debutaunt.com

In The Big House

I had a wonderful week last week. Road trip to the Austin fundraiser was fun, and I got to just hang for a few days. But I stopped the steroids on Monday, and it seemed like I had about zero appetite. I figured it was nixing the steroids.

So I get back on Friday, and I start feeling really bad. Like way way bad. I had a horrible pain in my esophogus like the worst heartburn ever. I have the chills, but no fever. Mom thinks I should go to the ER, but I was hoping to get to bed and sleep it off. I take a painkiller and all my meds, but they do nothing. Doesn't even touch it. I tried to sleep for about 20 minutes and then I tell mom I need to go in.

We stop at a stoplight and then I feel it. Like a drunk in the night, I roll down the window, hang my head out, and totally hork up my dinner and all the meds.

I get to the ER and I'm practically hyperventilating at this point. The pain is intense and had spread to my stomach and my back. At this point I'm thinking that I'm having graft vs host and that because I stopped the steroids, it returned. It was so similar to when I had GVH in the hospital with my transplant.

They make me wait for an hour. I'm crying (wimpering really) and mom is rubbing my back. They take me back into triage and I finally get checked into a room. I throw up again. After about two hours, they give me a major dose of steroids, some stomach medicine and some delaudin (sp?). I drink the pink stuff and when they told me the IV painkiller was delaudin, I told them that it makes me throw up. 30 seconds after putting the delaudin in my line, I throw up again. Er.... duh!

And you all know how much I hate to barf. Because I truly truly do.

I end up staying in the ER for 25 hours. Why? Not because of the symptoms that originally brought me there, but because my blood sugar is ranging in the 400s. I had hardly eaten anything, but they gave me this huge dose of steroids and weren't giving me the right amounts of insulin. You know, because they know me better than me and my own doctor and pharmacist. *rolls eyes here*

At one point, my blood sugar is up to 500. I have the worst headache ever. So the ER doc finally decides to admit me. It's after midnight at this point and I'm completely frustrated. They hook me up to a heart monitor and an IV bag of insulin. Overnight my blood sugar drops over 300 points.

So that's where I'm at. It's after 12pm and I haven't even met with my doctor yet. I want to go home. This is totally ridiculous. I looked over my health insurance claims the other day, and one four day stay billed my insurance $137,526. I don't even want to know what the transplant and encephilitis stays cost. I just hope I don't cap my insurance. Ok. I'm not going to think about that.

At least Patty's fundraiser was a big success. She raised $920 and is now only $1700 away from meeting her goal. I got to meet her and she is the coolest chick. I'm so proud that she's doing this. It really is pretty amazing.

I hope I can go home today. I have so much to do. Six more days until my birthday. And Zoe gets home on the 29th. Her dad phoned yesterday and said that she did a front flip into the pool. That child wasn't nicknamed stunt baby for nothing. No fear that child. I adore her and miss her so much. I can't wait to see her. Soon.

Infinity humangous.

I can do this. It's minor compared to what I've gone through already.

Your assignment today is to make that doctor's appointment you've been avoiding. Mammogram, prostate exams, OBGYN, dentist, whatever. You need to care about your health as much as you would your own family's. I hate going to the doctor, but if I don't take care of myself, I won't ever be able to take care of Zoe. I just want to get healthy. I want to be strong. So suck it up and make that phone call.

Posted by debutaunt at July 16, 2006 11:37 AM