Every Day Feels Like Sunday

I’m finally getting used to the fact that it’s not Sunday.

It started last week when I had this wicked pain in my side. I tried to just suck it up and keep goin, but by Thursday afternoon I was in my Dr office. (Shout out to Dr Mohlman) By Thursday evening I was in Memorial Hospital. Rm 211. Bed 1. (You guys suck for not coming to see me)

(just kidding)

So while there I was treated very (VERY) kindly by Rich, Dan, Char, Linda, Stacy, Cori, Tina, and Julie. Julie gets special kudos, since she came in from home just to help me out. (She was on call) I’m forgetting at least 2 nurses … sorry. Also the young woman who pushed me around in the wheelchair … downstairs for tests, back to bed, downstairs, back to bed. Blah. I felt bad for that one. I don’t remember her name. Also Dr. Aurand and Dr Tomita (who had the nerve to try to tell me that my problem might have to do with eating popcorn. Ha! I showed him)

Upon my arrival, I was directed to drink 2 delicious (barf) berry flavored shakes. They said it was so that they could take better pictures with their big spinning machines. Personally I think they just read my blog and decided to punish me. But my friends assured me that my theory was not true, on the basis that nobody reads my blog.

Thursday night I was on morphine, which made me feel awful. I hated the feeling I had when the morphine kicked in … I got really hot, and I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. It only lasted for about 20 seconds, but it was horrible. And it wasn’t a very effective painkiller for me, so I had to have 3 doses of it. But I slept pretty well, which is more than I can say for Jane.

Jane Doe (no that’s not her name) was in bed 2, suffering from Chron’s disease. She had a terrible night. And to add injury to injury, she didn’t have insurance. Now I don’t remember much about what happened when I was in the hospital, but I do remember being angry about the fact that my hospital socks allegedly cost $100, and meanwhile Jane in bed 2 doesn’t know how she’ll pay for her medicine. I don’t know how my socks and her medicine are related, but self-righteous liberals like me get really mad about stuff like that. Even when we’re high on morphine.

(Are those socks really $100?)

The next morning I asked Dr to get me something other than morphine, and this time he blessed me with Dilaudid, which really kicked my butt. Literally I slept nearly the entire day. Dilaudid is highly addictive (I hear), and I am thankful beyond words for the fact that I hated it worse than the morphine. Seriously, Dilaudid made the berry shakes look good. It was awful to be that sick. Though I will admit that Dilaudid was the only medication that really killed the pain. I’ll even go so far as to say that at one point, I was acutely aware of every single part of my body, and they all felt really good.

Friday afternoon Jane Doe went home, and shortly thereafter her younger sister Judy came in. (No Judy’s not her name) I think Judy also had Chron’s, though I’m fuzzy on the whole thing because I was so drugged. All I remember is that the kid was in serious pain, and mom was worried.

Friday night I was sent home with kick-ass painkillers and I’ve been high ever since. I can’t remember anything I say, which really makes for fun conversations. (I’m fine with it, but it’s frustrating to the other party) I’m eating like a pig and gaining weight by the minute. I fell out of the bed the other day. I was just trying to get up, but I ended up on the floor. Then I tried to get up off the floor and stumbled backwards into the dresser. It probably should’ve hurt. I have a bruise. And I keep forgetting what day it is. Every day feels like Sunday because I had yesterday off.

Even so, you may be thinking, who wouldn’t want a week off with narcotics? It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I had big plans for this week. If you recall, I was supposed to go to Denver next week. Those plans were canceled about a month ago due to the fact that I was promoted at work (yay me) and really wasn’t comfortable leaving my department without 1) their Director and 2) the only engineer. I was still planning on taking part of my vacation time though, and digging in to this homeless vlogging project that I want to work on. That’s not gonna happen. I’ve got to work all next week now, just to catch up from taking this week off. I’m also going to have to delay or cancel my yard sale, which we scheduled for next weekend. (If you knew how much stuff I have in my house, you would understand the magnitude of this crisis). And saddest of all for me personally is that I’ve had to give up my trip to Mackinac Island this weekend, which I was really looking forward to. Because it’s just so important that I stay home and rest. (snark)

But I know that I’m really lucky in that I work with people who are compassionate about the fact that I had a medical emergency, so they’ve gone above & beyond to make sure I can take time off work and not worry. I’m especially lucky to have health insurance and the resources necessary to pay for all of this treatment. I keep thinking about the brother of a friend of mine, who is self-employed and never purchased health insurance. He has been in chronic pain for years, due to an injury he sustained as a teenager. He fights off his pain with alcohol because he didn’t have access to health care. (Don’t ask me why he didn’t purchase it, I don’t know) It’s not a good situation for him. Alcohol affects every aspect of your life. I also keep thinking of Jane Doe. Wondering how she’s doing and if she has the medicine she needs. I hope so. I should’ve gotten her number so I could check on her.

So while I get seriously disgusted with the fact that I can’t go a day without pain, I have not forgotten how lucky I am to have the ability to get treatment. And part of that includes having a Dr who has not only treated me for years, but also treated both of my grandparents. It’s nice to have a Dr who knows you. (Shout out to Dr Mohlman)

(Did I already shout out to the Mohl? I can’t remember …. )