My trips to the ER

**TMI WARNING**

Oh yeah...and its gonna be long...sorry!

It all started Thursday afternoon. I had great plans to make these cupcake bites I had seen on Bakerella's blog. I was too the point of making the cake balls into cute little cupcakes and I started to not feel so well. I did about half of them and decided to take a break. Time passes and really I just feel the need to throw up. I hate throwing up, really I dont know who likes doing it honestly. I already had problems in the other end of my digestive track (I'll spare you the details). I turned down even the mention of supper, so while the husband was gone to take some movies back and get him something to eat, I finally puked. I felt a whole ton better, pretty much thought I would be fine. Boy was I wrong!

I ended up throwing up several several times over about a 3 hr period. I was having other issues at the same time, if ya catch my drift. It was hitting me about every 20 mins. I'd feel good enough to take a drink of water only for it to come back up later. Finally, I decided to go to the ER because at this point, I had nothing left in my system to throw up. I remember weighing myself earlier in the day and in my sickly state, I went ahead for kicks and weighed myself before we left. I had lost 7lbs!! Granted I had changed into lighter clothes but I know my jeans don't weigh 7lbs!

I feel okay on the drive there. We, or I decided to go to the ER where I used to work. I figure I know these people, atleast they'll know I'm not one of the regulars that comes in for drugs. Plus, I've never been to the ER in my life. I'm in the triage room where they find out why you're there and get all your vitals. Its a nurse I didn't really know. After I explain everything, she looks at me and says "What made you decide you needed to come to the ER tonight?" I wanted to scream, but I calmly said because I couldn't stop throwing up and all that. It was one of those, "I just told you why, lady!?!" Get to the room, unfortunately I'm next to some really obnoxious guy from town. He was talking so SO loud!

Anywho, the Dr. comes in, its one i'm not particularly fond of because when I worked nights, hes the one you hate working with, but I was sick, I'll deal. Just make me stop puking! He's in the room less that two mins to hear my problems and leaves. The nurse comes in to draw blood and give me a shot of Phenergran. About 2 mins after I get the shot I start violently puking again. I was later told that I kept looking at my husband like make it stop. He gets the nurse in there and she calmly says "Well it won't go into effect right away." And she walks out. (This nurses voice reminded me of the lady off the Mary Tyler Moore show, Georgette. Mom and Ben can vouch for me that she sounded something like that. SO annoying) My mom comes up there to sit in the room with us. I have to give a urine sample, which normally wouldn't be problem, except for the fact that I'm so dehydrated I have no pee in me. The annoying nurse threatens me with an in and out cath if I don't pee. So I try, nothing. She says "Well I can't imagine you would already be that dehydrated." Apparently she didn't get the picture about how much I had puked and done other things before coming to the ER. So I have to have the cath, which wasn't that horrible, just humiliating. Shes like "Oh I guess you are that dehydrated" DUH! All those tests came back normal, except my White Blood Cell count. It was high. So the doc comes in and is very serious and more attentive this time. Tells me what he thinks, he thinks maybe appendicitis, but I'm not hurting. So in the end he tells me to be at my fam docs office first thing Friday morning and they'll work me in.

They're in the process of getting ready to discharge me so the nurse comes in to check my blood pressure. At this point, I've been up and down to go and try to pee and had to change my clothes. I'm not feeling so hot. They take my blood pressure while i'm laying down. Its really low. So she has me sit up, I feel so bad, I dont wanna sit up, but of course I do. It's still low. So she wants me to stand up. It seemed like it took forever for it to take my blood pressure and things were getting a little fuzzy. Before it can take it I start throwing up again. My bp is 85/54 or something. More puking..yay! I think they finally believe that I'm not there to just get meds or that I'm lying about it. So the other nurse, that I know, comes in to start an IV and give me fluids. Apparently the previous nurse, didn't relay any of my info to him because he tells me that he thought I only threw up once that whole time!! I wanted to say hell no but I didn't. So I get my bag of fluids and feel a TON better. I was told I was greenish looking at one point...really wouldn't know. I got to go home about 1 am. Let me point out that I go home with no explanation as to why I'm puking or anything. They give me antibiotics and nausea meds and tell me to follow up with my doc in the morning. I would've liked some conclusion to all that, but no.

So I get home, shower and lay down. I was gonna take more phenergran but I fell asleep. Only to wake up about 3 am for another round of it all. I notice my side is hurting. Not a good thing. I ignore it this time, go back to bed, only to wake up again. I just love this repeating cycle, dont you? Finally about 5 am, I tell ben that I'm hurting. At that time the pain felt low, appendix like but I was also doubled over laying down. I end up making a few phone calls, one to my mom, another to a friend and to someone I used to work with. I figure if it is appendix or any other organ, I'd be better off at the ER in the bigger city than waiting til 8 to go to the doc. Plus they were working me in, which could take a while, and then seeing him, then finding out if i needed tests, waiting for tests, so and so forth. You get the picture. I make it to the ER at shift change, which must be a great time to go. They took my name and before I could set down, they called me over to get vitals and all that. So I repeat everything that had already happened and the new pain, which by now was higher than appendix and going around in my back.

I get in a room and the doctor comes right in. He was very nice, gave me ice chips which I was dying for. (I'll try to make this short) They drew blood, did an ultrasound on my gallbladder. Basically everything came out normal, except I was dehydrated, which was kinda a no brainer. He said he thought it was all just a virus and I needed to follow up with my family doctor in a week. The doctor ran a pregnancy test because my antibiotics are apparently "very strong" as he put it. He asked if they ran one the night before, I assume yes but they never told me. I would hope that by giving me the antibiotics meant they did atleast check that, but you never know, again I wasn't told anything! My awesome ER doc even called me on his own personal cell phone to tell me that my pregnancy test was negative. I was kinda shocked that it wasn't the nurse or something. The second ER visit was much less uneventful and I kinda felt a little stupid for going but the pain worried me and it obviously didn't feel good.

If that was a virus, I never want anything like that EVER again!! Friday night I finally started eating a little. Just crackers, actually triscuits because thats all we had. I was so hungry that I finished the box sometime Saturday. I hadn't eaten anthing since 11 am on Thursday. I think I'm finally back to normal. My antibiotics make me a little dizzy but other than that I'm feeling better. I lost 4 lbs and found out I'm allergic to the bandaids and tape they use in the hospitals. I'm going back to work tomorrow, even though my boss thinks I should take a week off. I can't do a week, I'd go stir crazy. Hope you enjoyed my story! lol