Monday, April 24, 2006

You could die if you leave here

Not exactly what a person wants to hear from their ER doctor, but on Thursday that is exactly what Michael and I were told.
The day started out innocently enough, Michael had been sick the day before and I woke up at midnight feeling like I could actually die at that moment. So, at 8am on Thursday we hopped in a cab and hauled our sick asses to the doctor. Now, Michael is pretty tough, so even though he had a fever of 101, he was still functioning. I, on the other hand, tend to fall apart at even the slightest sneeze, so after a blood test and an EKG (because I also have anxiety attacks at the mere mention of doctors) my doctor suggested that we continue on to the NYU emergency room because I was extremely dehydrated and needed to have fluids (ie, an IV). So, another cab ride and I find myself being rushed back into the ER where I was hooked up to an IV and given two bags of fluids. Meanwhile, my heart continues to race and so the doctors perform yet another EKG. "We don't think you have the flu, we think it could be more serious. By the way, what do you do?"
"I'm a flight attendant."
"Have you been out of the country recently?"
"I was in San Juan last week." Big mistake, should have kept my mouth shut. Now these teaching doctors think I either have Lyme disease from being bitten by a Puerto Rican tick or blood clots on my lungs or perhaps, Lupus. (what ever happened to bronchitis or pneumonia?)
"We need to perform a chest Xray just to make sure nothing is wrong."
Xray performed - nothing wrong.
"We're still concerned, we need a urine sample and to do some more blood work."
Blood drawn out of other arm, pissed in a cup, again, found nothing.
"We just want to make sure there is nothing wrong with your lungs, so we're going to do a CAT scan."
"No, I want to go home, it's 3pm now, I haven't eaten today, I haven't had a single glass of water, and I want to go to bed."
"We don't recommend that, the CAT scan will only take 15 minutes, then you can go home."
(Let's keep in mind here that Michael has ALL the same symptoms, yet he is in the waiting room, and the doctors refuse to acknowledge the fact that whatever I have I caught from him.)Idiots.
CAT scan performed, no blood clots found, but "we found a little fluid on your lungs, this could be nothing, but it could be a serious life threatening disorder, we need to do one more test."
Ultrasound on my legs to check for blood clots and more blood drawn, this time out of the top of my foot and the tops of both hands.
No clots.
"I want to go home now."
"If you leave here you could die. We want to admit you and observe you and perform more tests."
"No, go get my husband, I'm going home."
Evil doctors then tell my sweet husband who has not been allowed back to see me yet that I am going to die if I leave (it is now 5PM).
So, upstairs I go to room 1751A. But only after evil doctors force me to take two extra strength antibiotics on a completely empty stomach (I am one of those people who will vomit up a pill on a full stomach) even after I protest and tell them as much.
Michael goes home to walk dogs and get my things, I quickly expel said antibiotics, now I have to get said drugs through an IV. Finally, at 9pm I get to do what I know my body needs to do to heal itself, and that is go to sleep.
Michael leaves in tears, convinced that I'm dead.
Next morning, surprise surprise, I feel fine, still tight in the chest, but no fever no aches, no death, that is until the nurse gives me more antibiotics through my IV and adds too much saline and almost burns my arm off. IV removed.
"We need to do a few more tests."
More blood work, and an Echo-cardiogram (4pm Friday).
Nothing nothing nothing.
Finally, at 6PM on Friday they release me to the tune of, "huh? We guess it was just one of those fluke bacterial infection things. Go home, rest and drink plenty of fluids. You will need to come back in a month for a follow-up, but hey you can go back to work today if you want to." (What the fuck?)
What does this teach us?
NEVER GO TO THE DOCTOR! DRINK GATORADE AND TOUGHEN UP AND NEVER NEVER NEVER GO TO THE DOCTOR!!!!! And most importently, if you do go to a doctor, Don't go to a teaching hospital! Why? BECAUSE THEY ARE TEACHING DOCTORS HOW TO BE DOCTORS AND SO THEY TEACH THEM TO PERFORM EVERY TEST KNOWN TO MAN!!!!!!
Needless to say, I called in sick today. I feel I need to recuperate after my so-called "healing experience."

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