Being a patient

I just wanted to recount an experience I had.
So two nights ago I had the pleasurable experience of being a patient in the ER. I would have to say this was the first time I was a patient for something other than an Asthma related problem. I have not ever worked in that particular ER and for the last year and a half I have not worked in any ER, just labor and delivery. Originally I did not intend on going in to the ER at all, just the clinic or to my regular Dr.
So starting on Sunday I had a slight ache in my left flank area. I thought that maybe I had slept in a weird position or stretched it. By Monday the pain became more intermittent and slightly stronger. I though possibly I was getting a kidney infection. I drank a ton of fluid and figured I would try to get an appointment on Tuesday. Tuesday came with the pains more often than not so I drank a couple of liters of fluid and called the Dr. I am a "member" of a very large established HMO that is well known. So when you call to make an appointment you have to go through several different people and then the call you back. So I ended up with an advice nurse. She informed me that there were no clinic appointments available that day and my regular Dr was booked. She then said that I could have a "phone appointment" I was thinking OK sure why not. This was around 430pm that they finally figured out I could get a phone appointment. The Dr was to call my home (I had to verify the number to call 3 times) at 540pm. She said to be available 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after. I said sure and waited. I sat by the phone from then on. By this point the pain was becoming worse and worse. Earlier in the day in addition to drinking a ton of fluids and peeing often I tried icy hot- (what if it was muscle), ice packs, repositioning, Tylenol and had massage from hubby. None of the aforementioned treatments helped, well the ice did for a few minutes. I even had a BM just in case I had a really bad case of FCS (fart caught sideways). So I kept an eye on the phone and another on the clock. by 605 I figured the Dr was not going to call as promised. I called the advice line again. I guess no matter how many times I verified my number the Dr was going to call my cell either way. Cell reception in the house can be spotty that is why I wanted to house phone to be the point of contact. By the time I get the advice nurse she tells me that she will have a Dr paged and to wait on the line. I wait for what seems like forever. The advice nurse gets back on the phone to tell me that she is having a hard time reaching the OB on call. I was thinking what does flank pain have to do with OB but apparently if you have a uterus you need OB (I thought you had to be 20 weeks pregnant for them to be concerned with anything). she asks me to wait on the line again while she pages. I then hand the phone over to my husband because I can no longer sit still with the pain. I try a slightly cold shower to help with the pain. My hubby tells me that they want me to go to the ER for evaluation. I told him why didn't they tell me that when I could still tad upright. I get out of the shower and call my friend. I figure with the tears from pain and nausea I shouldn't drive myself to the ER and since it was already after 6pm hubby and my boy should not spend time waiting with me. So my friend offers to drive me there and stay with me until I am ready to go home. Which was awesome I owe her big time. It is 740 when I check in to the ER. I had to wait until 815 for triage. So sitting in the big lobby with a few other peeps was fun. I could not find a comfortable position sitting or standing since about 5pm. I am finally triaged and they offer me a gurney in the hall until there is a room available. I accept the gurney and wait. My friend at least can stay with me. at (15 I am placed in a room, I am introduced to the girl who was to be my nurse on the way into the room. I change in the gown and offer a urine sample (I offered the triage nurse but she declined). So the next wait begins. the Dr comes in the room at about 940ish he does a quick exam of my side and makes me move my legs. He says the nurse will be in to give me fluids and pain meds. Just before 10 the nurse shows up for the first time, starts an IV and says I am going to set you up for your pelvic. WTH again with the uterus being the topic of interest despite the absence of pelvic or abdominal pain no discharge or bleeding or cramping. Whatever. The nurse says the Dr ordered morphine, I thought at this point I will try it. So she gives me the first half of the dose really slow and I swear half way through the push I feel my head get really hot and the room spin. WOW. I hate drugs. So Dr rough fingers comes back for the pelvic. During the second swab (I think) I say out loud "Well I didn't think I had tonsillitis but now we will know for sure." my friend who stayed upstream for the invasion laughs out loud. The Dr was not amused. So Dr and nurse leave the room with their specimens and I wait. I look at the clock and see that it is 1025. I figure I would be out of there by 1130. I try to make the fluids go in faster and make my own pressure bag. The bag is now empty and I have not seen or heard from the nurse or the Dr. It is now 1130. The pain is coming back full force. I go to the bathroom to rid myself of the liter. When I come back from the bathroom one of the OB residents I work with is standing in the room. Apparantly Dr rough fingers called a consult. So being that left flank pain has nothing to do with the uterus she tells me that the only thing wrong in my labs is calcium crystals in my urine. WTH? She says that I should follow up with my regular Dr as scheduled and that the stone will probably pass soon. We chitchat for a few minutes and she says the nurse will give me another liter of fluid a little more pain medicine and I could go home. So I wait some more. The nurse has not been in the room since the pelvic. My friend and I figure at this point I will be able to go not long after the 2nd liter is in. Yeah we are hungry and the pain is still there but hydration will help it pass. By 1215 with no sign of the nurse or Dr I decide that maybe I should hang my own bag especially since the fluids are in the room. I hang the bag and put my blood pressure cuff on it to speed it up. My friend was feeling really anxious that we would get caught or in trouble. So at 1240 a different nurse comes in and introduces herself. She asks if I need anything for pain, at this point I really do. I also ask if I can have ice chips ( I hadn't eaten since lunch and hadn't had anything to drink since 6pm). She says OK, she will be right back. She comes back around 115 with pain meds and no ice. She slams the meds so fast while I am talking to her that I stop mid sentence. All that could come out of my mouth was "OH shit" the room was spinning so fast and my head felt like it was on fire. The nurse asks if I am OK and then leaves the room. So after a little while I get inpatient and I decide to call the OB resident around 200 and ask if she knows what is going on (I figure since I know her direct line and we are some what friends I could do that)she says I should be going home soon and I should follow up. I get dressed with the IV saline locked thinking that maybe the nurse will be in anytime now. Around 215 another nurse comes in the room, I figured out she was a nurse only by looking at her badge she tries to hang another liter and I ask if she knows what my status is and how many liters I need before I can go. I also ask for ice chips. She leaves the room and comes back to tell me that I need a total of 2 liters. I let her know that I have had 2. She says Ok and leaves again. I find my call light and use it so I can see about maybe getting pain meds and ice chips. Some one at the nurses station turned off the call and didn't answer. 10 minutes later a ER tech comes in to see what I need. I ask her if I can see the DR and get pain meds. She says she will find my nurse. Another 10 minutes pass and my nurse comes in. She ask how I am doing I tell her that I am in pain and would like ice chips and to know what my dispo is. She says that she will have to ask the Dr. I then ask if I will be going home, she sees the IV fluids that the other nurse was going to hang. She asks if Someone hung my second bag. I told her that the second bag finished infusing by the time she came in the first time. She get really upset and then stomped out of the room. My friend and I looked at each other like WTH? A couple of minutes later another nurse walks in and ask if I need pain medicine. I tell her that I just really want ice chips and to find out what is going on. She then walk out of the room and starts talking to my nurse (she left the door open so I heard the convo). She tells my nurse that I didn't want pain meds, my nurse said that I asked her for some. My friend and I mouth to each other that I did not. So another ten minutes goes by- no ice chips no pain meds and no DR. I hit the call light again. A couple of minutes later yet another nurse comes in. She offers me pain meds. I tell her that if I am going home soon I can just wait for the RX, she says the DR should be in in a minute. So another 10 minutes goes by it is 330 at this point and no DR. the last nurse that had come in is back and she offers me pain meds. I say sure why not I am in pain and the Dr still hasn't come by she also hands me half a cup of ice chips. The charge nurse opens the door and asks what I need. I only know he was the charge nurse by looking at his badge. I tell him that I would like see my DR he says that the Dr is making rounds with the other patients and will be in shortly. He then says that the Dr has been in a code for a while (I was thinking for 3 hours, wow some code). The Charge nurse also informs me that "We are waiting for your Ultrasound in the morning" in a tone that would infer that I already new the answer. I tell him well at least now I know I will be here for a while. I tell my friend to go ahead and go home so sorry that she had to stay that long. So I am alone.... At least the pain meds are helping. Around 400 the nurse that gave me the last dose of pain meds comes in to ask if I want my nurse back. I tell her that I don't mind, but only if she wants to take me back. She tells me what a great nurse the other girl is. OK. So around 430 am a tech comes in and moves me to another room on the other side of the ER. OK, fine. I meet my next nurse, he says he will be my nurse for 45 minutes and then proceeds to actually examine me, including filling out my med history and assessments. I was thinking I have been in the ER since 915 and now they are doing this. At least he is kind and gives me a warm blanket and shows me the room has a TV. I try to doze for a while but the pain is still there. at 515 my new nurse comes in to introduce himself and offer pain meds I ask for half of a dose because the full dose makes my head hurt and the room spin. He agrees. I realize that I am wearing my own clothes but don't even care at this point. I again try to doze. At 60 I get up to pee. When I get back from the restroom the nurse and taken the linens off my bed. I was confused, maybe I did get to go home after all. HE tells me that I can change rooms to a more "comfortable gurney" OK. I then try to doze some more. The pain of course doesn't allow sleep. He comes back with another half dose just before change of shift. being that my new room is only a curtained room, I can hear everything that is going on at the nurses station. Change of shift comes and I hear my nurse give report to the next shift. So he tells the next nurse that I didn't get along with my previous nurse so they moved me over there. Whatever. So my new nurse comes in, introduces herself and talks to me about what the plan is for the day. Finally a nurse that will tell me what is going on. She does and assessment. I ask her when the Dr would be coming by and let her know the situation from the night. No Dr since 1025pm and it is now 7am. I also tell her how I changed my own IV fluids because I thought that it would speed things along. She laughed at that, she thought it was nice of me to help out. She was very surprised that I had not seen or heard from a Dr all night and the way I found out about the ultrasound. I felt a little bit vindicated. So the ultrasound would not be until 9 am. A Dr came in the room at 715 and did an exam and told me my lab results and what they were hoping to find on ultrasound. He offered my more pain meds and said he would be back. I was finally being treated!! It took 10 hours but OK. Ultrasound came and went, very painful and inconclusive. The Dr said that since I was pregnant even only a few weeks that the other tests to diagnose stones could not be done. He also said that treatment would remain the same. OK. I was discharged at 1215 with an RX for an anti emetic, I declined the pain meds because I had some Vicodin at home that I never took from 6 months ago. He was fine with that. I was finally on the way home. No food for 24 hours and only a half cup of ice chips since 6pm. I felt drained, tired and hungry. I have to say the pain is still there but not nearly as bad as it was when I went in to the ER. So that was by far the worst experience I have ever had in a hospital. The Dr told me right before discharge to come back if I wasn't feeling any better. I kind of laughed to myself, I would rather die at home thanks. Food and water never tasted so good.