I went home from work yesterday at noon, after deciding there was no way I could make it to the end of the day. I slept or dozed for most of the afternoon. When Matt came home, he found the thermometer for me and I took my temperature: 102.4. I haven't had a fever that high in ten years, since the time I went to work at the movie theater with the flu.
Matt called my doctor's office and asked the answering service to page the doctor on call. About half an hour later, she called back, and I described my symptoms. She told me to try taking the maximum safe dosage of Advil - four. She said if things didn't improve, I should call back this morning and come in to see her; and if things got worse, I should go to the emergency room.
I took the four Advil around 7. At 8, I took my temperature again, and it had gone up - to 102.8. Matt drove me to the hospital.
The hospital, despite being not very busy, was slow. But after I'd been triaged, they put me in an isolated room. Until, they said, they'd ruled out meningitis as a possible cause. If I hadn't been in so much pain, I'd have been scared witless. The doctor came in after a while and made me feel better, saying that he thought it was just a sinus infection, but they had to be sure. He told me someone would be in shortly to take some blood for tests and to x-ray my head.
...Okay, I think I've just discovered which drug I'm allergic to. Yuck. I hate throwing up.
At any rate, it was almost an hour later that a very nice nurse (that I thought looked a little like Jodie Foster) came in to give me some Tylenol 3 and put a hole in my arm. She started checking the veins in my hand, and I told her my story about getting the IV in my hand when I had my wisdom teeth out. She promised not to put a needle in me unless she was sure it would work, and to look higher on my arm first. Astonishingly, she found the vein in my elbow and nailed it on the first try. I was profusely grateful.
She collected enough blood to feed a small colony of vampires, then brought Matt in to sit with me. Another half-hour later, another nurse came in and wheeled my bed down to radiology for the xrays. That was slightly painful, since the radiologist had me turning my head into weird positions.
Then they wheeled me back into my room. I closed my eyes and tried to doze while Matt read the book he'd brought. A while later, the doctor came in and told me for sure I had a sinus infection behind my left eye, and we were just waiting for the bloodwork to be done before they released me. He promised it wouldn't be more than fifteen minutes.
An hour later, he came in to apologize and explain that he hadn't known one of the tests took an hour to complete. He had another nurse come in and give me another Tylenol 3 and a horse-pill of an antibiotic, and take my temperature again. My temp was down to 100.2, which was welcome news.
About ten minutes later, the nurse came back with two prescriptions - one for the antibiotic, and one for Vicodin, for the pain. She also brought me enough Vicodin to get me through the night, and a form for me to sign so I could leave. By this time, it was almost 12:15.
Matt drove me home again, though the ride made me slightly nauseous. I trundled upstairs to check my e-mail before going to bed (I'm such a junkie) and just as I was finished with that, I threw up. Luckily, I was able to get to the bathroom before spraying anything. I got up twice more during the night with the dry heaves, which is almost worse.
Not being sure what caused it, I didn't take any more drugs until morning, when I could get Matt to go downstairs and bring me something to eat with the Vicodin. The Vicodin isn't actually helping with the pain much, but it helps me sleep and isn't making me sick. About noon or so, Matt brought me my drugs from the pharmacy, and I took the antibiotic. Around 1:15, I got up to see if that would help things any, and twenty minutes later, writing this entry, I threw up again. This time was much worse, so Matt called the doctor's office again, and I explained everything to the doctor, and she promised to call in a new antibiotic for me. I guess I'll have to send Matt out yet again.
Matt, by the way, has been lovely and wonderful and sympathetic. Just to give credit where credit is due. (I love you, sweetie.)
By the way, let not my suffering dampen Jeff's birthday! Send him an e-card or something, at least! Happy birthday, Jeff!
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