You know, they should really re-name the emergency room. Maybe they should call it the'slow room'. Or maybe they should just call it '24-hour doctor's office' so then we'd all expect to wait several hours in the waiting room.
And with that....my story. (warning:
long & dramatic..for effect)
There I was, in a cleaning/organizing frenzy of our top floor. The plan was to spend the morning getting that done and then the rest of the day working since I work better in the afternoon than the morning. Anyway, I was making some serious progress (the kind that actually looks messier than when it started) and about 1:30 pm I decided that I'd better eat. I started feeling a little weak and dizzy. Then my vision started blurring. Wow, when a pregnant girl needs to eat - she needs to EAT! So I went down stairs and ate a quick sandwich. The plan was to get some work done but then the headache started and the vision was still blurry. I felt all out-of-sorts so I decided maybe lying down for a few minutes would be a better idea. And then...the wrath of the headache. Never have I felt such searing pain in my head. I couldn't fall asleep (my cure-all) or move or even breath. I laid there for about 45 minutes and decided maybe I should try some acetaminophen (tylenol - the only pain reliever for preggies). But then the vomiting began. At this point, I pretty much knew I was in trouble. I wasn't panicked, but concerned and in so much head pain I couldn't think straight.
I knew I couldn't drive so I called Becky. No answer. I called Karen. No answer. (they live closest to me and had a chance of being home) I called Krista and when she answered I burst into tears and could barely even sputter out what was wrong with me. I finally got it out and she said that I needed to go to hospital and that she'd get in the car that second and come pick me up. I told her I'd call my doctor while she was driving over and we'd make a plan when she got here.
So I called the Doctor's office and asked to speak with a nurse. The sweet receptionist asked if someone could return my call but when I responded with a crying, sputtering, "uh, well, ummmm" then she knew it was an emergency and went to get one for me. I spoke with the nurse who was nice and calming but she wanted to check with the doctor before telling me anything. Since the doctor was with a patient she said she'd call me right back as soon as he was out and it should only be a few minutes. That five minutes felt like an eternity - like I was waiting for someone to call me with my final fate. *okay, that was a little dramatic* When they called back she said that she and the doctor agreed that I should go to the hospital. She told me that they would normally just have me come into their office to get checked out but since they were closing in 20 minutes that I should head to the hospital. Oh good, she didn't seem panicked.
Krista rings my doorbell worried that I'm passed out and dying inside but I answered and we hugged and then I cried again. I told her what the doc said and then tried to figure out what I was supposed to take with me. I chose a bottle of water, an orange, a sleeve of saltines, a bowl (you know, for in case I needed to lose the crackers in Krista's car) and a book. I realized even at the time that that was a dumb idea but it was the only thing I could think of to do in case I had to be there a long time. My headache would not be having any reading, however. Anyway, so I collected my things, already in comfy clothes because - cleaning earlier, and we were on our way to the hospital.
Did we all figure out by now that Carl was out of town? Thought about that for a second...cried some more...and then tried to pull it together to call him. I called - he picked up and hung up. I called again - he picked up and hung up. Stupid work. So I sent him a text: I got really sick and so Krista is taking me to the hospital. I'll let you know as soon as I know more. Wouldn't you know it - I immediately got a call back. :) I quickly filled him in but we were walking into the ER by this point so I promised an update when I had one, let him know of my obvious disappointment that he wasn't with me, and forged through the doors of the busy emergency room. Krista and I had discussed on our way to the hospital that I should play up the pregnancy bit and try to cry some more and maybe I'd get seen sooner. I did talk about the pregnancy when checking in (obviously) and I did whimper through every answer but it didn't help.
(This picture was posed dramatically on purpose)And so we waited. I got to sit in a wheelchair and got an 'official' barf bucket just in case (which I'm happy to say I never used). Travis came and picked up the kids and Krista and I waited some more. Throughout this whole waiting time I would randomly just start leaking from my eyes. It was really awesome. I was texting Carl hourly updates that went mostly like this: No update. Still waiting.
Krista had already canceled one piano lesson that night and I told her to go to her next one. There was nothing she could do for me there and we'd already been waiting for 3 hours by this point and I should get called back any time. She didn't go easy, but I convinced her it was best (because it was). So I called my mom. And I took a little walk around the waiting room until I got a little dizzy and swirly again. I ate my orange and some crackers and tried to drink my water so they wouldn't try to hydrate me with an IV. I watched a crazy lady come into the waiting room, be crazy, and then leave. I read 1/2 of a paragraph in my book. And then I had been waiting four hours.
Wait, what? FOUR FREAKING HOURS in the EMERGENCY ROOM!? Good thing it wasn't a freaking emergency! No one in there was losing their limbs or anything - everyone just looked sick...like me. Krista called me on her way back to the hospital to see if I wanted food but I was just going back so I told her to go home and check on her family and that I'd call her if I needed her or when I was discharged. And then probably cried some more. No sobbing, just quiet tears streaming down my face. It had been a long day. I was tired. My head hurt. Where was my husband!? Oh yeah, 2,000 miles away. More tears.
I got back to my partition of the room, put on my fancy gown, and waited for the doctor. He was excellent. He was super nice, not dramatic about any thing happening or any conclusions he was drawing. He didn't act like I was an idiot for coming in with a headache and asked all the right questions. I told him my theories of my diagnosis because I'd talked to my mom on the phone in the waiting room and we had consulted with Dr. Google and Dr. I-had-a-friend-once-who-_____. He agreed they were possibilities. They were very worried about my blood pressure but I never gave them anything to worry about. He asked me more than once how my blood pressure had been so far throughout my pregnancy - great, thank you. I am actually quite healthy. They took my BP a couple times there at the hospital expecting it to be high but both times it was slightly lower than average. Boo-ya! I was rocking this exam.
He offered me morphine (with the assurance that they safely give it to pregnant women all the time) but I declined. I asked for more tylenol instead. He gave me a quizzical look and said that I could have whatever I wanted but that it didn't seem to help last time I took it. So I reminded him that I don't think it was in my system long enough to work and that I'd like to try it again. He offered anti-nausea meds but I declined those too. I've never had a problem with tylenol before and didn't want to be scared of it in the future so I had to try it one more time. (future note: you are fine to take the tylenol because you didn't get sick from it but go ahead and take the offer of morphine next time)
My phone was almost dead and beeping at me. Crap. Carl and Mom and Krista were all trying to check in with me but I had to turn it off to save what precious little juice was left to call Krista to get a ride home when it was time. Who thinks to grab a phone charger on their way out the door to the hospital? Who would have thought I'd be there for 6 1/2 hours?
Okay, so he says, "the problem is that what we never like to hear is 'this is the worst headache I've ever had'". So I apologized and then told him that without a doubt this headache was blowing all of my other headaches combined right out of the water. So we decided on a CATscan just to be sure. They wheeled me down a million empty, sterile halls to an xray room. A technician met me outside, had me sign a form, and took me in. I laid there waiting to have my head go into the machine and the tears silently flowed. Not because I was scared of the CATscan but because....well, I'm not exactly sure. Same reason they came all afternoon/evening I guess. I really wished Carl had been there. The whole thing was quicker than I expected. Before I knew it I was back in my 'partition'.
Finally, a nurse stops in to check on me and bring my tylenol. I told her that they said they would want a urine sample and that I'd like to give that RIGHT NOW, PLEASE. She was really friendly and nice, pointed me in the right direction, and I think we shared a moment there when I realized she was pregnant too (which I would later learn was twins) and we understood each other there in that hospital.
Can you guess what happened next? I waited some more. This time I curled up on my side (which proved a little tricky on that awful hospital ....if you can even call it a bed) even though the back was a little propped up for a sitting position. I used the extra blanket they gave me as a pillow and tried to close my eyes and rest. I was actually pretty tired by this point. I didn't sleep but closed eyes felt nice on my brain.
RESULTS: CATscan came back clean: No bleeding; no tumors. I was relieved. Urine test came back clean: No drugs (jk), no protein. My vitals looked good. We checked the baby's heartbeat: it was strong. And I never tire of hearing that whir. DIAGNOSIS: probably a horrible migraine. He gave me a prescription for an anti-nausea medicine that is one of the leading meds for migraines too - safe for pregnancy. He also gave me the green light to go on vacation and told me I could just take my pills in case I needed them. Huge relief. Then I signed some insurance forms (thank you, insurance!) and re-robed.
I called Krista to come pick me up. She took me through a drive-through to get some food (which I didn't really eat because I wasn't feeling up to it if you can believe!), and to CVS to fill my prescription. (quick sidenote: dear insurance company - having two cards - one for medical and one just for prescriptions is DUMB because I don't carry both. thanks) We headed back to the Lundells because I had asked for a Priesthood blessing. We called and woke Wesley Hunter up at 11 PM (good cause though) and he came over to assist Travis. It was a lovely blessing and I was so grateful to have the option.
Lundells let me sleep on their couch so I didn't have to go home to an empty house. I slept well and then here we are. I'm not back to 100% but I am feeling a ton better. A couple times while I was in the waiting room I contemplated just leaving. Maybe it was silly I was there. Perhaps I would have had I not been pregnant - but I had a secondary obligation at that point. And a couple times since they decided on migraine, I've wondered if it really warranted a trip to the emergency room. The answer is yes. Blurred vision, dizziness, vomiting, and excruciating pain in your head is a reason to go get checked out and I can sleep easier knowing it's not something more serious.
I can't begin to express my gratitude for the Lundells. They spent many, many hours with their normal lives interrupted helping me in my time of need. Thanks Travis for watching the kids so Krista could stay with me. Thanks for the blessing, and thanks for being SO-O sweet to me while I was crying. Thanks Krista for your lack of hesitation to rush to my aid. Thanks for your support and your company. Thanks for your hospitality and most of all, your friendship. We owe you BIG!