ER VISIT or IF YOU THINK YOU ARE PREGNANT PLEASE TELL THE TECHNOLOGIST

Many of the beautiful photos can be found here in my journal are from this site.  Photo courtesy of GeekPhilosopher.com . It's a beautiful site with interesting pictures on it.  See the link under my favorite sites to the left.

Today I spent the day in the ER.  Didn't really want to go but it was something that had to be done.  I was experiencing severe lower left sided abdominal pain.  I got to the ER and they triaged me within 10 mintues.  Once they realized the extent of my pain they put me on a gurny and treated my pain immediately.  They know me at the hospital (they see me at least once a month due to Lupus related stuff and seizure crap) and know my medical condition well.  They also know that when my pain becomes too much to bare that I begin to seize.  They have experienced that and now know it is important to treat my pain without delay.   The nurse I had was amazing, she found the hidden vein.  Not many people are able to do that.  I have only one vein left and she found it.  She was my favorite person yesterday and I made her aware of it.  I was put on fluids, given a shot of morphine, IV push.  Once that hit me I didn't know if it helped the pain or if I didn't care if I had pain any longer.  I was poked and prodded and wheeled here and there for tests.  They poked, I screamed.  They prodded I cried.  They apolozied.  All in all it was a harrowing experience.  Abdominal pain similiar to labor pains but constant.  Another shot of morphine because the doctor tells me that the diverticulosis is acting up.  The conversation goes like this now...Now remember I have just received a second shot of morphine....

Doctor.......... When was your last colonoscopy?

Me.................. June

Doctor.......... What did they find?

Me................... A whole bunch of crap and nothing.

Doctor........... What does that mean?

Me................... I have irritation because of the coumadin I take, the diverticular was okay, not too bad. I was told to eat fiber, psyllium.

Doctor........... Who did it?

Me................... Dr. Mancino

Doctor............. Okay............Follow up with him, your surgeon and your PCP, I'll give you antibiotics, and something for your pain. What do you usually take for pain?

Me.................... Morphine is good. Anyone else you think I should follow up with?

Doctor...............(Who looks at me strangly)

Me.......................I'm kidding, I take tylenol 4

Doctor.................Okay, the nurse will be right back to take out your IV and give you your discharge orders.

Me....................... You should laugh more. Laughing is a good thing.

The nurse comes in with my D/C orders and my scripts.  Cipro, Flagyl and Tylenol 4.  I fill none of them.

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I follow up with the surgeon later that evening......

He checks my surgery site............Everything looks good.  The mesh has not moved.  Nothing wrong.  What's going on with the diverticulitis.  I say, Heck if I know.  We go through the whole colonoscopy script again.  He asks what I am taking for pain management.  I tell him right now ......... percocette.  He tells me that sometimes this pain can come from a herniated disk in the spin.  Let's do a lumbar MRI.  I say okay.  We talk a while about me and my other health problems.  We walk out of the room.  (Gary is with us.) I have to fill out some paper work. and I'm having trouble doing that.  I have a hard time.  Dr. Sabido says next time take 1/2 a perc.  I say oh you think its the med that is making me have problems.  Gary chimes in......... She is like this all the time.  He frowns and says....... "This is from the Lupus and the Antiphisiploid Syndrome?" I say, yup.  He puts one arm around me and tilts his head.  I smile.  He says he will call me with the results of the spinal MRI.  I guess he understands now about my auto immune disorders.  Maybe he will go home and read about it.  Maybe he should have done that before he operated on me.  Might have made him a little less arrogant.