It’s All About ~ Emergency Rooms

It’s All About…Emergency Rooms

The last few days have been a blur. Jack hasn’t been feeling well, as he had a sharp pain in his lower left side. On Tuesday the pain was much worse and at 3:00 in the afternoon I drove him to what used to be a good hospital. We got there just after 4:00 and tests were ordered. I was hopeful.

As the results were logged in I was texted the full report. By 7:00 I knew that Jack had a 3cm kidney stone. I attempted to get a solution for Jack so I could drive us home. Us being, Jack, Heidi, and myself. That was easier said than done.

I kept going out to feed, water, and walk Heidi. In the process, I lost my Bluetooth device for my cell phone. I picked up a tuna sandwich in the cafeteria (which was terrible, but then they have a captive audience) and kept waiting.

Finally, around 11:00 I went to the desk, again, and tried to get someone to make a decision about what they were going to do with Jack. No one could answer. They claimed they didn’t have all the test results. I held up my cell phone where I had downloaded them all.

A Physician’s Assistant took Jack into a small cubby and explained there were no rooms, so she wanted to give him some meds and send him home. Great.

I went out to warm up the car, walk Heidi again, and wait for Jack. At 12:15 I went back in. Had he gotten his medications? No!

I told them he was so upset he was just going to leave. They assured me that he would get his three lousy pills in a moment.

At 12:30 Jack walked out the door and I set about to drive us home. The night was pitch black yet, the roadways had heavy fog. Slowly I made my way home and we pulled in at about 1:45!

Both Jack and I were exhausted. His meds had kicked in and so he was able to sleep. It took me a while until I could relax enough to sleep. Heidi and I turned off the light and sleep came to us.

Today I kept trying to get into contact with the VA Urology Clinic. Now that I have Jack’s records sent to the VA, we can get an appointment there. Meanwhile, tonight we will sleep and rest up for whatever may come.

Jack is still in pain, but since we know what it is, we can handle it.

I must mention that poor Lili must have fussed and whined because we noticed today that her voice is a little hoarse. Poor girl.

Lastly, I must mention that the ER was horrible. Yes, they had many people like us who were seriously ill, but when the sun came down and it got colder the junkies and street people came in. I am sympathetic to this problem, however, a hospital ER is not the place for them to land. There were newborn babies there, young kids with cuts needing stitching, and people like Jack who have come in due to painful illnesses.

So that is my tale of woe. We lived to tell the story, even if it was a rather gruesome one. And at least we made it through the fog to get home.