Posted on 12/28/2013 12:27:09 AM PST by MacMattico
Hi all, Last night I spent 8 hours in the ER and am still in pain. I'm also mad about the whole thing. Obviously, though, I'm healthy enough to type on my iPad! Any insight is appreciated.
For the last 3 weeks or so I have had a dull pain right below the bottom of my ribcage on the left side. At times it would become sharp, like a stabbing pain and I would not be be able to take a deep breath during that time. I would cringe in pain during these times. After a while it would go back to a dull ache. This went on, like I said, on and off for the past three weeks. I tried to ignore it (stupidly) because I was so busy and wanted to get past Christmas. Last night about 9 pm the stabbing pain came back and it was unbearable. I had thought I was coming down with something because I was so tired I had left a family Christmas day get together early, came home, and slept 9 hours straight. When I woke up I didn't feel sick so I thought I had just been really tired from the Christmas eve get together we had hosted the night before. That is until 9pm last night.
Amazingly I got into an ER room without any wait. They told me things were really slow. I described my symptoms. I had no fever or trouble using the bathroom. They took blood and urine samples and did a series of x-rays. Within about an hour the pain was back to a dull throb with no pain killers. I try to avoid them because they make me sick.
Hours went by and 3 different doctors came in. They were pressing on my stomach area and it only hurt worse when they pressed directly under my ribs to the far left. I don't have a gall bladder so that definitely wasn't it. My blood pressure has never been high but was high, and they said this was probably nerves although I didn't really feel nervous. The third doctor that came in was convinced it was a stomach issue. I told him it didn't feel like anything to do with my stomach. From then on out all that was mentioned was my stomach.
One doctor mentioned doing a CAT scan. I said go right ahead. Get this-- the doctor says CAT scans are expensive! I said if you've checked my health insurance, you will find out they are covered 100%. I don't know if he really checked my insurance but a nurse came in to tell me I was going to have a CAT scan and be admitted. At this point the hospital was getting busy and I heard a gun shot victim was coming in.
So I laid there for who knows how long, my husband with me, and then a nurse walks in and says I need to take your IV out and you're being released! I said what? The nurse said your X-rays, urine sample and blood tests are all normal. I said the last person in here was a doctor that said I was being admitted! The nurse went and checked with that doctor who told them that I was to "follow up with a doctor specializing in stomach issues". I said I don't even think it's my stomach!
So this morning I had a couple more shooting pains and the dull pain persists. I called the doctor I was referred to and their office said they don't know when they can get me in! I said I was told to follow up today! They said they had no appointments until the end of January and would not see me until then. I hung up I was so mad. I called the hospital and after getting transferred three times was told to come in if the pain got worse, but "they wouldn't have released me if everything didn't look good". I was so mad. I took a high dose motrin and tried to sleep, now I'm up all night with a dull side ache.
Have them do an EKG while you are there.
MY brother was misdiagnoised for months, they said it was acid reflex, gave him antacids.
Three days after last doctors visit, he had a heart attack.
The best thing to do is go to a doctor immediately. When I first had my pain, I waited until the pain subsided. I did not go see the doctor.
A few months later the pain returned and I knew I had to go see the doctor.
When the doctor saw me, he knew immediately what the problem was and he had me rushed to the hospital.
I had to have emergency surgery to remove my infected gall bladder.
My waiting caused some further problems for me.
Get yourself checked out immediately.
DO NOT WAIT!!
I’m guessing it’s a kidney stone. They produce the sharpest pain imaginable that begins as a dull ache or sensitivity under the ribcage, right or left, or in in your back, or both. The dull pain can persist for weeks or months and come and go as the stone passes.
You are so right. I think my anatomy teacher would be greatly disappointed in my mistake. Mea culpa.
Thank you :)
Tell them you are in the country illegally and you demand indigent care. You’ll get right on the MRI free of charge. I stupidly paid for my emergency surgery before I knew how the indigent care scam worked.
Prayers for you and that you find out what it is and get successful treatment !
If you have a primary care doctor that you trust you should be in touch with him/her.If you don't...get one,soon.
Exactly. Great post.
kidney stone
The surgeon says I have a hernia directly behind my belly button (I am not obese and cannot see or feel this hernia) and I have an erosion (I guess not yet a full ulcer) in my stomach wall. He says that I shouldn't be in pain with these issues, but scheduled surgery for Wednesday the 15th. Next week). What upsets me the most is that I am in a lot of pain, and I'm afraid that the pain is something else completely.
He did also say I had a small hiatal hernia that didn't require surgery, and a small (4mm) lesion on my left kidney, but that although we would scan it again in 6 months, it was probably nothing. He said because imaging has gotten so clear in recent years, you can see things that you never could before and a 4mm lesion was probably something that was just part of my kidney.
Because I have had previous gall bladder surgery, he said scar tissue could be causing a problem, but he won't know until he “gets in there”. I'm going to sound like a baby and admit I'm scared! My first visit to the ER was exactly to the date one year sense my mother went to the ER. Second ER visit year to the day she died. Surgery is scheduled for what would have been her birthday. I want to ask everyone for a little prayer, but I feel bad asking because it may be nothing major and I'm not the worlds greatest Catholic, although I am one. Right now my right side hurts, worse with a deep breath. Before it was the left side under the ribs and then a bit lower. I trust this surgeon he's come highly recommended from people I know.
I think the prayer power that FR has will bring you safely back to us, as it has before. Just a thought.
Be seeing you....
Hey, Ping!
Thanks. I’ve been told I’m hard to get rid of!
Don’t you people read anything? She doesn’t have a gall bladder!
Sounds like you’re in good hands. God be with you.
Huh...wha..? *blinking*
I’m glad you pinged me
Okay....far be it from me to even play a doctor on TV, but your surgeon said you shouldn’t be in pain with a hernia and a stomach erosion? That’s kind of weird...it seems to me you might naturally have pain. But what do I know.
Mac, you say you aren’t the world’s greatest Catholic....well, don’t worry, honey. None of us are where we should be, but God’s mercy is everpresent. He’s going to take care of you, and you will be fine.
I understand what you’re saying about your mother. My mom died in 2002, and about a year later I started having heart palpitations. I freaked out a little bit. It turned out to be too much coffee, if you can believe it. But the doctor told me it’s natural, after a parent passes, to feel scared and start thinking, well, I’m next in line to go. He said those kinds of worries can exacerbate physical issues.
Will be praying for you...and don’t ever feel bad for asking. God wants us to ask.
(Can the doctor give you something for pain, to get you through until Wednesday?)
I thought it was weird when he said I shouldn’t have pain, to. He doesn’t have the greatest bed side manner, but he’s an excellent surgeon so let him say what he wants is what I’m thinking. All of the nurses were making comments like “ that must really hurt” so I’ll go with them, because it hurts! They prescribed me Tylenol w/codeine so they must think somethings painful, but I can’t take it because it made me sick.
Thank you for the kind words and the prayers, hopefully by Thursday I’ll be bugging everyone on free republic again (and until Wed.) Can’t wait for the return of The Walking Dead!
Oh. boy. Three days to go...hang in there, girl.
Nurses are the ones who practice constant contact with the patients, so sometimes I believe they are more in tune to what is happening---on a human level---than even the most brilliant doctors. It sounds like you have an excellent surgeon, so that's a blessing.
"Thank you for the kind words and the prayers, hopefully by Thursday I’ll be bugging everyone on free republic again (and until Wed.) Can’t wait for the return of The Walking Dead!"
Less than month to go! A day without Daryl Dixon is no day at all! ;)
Looking forward to hearing your updates. If I'm scarce the next couple of days, it's because we're having ISP problems and are waiting to get them fixed.
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