Crazy ER trip

For a little over a week I've had a cough on and off. It's gotten pretty deep at times, but it hasn't been consistent enough to go to the doctor. We've just been doing a nice little homemade cough syrup which takes care of it. I just haven't been feeling great the past few weeks.

On Tuesday I woke up feeling weak and worn out. I took a shower and then went to lay on the couch. I continued to feel worse. It began getting harder and harder to walk because I was so weak. It kept getting worse and got to the point where I couldn't walk from the couch to the kitchen. My body felt limp and it was hard to control my body. My heart started pounding so I had my mom listen to it. My heart rate was 150-165bpm even when I was just resting.

My dad was running errands so he stopped by my primary care doctor because they weren't answering their phones. They didn't have any openings that day so they told me to go to the urgent care doctor. Both of my parents went with me. We got there around 4pm I think. I had a little fever and my heart rate and blood pressure were still high (and my blood pressure is usually low, not high). The doctor there told us to go to the hospital. She was worried about my heart rate and severe weakness with fever. So off we went.

We got to the hospital, got checked in, and went through triage. They actually accessed my port this time! I was so dehydrated and they couldn't find any veins. They made my mom help them since they don't access ports a lot. The nurse had to stick the needle in twice because he didn't get it in right. He was so nice and caring though. They drew blood, gave me nausea medicine, and sent me to the waiting room.

The waiting room was so crowded. Apparently Tuesday was their trauma day. The hospitals rotate trauma days, which means that all the trauma gets sent to that hospital. Someone said each hospital has trauma days every 4 days. There were 44 people waiting to be seen in the ER, and 16 rooms. Plus any emergencies that came in an ambulance or helicopter. One lady told us that 8 new ER rooms were opening up next week. Uh thanks for sharing that, but that does us no good right now.

After about 3 and a half hours of waiting in the waiting room, we decided to go to another hospital. We were told that there were still at least 5 people in front of me, plus any emergencies that came in. We called a new hospital that is closer to our house and there was no wait. We told the triage nurses that we were leaving. Then, all the sudden they had a bed open for me. Coincidence? No. They didn't want us to leave. Well, my bed was in the hall. There were a couple of beds in the hall. The doctor came over and talked to us very briefly and then put in the orders for the medicine and fluids. My nurse was taking care of the patient in the bed next to me who had a head injury. My nurse was very nice, but took a little too much time with them. She was looking up pizza places on her iPhone for them and talking about everything with them. I'm glad that she's so sweet and actually cares for her patients, but it was a little crazy and our patience had already worn out.

So another nurse stepped in and got my meds. The doctor ordered 2 bags (2 liters) of fluids, and Dilauded and Valium. We aren't really sure why he gave me all that medicine, but we didn't argue. I had been really upset and scared because of my symptoms and because we had been waiting so long with me feeling that bad. They started the fluids and ran the 2 bags at once. Then they gave me the Dilauded and Valium, and for the first time in a long time, I wasn't hurting and I was relaxed and calm. But it made me feel really weird. That's just a lot of medicine. My heart calmed down but then shot back up so I started worrying again. But the nurse said that is normal with narcotics and . Your body is kinda shocked for a while so your heart rate goes up, and then it calms back down.

My nurse got the discharge papers early so that we could leave as soon as the fluids were done.

Finally, 8 hours after we started the whole process, I got to go home. We got home a little after midnight. I was able to walk upstairs and go to bed.

I was so dehydrated that I didn't have to go to the bathroom all night even after the 2 liters of fluids.

The doctor sent me home with a prescription for a muscle relaxer that is also given to MS patients because it helps calm the central nervous system. It helps relax the muscles and nerves, plus a lot of other things. When I got really weak Tuesday, my whole body felt restless. I took the medicine last night around 8 and wow it is strong! My eyes got all blurry and I fell asleep on the couch. Around 9:30, I went to bed and slept until 10 this morning. Ever since I got the cough last week I have not been sleeping well. But I slept so well last night! I will definitely be taking that for a while. It says to take it 2 or 3 times a day for discomfort or pain.

The doctors said I have a virus that is causing all the symptoms. I'm doing better now, but I'm still just resting a lot. I think I'm just exhausted from all that I did for Christmas, plus the virus. I'm praying that my body gets over this virus soon and that I start to feel a lot better.