My Tummy Hurts

So Wednesday morning my tummy was not super happy but come lunchtime I was hungry so I had a Turkey Sandwich with lettuce tomato and mayo…pretty benign I thought. But my tummy hurt. So I didn’t eat any more. I drank stuff and my tummy hurt. DAMN!! This happened once before, 5 years ago. I have diverticulitis. So the only way to get it taken care of is to get antibiotics…and the only way to get them is to go to the E.R. so they can give me a Cat Scan and come up with the same answer.

4:15pm – arrive at the E.R. at St. Joseph's in Tampa (St. Joes is a good hospital)
5:15pm – called to the nurse’s station to take my temperature and sent across the hall to pee and have blood taken
1:10am – called to the back to be seen.

YES!! I’m not kidding!! I waited 9 hours!! I would have left but they told me that since I had seen the nurse and they had taken the blood to do the lab work I would be charged. So if I came back in the morning when they were less busy I would have not only started over but I would have to pay the $200 co-pay TWICE!!

The girl taking my blood missed the first vain and had to try again. (Granted I was dehydrated)

The first nurse put the IV in my hand but to have a Cat Scan you have to have a bigger vain so they can put the contrast in under pressure and don’t blow your vain so they had to put another one in my arm.

The Second nurse who put the one in my arm took 10 min to be sure of where she was putting it. Poking the same HUGE vain in my arm with her finger so she could feel it and then wiping it again with the alcohol pad. Poke poke…wipe, poke poke wipe. I wish I was exaggerating. I’m not. Then she put the IV through the vain anyway and had to pull it part way out again to line up to go down the vein. There is an ugly bruise on that arm from all the holes.

Then the lab said my blood sugar was 36 and so they had to keep sticking my finger to be sure I wasn’t in insulin shock. HELLO!! I haven’t eaten in 40 hours and I’m not slurring my speech and now that you gave me contrast for the Cat Scan in Gatorade my blood sugar is fine…SHOCKING!!

In the end guess what…I have diverticulitis…

I KNOW…Hook up the IV Antibiotics so I can get them in me, give me the scripts and let me the heck outta here!!

I was allowed to go home at 8:30am. I spent less time in the bed of the E.R. than in the chairs in the waiting area.

Now my tummy doesn’t hurt. The antibiotics are working and I’ll have to take the oral ones for a week or so and other than I was kinda tired yesterday so I took it easy, everything is back to normal. Of course all of this means I haven’t run again since Tuesday and won’t for a few more days. (Fire guy threatened to duct tape me down if I didn’t rest properly) Loki is the best kitten on the planet. He always watches out for everyone. He has been on my lap or next to me in bed the entire time, and hasn’t lept on my tummy or attacked my feet once. If they would have let him he would have been the kitten used in the Cat Scan. As it was I think they must have had some strange cat do it. ;)

Next time I go to Tampa General.