my sister to help watch her and give RT some support. I gave her a big hug, but it seems like she didn't even miss me! She was having too much fun with her grandparents.
We'll see what the next days bring. I was told to not eat raw vegetables, or anything made out of wood. This was an old-school surgeon. I am going to have to be very diligent with what I eat, but how can I not eat vegetables and salad? As of now, I'm still slowly sipping liquids and have some nausea. I have a feeling that this situation can and may come up again. I hope not. At least, I avoided surgery.
RT said that I should write a guidebook to central California hospitals (I've been to 8 different ones so far).
