ER Visit Last Night

Me

[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.

[MacMattico]

So I had laproscopic surgery on 1/15 and all went well. The surgeon repaired some “erosions” (I guess not full ulcers?) on my stomach and fixed a hernia behind my bellybutton. He also thought I shouldn't be having stabbing pains for those reasons so he searched around all my “upper organs” as I call them and said everything looked good. But I am very sore. I hate narcotics so I've only taken them 3 times (they told me to take them every 4 hours— no can do. I'd make a terrible drug addict!) I have to take anti- nausea meds ten minutes before any narcotic or I get sick. But at least they allow me to take the pain killers when I need to sleep or am really uncomfortable.

I have the internal stitches and than the glue stuff on the 5 incisions. My daughter wanted to see and then flipped out!

The stabbing pains are gone so I think that issue has been addressed. And the 4mm lesion on my kidney— he doesn't think it's cancerous and could Just be part of my anatomy and we'll just keep an eye on it. But if it were cancerous he said getting an ulcer and hernia could have saved my life because usually people don't know they have kidney lesions until they're huge and the cancer has advanced.

So I just need to rest up and heal. I swear I'm so swollen you'd think I was 7 months pregnant if you ran into me! The surgeon was excellent and nurses very nice. I didn't even spend the night because I convinced them I'd get a lot more healing rest at home, which was true. They let me go at 9:00pm from a morning surgery.

I can't help but think if I hadn't had the insurance I have that pays 100% and went to the ER twice and said something has to be done NOW I'd still be lingering in pain for months. As it was they had me scheduled just to see the surgeon on the 23rd and I said that wasn't acceptable! So now the 23rd is my follow up. When Obamacare kicks in fully, I hope I stay healthy for a long time! Thanks to everyone that had a kind word and a prayer, esp. CatherineofAragon!