IV plugs can make falling asleep, and staying asleep, very challenging. As do roommates with chronic farts.
My roommate is a dick. I havent spoken a single word to the guy, but he’s a terrible person. He’s so rude to the nurses and it kills me.
Needless to say, it took some effort to actually fall asleep last night. Then the regulars come in. Bright and early. Like a drill sergeant. Ready with more blood tests, thermometers, and blood pressure cuffs. This is about 5AM. Also around the time my roommate wakes up and turns on his TV.
From then until around 8ish, I’m on-again, off-again napping, in between more poking and prodding from nurses.
Throughout the day, the doctors and nurses are sending me status reports. With each blood test, my heart enzyme levels get lower. Which is good. Whatever upset my heart is disappearing.
I have high hopes that I’m getting out today. I’m beginning to boil in this place a bit. Crawling out of my skin and really wanting to get back home.
The MRI test results came back with nothing out of the ordinary. My heart is fine. But they want to be SURE everything is fine.
So they order me a CT scan around 7. To look closer at some specific valves, make sure there’s no plaque or clots, to ensure I’m not actually going to have a heart attack. This means no eating until that’s finished.
After waiting several hours to get taken down to the room to get the scan done, I finally get taken, only to get told that the scanner I was taken to is older and would not be able to get a clear photo of what the doctor wanted.
So I was ordered to be taken to the ‘New Wing’ that wouldn’t be ready for another three hours. Still can’t eat.
More blood tests. More rounds.
More doctor visits and updates. We’re moving past the heart now, we’re pretty sure my heart is fine. Now we are focusing on the virus.
But just to be safe, let’s order me up a sonogram for my heart to make sure it’s REALLY ACTUALLY GOING TO BE OKAY.
But to start poking at the virus, they’re sending me an Infectious Disease doctor to ask some questions and run some tests.
With each doctor visit, I feel the end of this adventure getting further from my grasp and the frustration is becoming overwhelming.
It’s around the time to be taken to the CT scan, I see a bed pull up to my room, but they’re taking me to my sonogram.
Sonogram is done. My torso is covered in lube, adhesive, bald spots and sores from having to rip off the sensors constantly.
I’m tired. I stink. I haven’t showered in days. And I’m starving.
The day begins to look up. Instead of being taken back to my room, i go straight to the CT scan.
I get that done and taken care of.
5pm rolls around, I eat my first meal of the day, and Infectious Disease comes in to talk to me. We come to the conclusion that it must have just been a virus that didn’t quite agree with my heart. But I for sure, for certain, did NOT have strep.
She said she saw the results of both the sonogram and the CT, she said they look fine.
But I’m not going home until tomorrow.
I get that this is probably the most efficient way to do things in hospitals like this. I know that all they want is to be sure I’m safe in the most thorough way possible.
But please stop poking and prodding at me and experimenting on me /I just want to go home and shower/. Can we not set up an appointment to do this sometime? Is it absolutely necessary that I stay plugged in here for all of this?
I digress. I’m looking forward to home, a long lush bath, a glass of wine, and my pup. WITH ANY LUCK I will be returning home tomorrow morning. Though that’s what they said yesterday about this morning.
I’m not counting my chickens.
HA UPDATE: They just ordered me a batch of more specific blood tests, and a nasal swab. TO TEST FOR STREP.
I am noping so hard out of this place, I’m all out of patience. I’m out.
Update update: The reason for the constant tests and procedures are all about these elevated heart enzymes, called Troponin. They find those to be very odd someone my age had such elevated levels. The nasal swab, it was clarified, was to eliminate 7-8 other viruses that could have caused this rise
My dad insisted that I not refuse the test. As much as I want to, I’m at the best place in the country for shit like this, and I’d rather be safe than sorry later. Though I am still miserable. Because I know if any one of those tests come back positive, I know I’m going to be getting a million more tests, and home just seems that much more far away.
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