edited to add: this post is TMI and written on heavy pain killers
I’m in hospital. Morphine brought the pain down to not-sobbing-for-help-and-passing-out levels, but still very bad. Waiting on CT results to see if it’s appendicitis, kidney stones, or some other kind of exploding organ.
Scared the nice Lyft driver when the urgent care doctor shoved me in and told him to drive me to the ER.
Will update this post later, meds wearing off.
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Update: an ovarian cyst is rupturing, bleeding into my abdomen. It won’t kill me, there’s nothing they can do to help it, and I’ll probably need surgery to remove the ovary when I get home. They sent me back to the hotel with enough Percocet to get me through to Sunday. Feeling spectacularly shitty, had orange juice and nausea medication for dinner. The meds are not taking away the pain, just dialing it down a notch so I can rest for a bit. Fuck a whole bunch of this.
Update 2: midnight, back at ER. Percocet did nothing, started vomiting up the juice. Need help.
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Last update: it was a good thing I went back to the ER, because Doctor #1 stopped at Lady Parts and Doctor #2 did an ultrasound to find out if something else was happening. Behind the ovary he found an obstructed section of gut (twisted?), and that was putting pressure on the cyst and causing it to rupture.
So the worst pain of my life, the pain that almost had me sending out embarrassing “I still love you” deathbed emails, came down to two types of laxatives and a bottle of Gatorade. While I was laughing and crying through the narcotics, the doctor said, consolingly, “It really can be fatal!” And actually that did make me feel a bit better.
And so, after a very bad night, lots of interference, a CT scan, an ultrasound, two IVs, five Lyft rides, and three hours of sleep, my gut finally untwisted and the pain just suddenly went away.
Bodies are the worst, you guys.
So, in conclusion, do go to the ER when you feel like you’re dying, because you might be, but brace yourself because the trick to saving you might just be really stupid and embarrassing.
Holy hell. Yes. Please update.
ReplyDeleteHow awful, and for it to happen away from home makes it so much worse. I wish they could/would give you stronger drugs.
ReplyDeleteHad you gone to the ER in our town you would have exploded and would be no more. Lucky that you made it to an Er that functions in spite of the damned percoset which is like 1/2 baby asprin for pain that intense. Something to look forward to , as though you have not had enough medical scares this year! Surgery sucks , but for surgery on ovaries and neighbors, better pain management will be required. At the very least, hospitals have fresh clean sheets and another person to make the bed. Sorry, your conference with the library folk was not as advertised, should get a refund- plus there were no ghost horses and the eggs Benedict - a lab experiment gone wrong- disappointed. Holding our breaths for you to get home safely and well-ish. Turning blue. Make it quick.
ReplyDeleteOh no-what a thing to happen! Glad you had the sense to go to the ER and not see if it got better by itself. I hope it goes well getting home. Wendy (South Africa)
ReplyDeleteJeez. I just found this update and I have been worried to death! And obviously, you had plenty of reasons for me to worry whether I knew it or not. Yes, of course, this is all about me. I just keep thinking about how last year my appendix went very, very bad and I HAD to go to the hospital because that's where they keep all the morphine and within 24 hours I was home sans appendix and no more pain and it was heaven to be done with that. Your situation sounds much more dire and of course now you'll have surgery to deal with but hopefully, they can do it laparoscopically and it will be quick and easy. Honest to god, I was feeling guilty for not getting on a plane to come to Chattanooga to tend to you but I figured that might freak you out and besides, I'm fairly agoraphobic.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I wouldn't have questioned it, I just would have been glad to have someone to hang on to. When I was coming home, I fell asleep in the Chattanooga airport waiting area and woke up to someone gently rubbing my knee, and for a weird, confused moment I thought it was my old boyfriend from 15 years ago, and then I thought it must be my mother, come to rescue me - and then my eyeballs finally focused on the librarian I had had dinner with the night before, saying goodbye. Strange feeling of gratitude and sadness.
ReplyDeleteSo yeah, try not to have medical emergencies where you don't have any people to support you, because it feels just like being a little kid and needing to be hugged and told you'll be okay.