Yesterday a new pain began in the middle of the night and did not improve as the day went on. I stuck it out through church but began fainting again when we got home. (Thank goodness not at church!) My fiance encouraged me to call the PM doctor because it was new pain. I dread that call, knowing they are going to tell me to go the ER> I explained my fall, the pain, he asked questions and feared a bowel obstruction. Off to the ER we went. My fiance ate dinner as we were getting ready and I have never watched a man eat that fast!
We waited a long time after registering. I hated the look on the girl's face when I told her my issue, but no one offered a wheelchair because they were so busy there were none available. So we waited, and the triage nurse was nice, asked about my elevated blood pressure, had I taken my b/t pain meds, what was different about the pain? She cringed at my med list. I told her that even if they wouldn't give me anything for pain, I wanted to be seen to make sure nothing new was going on. It was 2 hours before I saw a doctor, and she was very nice. She mostly focused on the fainting though. I was hooked to a heart monitor even when asked not to be because of an allergy to the electrodes, but they gave me benadryl. Then the nurse came and assessed my pain at 9.5 and asked me if I was ready for meds. I answered that I wasn't because I was not out for drugs. My fiance told him yes I was, I was just afraid the hospital would see me as a drug seeker. He very nicely told me the doctor ordered it be given before my x-rays so I would be comfortable. Dilaudid is strong! I was not high, but in a better place than before. It didn't take all the pain away, which the nurse and doctor said were normal for someone with chronic pain.
Abdominal series was done, and when I got back the doctor came in with the nurse and gave me a bit more Dilaudid herself! She didn't want me to be back at 9.5 out of 10, which I was (it was about 3 hours later.) When the results came another 2 hours later, it showed that there was no obstruction. The doc released me home and called my PM to let him know things were ok. She also ordered for another dose of Dilaudid before I left. The nurse said they had been giving me small doses earlier, and this would get me through the night. I couldn't have asked for better treatment. He also said they had many CP patients who had come from other facilities with horror stories. This is a teaching hospital, which amazed me.
may be progressing (?) and the adhesions may be growing without surgeries, or solidifying.
I am happy to be home, still having the pain, resting and hoping b/t and regular meds work. I dreaded the ER, and probably will continue to even with this good experience. There were so many times before my diagnosis that I was treated like a drug addict or hypochondriac that the fear may not pass quickly. It was funny to me that none of the doctors thought it was pulled muscles or injury related after the exam. I thought for sure it was from the snow. Also, nothing came of the heart monitor.....Just a red, itchy rash that spreads from hips to neck. I told them I was allergic!