![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Yesterday, starting at 10:30 am, I spent ten hours in the RGH emergency department getting tested for everything they could think of regarding fevered abdominal pain.
First thing they do is take my temp, which at that time was 102 degrees. Ouch. Next the standard sterile urine test to tell them whether it was an ectopic pregnancy. Yay, no ectopic. From there the doctor came in, poked and prodded to find out which of my sore spots were more tender than the rest. Joy.
And more joy, came back a while later armed with a speculum and some ky for a pelvic exam. I think the only good that came of that was the fact that he was so intent with the poking of sore spots that I didn't even notice when he was taking uterine cultures. Here's to a doctor who's good at distraction.
He came back with the pronouncement that they were going to need to do blood tests. Not like I've ever been real keen on having my veins invaded or anything... Here's to the nurse who was similarly skilled at distraction and misdirection. I was aware that she was putting an IV port in my hand, by all the tape and her declaration that she was going to "make it look nice" but was totally puzzled as to whether she'd actually taken blood from me. Still,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mechanchaos helped me wade through the subsequent wooziness with lots of dribbled cold water on my forhead.
I managed to find a comfortable position, lying on my belly, and noticed that there was a little blood in the tube snaking out of my hand. So my blood was already drawn. Elation at that, then dismay at the thought that they wouldn't put an IV tube into my hand if they weren't thinking of using it later. Ugh.
Somwhere in there, they came in with three small tylenol pills to assist with my fever. I was amazed that they helped me feel better enough to rest comfortably for a while.
The blood test showed elevated white blood cell count, which tells them I have an infection or inflammation, but not what. The microscopic examination of my urine shows positive for kidney infection, but they don't want to rule out appendicitis without knowing for certain. The doctor ordered a CT scan.
At the outset, that idea didn't seem so bad. I'd never had one before. Someone came into the room bearing a jug that resembled an antifreeze bottle filled with pale yellow liquid that was marked with admonitions to return it to the radiology department. She systematically set down three "barium dispenser cups", one with a bendy straw in it. To my dismay, she filled all three of them with the dubius stuff. "All three of them?" I asked, my heart sinking as quickly as my gorge rose. The answer was an affirmative. More uck.
The stuff was like lemon kool-aid that someone had replaced some of the sugar with glow-in-the-dark sidewalk chalk ground into a powder. The surface of the necessary evil swirled with a murk that I associate most clearly with polluted creeks. It took a long time to get all of the nasty stuff down my throat. Each sip seemed way too large and drained way to little of the cup. I don't know how I managed it in the end.
The only momentary reprieve I had was when someone came in to take my blood pressure and temperature. Then the last few sips of what they called "contrast" were down.
On to more waiting. I waited so long, the fake-lemon flavor in the back of my mouth urging my stomach to expell it. Just trying not to vomit was an agony all its own as I waited.
Finally, they came with the wheelchair typical of moving patients from one place to another. I ended up in small queue of patients in the radiology department. It wasn't long before the operator of the CT machinery was wheeling me in. As she explained the procedure, my heart fell again. Few of my orifices would be left inviolate. She needed to give me an enema of similar stuff to that which I had to drink. I doubt it was lemon-flavored though. Luckily, I didn't have to hold the stuff inside of me. Just enough to coat my lower insides, then it got most uncomfortably drained back out again.
The first round of pictures were taken with just the contrast inside of me, then they plugged a tube into my IV port. I would be shot full of radioactive dye that would light up my insides for all to see. She warned me that for some people it smarts going in. Ow. Yes, it did. It hurt and hurt and hurt. I covered my eyes with one hand and repeated Ow like a mantra until they were done. As the pain faded a warmth blossomed in my mouth and my genitals and the next round of pictures had begun.
Finally that was done. Back to "Fast track 8". The nurse commented that by now we ought to know that it was more a location than a function. Yeah. What she said.
More waiting. A new doctor bustled into the room, brightening it somewhat with smiles and a good sense of humor. I didn't have appendicitis. I have a kidney infection with possibly a uterine infection too. The antibiotics they were prescribing should cover all of the above and more. He even treated me to a prescription for tylenol-3 (that interesting combination of tylenol and codeine) for the pain I've been feeling. With my stomach in it's current state, though I think I'm going to go very sparingly on those.
He also warned me that, though not the root of my current issues, my pictures had shown multiple benign clusters of ovarian cysts on both ovaries. They may not be causing me discomfort at the moment, but they could fill up with fluids and rupture. More ouch if that happens. The treatment for that would be to go back on a birth control pill to prevent the cysts from forming in the first place.
Some formalities and a trip to the bathroom later, we were done.
We came home around 8:30 to a house full of good friends. Many thanks toecwoodburn for watching Aidan until my folks came to pick him up, as well as for keeping the homefires burning, so-to-speak, while RGH drained my day. Thank you to mechanchaos for staying with me even after working 6pm to 6am the night before. Thank you to dawnstar, kolys, hbbtrbbtbcnbt, and ecwoodburn for hugs and support. Thank you all!
I got to sleep decently last night. Regular tylenol helped keep the fever down while keeeping me relatively comfortable.
First thing they do is take my temp, which at that time was 102 degrees. Ouch. Next the standard sterile urine test to tell them whether it was an ectopic pregnancy. Yay, no ectopic. From there the doctor came in, poked and prodded to find out which of my sore spots were more tender than the rest. Joy.
And more joy, came back a while later armed with a speculum and some ky for a pelvic exam. I think the only good that came of that was the fact that he was so intent with the poking of sore spots that I didn't even notice when he was taking uterine cultures. Here's to a doctor who's good at distraction.
He came back with the pronouncement that they were going to need to do blood tests. Not like I've ever been real keen on having my veins invaded or anything... Here's to the nurse who was similarly skilled at distraction and misdirection. I was aware that she was putting an IV port in my hand, by all the tape and her declaration that she was going to "make it look nice" but was totally puzzled as to whether she'd actually taken blood from me. Still,
mechanchaos helped me wade through the subsequent wooziness with lots of dribbled cold water on my forhead. I managed to find a comfortable position, lying on my belly, and noticed that there was a little blood in the tube snaking out of my hand. So my blood was already drawn. Elation at that, then dismay at the thought that they wouldn't put an IV tube into my hand if they weren't thinking of using it later. Ugh.
Somwhere in there, they came in with three small tylenol pills to assist with my fever. I was amazed that they helped me feel better enough to rest comfortably for a while.
The blood test showed elevated white blood cell count, which tells them I have an infection or inflammation, but not what. The microscopic examination of my urine shows positive for kidney infection, but they don't want to rule out appendicitis without knowing for certain. The doctor ordered a CT scan.
At the outset, that idea didn't seem so bad. I'd never had one before. Someone came into the room bearing a jug that resembled an antifreeze bottle filled with pale yellow liquid that was marked with admonitions to return it to the radiology department. She systematically set down three "barium dispenser cups", one with a bendy straw in it. To my dismay, she filled all three of them with the dubius stuff. "All three of them?" I asked, my heart sinking as quickly as my gorge rose. The answer was an affirmative. More uck.
The stuff was like lemon kool-aid that someone had replaced some of the sugar with glow-in-the-dark sidewalk chalk ground into a powder. The surface of the necessary evil swirled with a murk that I associate most clearly with polluted creeks. It took a long time to get all of the nasty stuff down my throat. Each sip seemed way too large and drained way to little of the cup. I don't know how I managed it in the end.
The only momentary reprieve I had was when someone came in to take my blood pressure and temperature. Then the last few sips of what they called "contrast" were down.
On to more waiting. I waited so long, the fake-lemon flavor in the back of my mouth urging my stomach to expell it. Just trying not to vomit was an agony all its own as I waited.
Finally, they came with the wheelchair typical of moving patients from one place to another. I ended up in small queue of patients in the radiology department. It wasn't long before the operator of the CT machinery was wheeling me in. As she explained the procedure, my heart fell again. Few of my orifices would be left inviolate. She needed to give me an enema of similar stuff to that which I had to drink. I doubt it was lemon-flavored though. Luckily, I didn't have to hold the stuff inside of me. Just enough to coat my lower insides, then it got most uncomfortably drained back out again.
The first round of pictures were taken with just the contrast inside of me, then they plugged a tube into my IV port. I would be shot full of radioactive dye that would light up my insides for all to see. She warned me that for some people it smarts going in. Ow. Yes, it did. It hurt and hurt and hurt. I covered my eyes with one hand and repeated Ow like a mantra until they were done. As the pain faded a warmth blossomed in my mouth and my genitals and the next round of pictures had begun.
Finally that was done. Back to "Fast track 8". The nurse commented that by now we ought to know that it was more a location than a function. Yeah. What she said.
More waiting. A new doctor bustled into the room, brightening it somewhat with smiles and a good sense of humor. I didn't have appendicitis. I have a kidney infection with possibly a uterine infection too. The antibiotics they were prescribing should cover all of the above and more. He even treated me to a prescription for tylenol-3 (that interesting combination of tylenol and codeine) for the pain I've been feeling. With my stomach in it's current state, though I think I'm going to go very sparingly on those.
He also warned me that, though not the root of my current issues, my pictures had shown multiple benign clusters of ovarian cysts on both ovaries. They may not be causing me discomfort at the moment, but they could fill up with fluids and rupture. More ouch if that happens. The treatment for that would be to go back on a birth control pill to prevent the cysts from forming in the first place.
Some formalities and a trip to the bathroom later, we were done.
We came home around 8:30 to a house full of good friends. Many thanks to
ecwoodburn for watching Aidan until my folks came to pick him up, as well as for keeping the homefires burning, so-to-speak, while RGH drained my day. Thank you to mechanchaos for staying with me even after working 6pm to 6am the night before. Thank you to dawnstar, kolys, hbbtrbbtbcnbt, and ecwoodburn for hugs and support. Thank you all!I got to sleep decently last night. Regular tylenol helped keep the fever down while keeeping me relatively comfortable.
