My Day in the Emergency Room

So Sorry i havent blogged much this week, but in my defense, I spent a day in the ER/ Doctor's office...

Tuesday

8pm - I haven't felt good all day, and I start to really hurt in my entire abdomen area.

9pm- I call Annie for advice, she's been to the doctor/ ER lots of times. I'm not sure if I'm in enough pain to go to the ER.

10pm- Annie calls me back and advises me to pepto. I'm still in a lot of pain but I decide to wait till the morning to go to my doctor versus going to the ER.

10:30pm- I am in so much pain that I fill my tub with Hot Water and get in. I take my blackberry with me and call both my mom and Fernando. Both advise me to go to the ER, but I convince them that I can wait it out till the morning. The hot water alieviates a lot of the pain.

11:00pm- I hop in bed and finally go to sleep.

Wednesday

8am- I call a cab to take me to my doctor's office. My doctor is in farragut in DC.

8:45am- the cab still isnt there and I'm angry. Annie calls me and tells me to cancel the cab, she'll pick me up and take me.

9:45am- Arrive at my doctor's office. He tells me that he can do blood work, but he doesn't have a lab, so I should really go to the ER. He suspects either appendicitis, or some sort of food poisioning.

11am- Arrive at Virginia Hospital Center. I check in and they call my name fairly quickly. I think there was only one person ahead of me.

11:30- They take me to a room.

11:45am- The doctor walks in and starts pushing on my stomach. She thinks it's my gallbladder. She orders a blood test, a urine test, and an untrasound. I get morphine and some medicine for nausea. I do not like that I can feel the morphine running through my body. Also, it immediately makes me sleepy.

12:30pm - I let the doctor know I'm still in some pain, so she gives me more morphine. I go back for my ultrasound. You know how on TV, you usually see ultrasounds given to women who are pregnant. And they squirt this jelly stuff on their tummies, and they all "Ooo" and "Ahh" at the baby? Well, I'm here to tell you it's not like that at all. Obviously, I am not pregnant, but it's still the same concept of looking in my tummy. Only that stuff they squirt on you is sticky and gross. It's also hot. Then they press that wand thing into you and move it all around. They jam it up under your ribcage. It hurts and it's super uncomfortable. Not like TV at all.

2:00pm- The doctor comes in and tells me that all my test came back clean. They have no idea why my side is hurting but they can rule out anything that would require surgery. She sends me on my way with a perscription for vicodin (for the pain) and something for nausea.

2:30pm- Annie drops off my perscriptions at CVS

3:30pm- We go eat soup. All I have eaten in 2 days is a few pieces of watermelon.

4:00pm- Annie picks up my perscriptions and drops me off at home. I pop a few vicodin and head to bed.

5:00pm- Fernando comes over to check on me. He stays about an hour (?) then leaves to play volleyball

7:45pm- Fernando come back and brings me cold fruit for dinner.

10pm- I'm back in bed after popping another vicodin.

So that was my day. I'm still in some pain this morning, if it continues I'll go see the doctor they refered me too. Truth be told, it's not as bad as yesterday, so I guess I'm getting better from whatever it is that was wrong with me.

I do want to say that the entire expierience has left me feeling so very blessed. I am 1500 miles away from home, so my mom can't check in on me, other than a phone call. But I have numerous offers to drive me to the ER. People offered to run errands for me, pick up perscriptions and groceries. Annie spent the entire morning with me running me about, and Fernando checking in on me. I recieved numerous emails/ IMs/ and texts from friends, all well wishes. I feel so grateful to have built a family of friends here in DC. I want to say thank you to you all.