I have been having right abdominal pain off and on for a few months. I had been ignoring it for awhile but it has gotten increasingly more painful. I noticed when I tried to exercise hard, it would be get bad. (Maybe I am allergic to exercising too hard).
Last week, it started getting worse so I finally saw my doctor. He did all the tests and it all came back normal. However, last Wednesday night, it got REALLY bad. I could hardly breath. I was at church but decided to go home to rest. By the time I got out to the parking lot, I knew I needed help. Because I am a dork...I call my friend who used to work in the emergency room.....just to make SURE an ER visit was necessary.
I gasp to my friend....do. you.....(argh!!! ouch)...think....gasp....I...should... go to the ER, I can't breath...."
My friend immediately responses...oh my word GO!
I get another friend who has been my friend/sister/every- thing- else- in- between out of choir practice. She rushes out and we get in my car to go. She asks me where I want to go and I tell her to go to the nearby community hospital..
Are you SURE? She asks
I snapped...YES (sorry J)
We go into an overcrowded ER and they initially turn us away because they are so busy. But I am having chest pains so I insist on going in.
I get check in and then I am told to wait. So we waited and waited and waited. The pain kept getting worse. You know how it goes, a lot of people use the ER like a clinic. And about 30 of those folks were ahead of me in line. The Cowboys were playing that night. Most of the crowd in the ER were cheering and laughing at the game. And I was in the corner writhing in pain. My sister/friend did the best that she could do. To tell you the truth, I was getting mad. Every time I heard a laugh or a cheer I got more and more angry. And the pain got more and more worse. (Hum...interesting)
These are the thoughts going in my head:
"Don't they know I REALLY am in pain..."
"I have good insurance for crying out loud"
"They should put me ahead of the line...I am having chest pain"
"I am going to have J take me back to the church and then I am going to call 911 so that I can get immediate help"
After sitting quite awhile, I turn to my sister/friend and say "well...maybe we should pray". And so we did. It dawned on me that praying had not been my first instinct. So many times in South Asia, I immediately prayed this prayer when trouble arose... "Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, have mercy on me....a sinner"
But you know what? This time, I trusted in the health system. I felt entitled to good health care. In South Asia, I assumed I might not get good treatment so it was in God that I trusted. But that night last week? It was in America that I trusted. It was in myself that I trusted. I was home for crying out loud. Home of the brave. Home of freedom and rights.
But as we know, the system breaks down. I got so frustrated with waiting, I asked J to take me out of that place. As she turned the wheelchair around, I passed by the the cheering/laughing- Cowboy- fellow- patient fans. I gave them the stink eye as we left. But I also saw the old man sitting alone in the corner. I saw the worried mom who had brought her baby in. I saw the young girl in obvious pain because she had injured her foot. My heart sank. Pain makes us selfish. "Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, have mercy on me....a sinner"
We finally went to a different ER in another town and I got immediate help. As the morphine was being pushed through my veins I felt both worse and better at the same time. I felt worse because I was losing control. I felt better because the pain stopped throbbing. As I drifted off to sleep I prayed, thanking the Lord that He has mercy on us.
Last week, it started getting worse so I finally saw my doctor. He did all the tests and it all came back normal. However, last Wednesday night, it got REALLY bad. I could hardly breath. I was at church but decided to go home to rest. By the time I got out to the parking lot, I knew I needed help. Because I am a dork...I call my friend who used to work in the emergency room.....just to make SURE an ER visit was necessary.
I gasp to my friend....do. you.....(argh!!! ouch)...think....gasp....I...should... go to the ER, I can't breath...."
My friend immediately responses...oh my word GO!
I get another friend who has been my friend/sister/every- thing- else- in- between out of choir practice. She rushes out and we get in my car to go. She asks me where I want to go and I tell her to go to the nearby community hospital..
Are you SURE? She asks
I snapped...YES (sorry J)
We go into an overcrowded ER and they initially turn us away because they are so busy. But I am having chest pains so I insist on going in.
I get check in and then I am told to wait. So we waited and waited and waited. The pain kept getting worse. You know how it goes, a lot of people use the ER like a clinic. And about 30 of those folks were ahead of me in line. The Cowboys were playing that night. Most of the crowd in the ER were cheering and laughing at the game. And I was in the corner writhing in pain. My sister/friend did the best that she could do. To tell you the truth, I was getting mad. Every time I heard a laugh or a cheer I got more and more angry. And the pain got more and more worse. (Hum...interesting)
These are the thoughts going in my head:
"Don't they know I REALLY am in pain..."
"I have good insurance for crying out loud"
"They should put me ahead of the line...I am having chest pain"
"I am going to have J take me back to the church and then I am going to call 911 so that I can get immediate help"
After sitting quite awhile, I turn to my sister/friend and say "well...maybe we should pray". And so we did. It dawned on me that praying had not been my first instinct. So many times in South Asia, I immediately prayed this prayer when trouble arose... "Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, have mercy on me....a sinner"
But you know what? This time, I trusted in the health system. I felt entitled to good health care. In South Asia, I assumed I might not get good treatment so it was in God that I trusted. But that night last week? It was in America that I trusted. It was in myself that I trusted. I was home for crying out loud. Home of the brave. Home of freedom and rights.
But as we know, the system breaks down. I got so frustrated with waiting, I asked J to take me out of that place. As she turned the wheelchair around, I passed by the the cheering/laughing- Cowboy- fellow- patient fans. I gave them the stink eye as we left. But I also saw the old man sitting alone in the corner. I saw the worried mom who had brought her baby in. I saw the young girl in obvious pain because she had injured her foot. My heart sank. Pain makes us selfish. "Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High God, have mercy on me....a sinner"
We finally went to a different ER in another town and I got immediate help. As the morphine was being pushed through my veins I felt both worse and better at the same time. I felt worse because I was losing control. I felt better because the pain stopped throbbing. As I drifted off to sleep I prayed, thanking the Lord that He has mercy on us.
4 comments:
Oh my word. Ok, we need to talk, stat!
Oh Cathy, i had a very similar experience (awful) at two ERs while pregnant. Thanks for stating it so poetically. I hope you'll share with us what is going on and if you're okay?
This was encouraging for me to read. Please let us know if you are ok.
Oh my goodness Cathy!! Are you okay?
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