Health Care Happens
Sep. 21st, 2005 04:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eregyrnYeah, I had a lot of health care happen to me today...
Thanks, everybody, for the good wishes and all! Will get around to those, but a quick update: I have had 3 kidney stones before this, the last one about 9 years ago. So I knew the routine. I knew it last night, in fact, when I first noticed the pain. Sucks. Sucks royally. And I knew how bad it could get. (#2 landed me in the hospital, in shock, after 6 straight hours of vomiting; #3 took 21 days to pass -- yuck.)
So, went to my doctor... by which I mean, I went to my clinic, where I saw *a* doctor (who in fact asked me, "have you ever actually SEEN your primary care physician?" answer: in 14 years, probably less than 5 times). Told my story to 2 nurses and then to the doctor. Because this pain was in the lower right quadrant and because preliminary tests didn't turn up other surefire signs of a stone, they wanted to do tests to make sure it *wasn't* my appendix or some other organ. Of course, they don't do these tests. You have to go to the hospital emergency room to get these tests done. So off I went. Where I was given the Standard Backless Gown, and where I told my story to 3 more RNs and another doctor. They put an IV in me to get liquids into me... drew blood and took urine samples... but didn't give me painkillers yet. (The last painkillers I took today were at 6:30am.) Time passed. I spoke to people. Time passed. I ready my book, which I had the foresight to bring. Time Passed. Finally, they wheeled me away for the CAT scan. That was fun. Then they wheeled me back. Time passed. Around 3pm they finally gave me some meds -- yay! Time passed. The doctor came in and told me that the scan indeed showed a kidney stone, which looked on the verge of passing into the bladder, which would be a big YAY if it would only do so. Gave me a prescription for stuff like the stuff they injected in my IV, and discharged me.
So, there I go. I have a little more appetite now than I did this morning. I have a prescription for some Better Drugs, that I need to go to fill. I am looking forward to a full night's sleep. And, getting rid of this damned stone.
Thenkew fer yer support.
Thanks, everybody, for the good wishes and all! Will get around to those, but a quick update: I have had 3 kidney stones before this, the last one about 9 years ago. So I knew the routine. I knew it last night, in fact, when I first noticed the pain. Sucks. Sucks royally. And I knew how bad it could get. (#2 landed me in the hospital, in shock, after 6 straight hours of vomiting; #3 took 21 days to pass -- yuck.)
So, went to my doctor... by which I mean, I went to my clinic, where I saw *a* doctor (who in fact asked me, "have you ever actually SEEN your primary care physician?" answer: in 14 years, probably less than 5 times). Told my story to 2 nurses and then to the doctor. Because this pain was in the lower right quadrant and because preliminary tests didn't turn up other surefire signs of a stone, they wanted to do tests to make sure it *wasn't* my appendix or some other organ. Of course, they don't do these tests. You have to go to the hospital emergency room to get these tests done. So off I went. Where I was given the Standard Backless Gown, and where I told my story to 3 more RNs and another doctor. They put an IV in me to get liquids into me... drew blood and took urine samples... but didn't give me painkillers yet. (The last painkillers I took today were at 6:30am.) Time passed. I spoke to people. Time passed. I ready my book, which I had the foresight to bring. Time Passed. Finally, they wheeled me away for the CAT scan. That was fun. Then they wheeled me back. Time passed. Around 3pm they finally gave me some meds -- yay! Time passed. The doctor came in and told me that the scan indeed showed a kidney stone, which looked on the verge of passing into the bladder, which would be a big YAY if it would only do so. Gave me a prescription for stuff like the stuff they injected in my IV, and discharged me.
So, there I go. I have a little more appetite now than I did this morning. I have a prescription for some Better Drugs, that I need to go to fill. I am looking forward to a full night's sleep. And, getting rid of this damned stone.
Thenkew fer yer support.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 03:20 pm (UTC)and yup, those long waits are just awful...feels like time is literally standing still. *more hugs*
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 04:23 pm (UTC)are you prone to a certain flavor of stone? i have an excellent patient education tract on stones with lots of info on causes and prevention etc. i'm sure you've researched it exhaustively yourself but let me know if you'd like me to send it.
hope it passes soon.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 09:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-24 05:57 pm (UTC)