Gotta love a man and his ulcers, also that megaphone IS more size accurate to irl than before thanks for noticing :] yes, that IS accurate, those things are hudge
Dr. Barry J. Marshall was convinced that H. pylori bacteria causes stomach ulcers, but no one believed him. Since it was illegal to test his theory on humans, he drank the bacteria himself, developed ulcers within days, treated them with antibiotics and went on to win a Nobel Prize.
At 4AM on Wednesday morning I woke up with a terrible stomach ache. I assumed it was just the usual hunger, so I went and drank some water, and that made it worse.
By 5AM I was randomly convulsing in agony, and I had the thought that perhaps I might actually die. I looked at myself in the mirror and I was ashen and waxy.
So I woke my husband up, and tried to say, "I need to go to the emergency room" but a wave of pain hit me right about then and it came out more like, "I neeATHGNG<GNGG emergency ROOM!"
He went from 5AM sleepy to panic awake in about 0.5 seconds, and barely had enough time to grab my wallet and his wallet and threw me in the car and drove like a madman to our preferred hospital (i.e. the one that will fight my insurance the least.)
I managed to hobble in, doubled over, and the admitting people took one look at me and gently led me to a desk. Sitting hurt. Standing hurt. Laying down had hurt. Everything hurt. They got me pulled in as a Level 2 (true emergency) and whisked me to the back to run a bunch of tests.
Thankfully, it was an almost empty waiting room - but I know that Level 2 is "yeah someone is actively dying right now" so I am sure I made the correct decisions to go to the ER.
I thought I might be having a gall bladder attack, but several hours, 2 shots of morphine, an EKG, an ultrasound, and an X-ray later, and there wasn't anything obviously out of the ordinary.
By the time they concluded I wasn't having a heart attack, they packed me up and sent me on my way.
I was still super nauseous when I got home and although I tried to drink some Gatorade and diet ginger ale, I ended up throwing it back up. Weirdly enough, once I had thrown up, I felt better???? Like.... everything gradually returned to normal?
While I was in the hospital bed, I tried to think of any other possibilities besides gall bladder - and then I remembered I'd eaten mushrooms yesterday, but my husband hadn't eaten them.
I told him to throw the leftovers away. Perhaps it had been food poisoning. I still don't know. The ER team thinks it might be an ulcer. I have to follow up with my PCP some time next week.
They discharged me after 5 hours, with some medications in case I needed them.
I'm alive, though. I'll be staring down the barrel of a large copay for a hospital bill, but I can cover that from my personal emergency fund.
All this to say that we shouldn't take our lives for granted. I think I nearly died yesterday. At one point I stopped breathing on the bed. My SPO2 kept dropping below 85% and setting off the alarms. They concluded it definitely wasn't a heart attack, and probably wasn't a gall bladder attack, but it was something and that is really scary.
Whatever kind of attack that was, I hope it never comes back.
Here is a (VERY) old WIP finally done!! It turned out kinda long and wasn't sure about the title lol but I hope ya'll enjoy it! Have a great weekend!!
Ulcer
Sickie: Hoseok
Caretakers: OT7
TW: emeto
Hoseok considers himself pretty resilient. He can endure a lot and pushes his body for hours doing choreo. Even if he gets sick or hurt, he bounces back fast and gets through the most grueling of schedules. But he's been having stomach problems for awhile now. A weird random pain that comes and goes. He also may have thrown up a few times; no big deal. Hoseok tries to keep that to himself.
Sometimes his stomach wakes him up at night. One minute he's alseep, next he's up cringing and silently cursing; then he's off to the bathroom. Hoseok pukes in the toilet, trying not to make retching sounds. "Ughh" he moans quietly. It's especially bad at night. He muffles another gag spurting out. Hoseok looks at the door, paranoid of waking someone. Luckily he's able to finish and sneak back to bed. But he doesn't feel any better.
****
Hoseok also has trouble at mealtimes. Sometimes food breifly helps, or it can just straight up hurt to eat. Hoseok is taking his time with this jajangmyeon. "Is something wrong, Hobi?" Seokjin asks.
"Oh, I'm okay hyung" Hoseok shoves more noodles in his mouth. It tastes good, but he swallows uneasily. His appetite fades and he already feels full. Hoseok looks down frowning. He worries he'll get sick again and can't finish it. Seokjin shakes his head.
An hour later:
Hoseok goes on with this gnawing pain inside. He believes it's indigestion. "Yeah, that's all it is.." His stomach churns and releases gastric juices, coating everything. But then it starts to burn and make him nauseous.
Where is this coming from???
Hoseok has no idea. He hates using the work bathroom to be sick but has no choice. He burps into his hand and tastes bitter reflux; the burning intensifies. "Ughh, fuck.." His stomach roils and he belches losing his dinner. It feels gross coming up half digested, not to mention the smell. Hoseok sighs dreadfully holding his middle. He bends further and throws up more mangled noodles. This is awful.
Maybe he should see a doctor.. But Hoseok shakes that thought. He's too busy and that would attract worry from the others. Hoseok just chalked it up to stress, sometimes it affects his stomach and digestion.
****
"One, two, three.. ahh!"
Hoseok's trying to dance but stops in his tracks. His stomach is flaring up again, causing a great discomfort. He gets anxious and holds his breath, keeping a poker face. He stays like that until it's over. The members watch confused and he feels their stares.
"...Just a cramp, that's all" Hoseok says through clenched teeth. He slowly exhales and reaches for the antacids in his pocket. He's been taking those with him for awhile now. They bring some relief and he's able to move again.
"Hyung, what was that? Are you okay??" Jungkook asks.
"I don't know, I've just been having these.. 'stomachaches' for awhile now."
Jungkook raised his eyebrows "how long have you had this?"
"Just a few days" Hoseok doesn't feel like talking about it.
"How bad is it? Are you gonna throw up?"
"It's not that bad Kook, I'll be fine" Hoseok says tentatively. "Okay, let's start again. Sorry about that"
After that convo, the guys keep an eye on him. Hoseok felt the vibes but kept his composure. Even though his stomach forced him to take more breaks. He didn't want to push it and ended practice early.
"Ok, that really isn't like Hobi" Namjoon said afterward. "Is he getting sick?"
"Not sure, but he barely ate at breakfast" Yoongi notes. "He should get that checked out." But they all know that's easier said than done with Hoseok.
Hoseok overhears them talking about him. But he just pretends that didn't happen. Afterall, this will get better on its own...
****
Hoseok doesn't know what to do. It's been 3 days and he's gotten worse. He always has to drop what he's doing to throw up somewhere. He's taking more and more antacids, but they're not as effective. And now his members are onto him.
Hoseok's locked away in his studio, trying to be productive. He was writing something down when his stomach grumbled "Ugh, ow!" Hoseok flinches dropping his pencil. He assumed it was from hunger as he didn't have lunch. Hoseok tries to get up but that hurt even more. "Ahh shit!" He falls back seething in pain.
Hoseok groans miserably closing his eyes. He sinks down with hands resting on his tummy. He rubs it to soothe the pain, but that doesn't work. Instead he grabbed the trash bin, hurling into it. His stomach contracts and a thick wave splashes out. Hoseok coughs wetly, his eyes tearing up. He lurches forward with hair in his face.
That gnawing pain drills into his stomach and he lets out a yelp, followed by a more productive heave. Hoseok can't stand this. He upchucks again and feels so gross. His mouth tastes like bile and he's left panting.
Hoseok looks at the dirty bin and the unfinished work scattered on the table. He sighs heavily. He's tired of his stomach running his schedule. As much as he wants to go home, Hoseok forced himself to stay and ignores the slow burning that lingers.
****
6PM:
Hoseok was in his studio all afternoon. He's been putting off seeing the others and nervous about dinner. Hoseok wants to eat but isn't sure he can trust his stomach. He's hungry and feels slightly faint from not eating for hours.
His stomach growls acutely "ughh" Hoseok groans. He knows it's not helpful leaving it empty. He hopes dinner will be something easy.
"Hyung, is your tummy still bothering you?" Jungkook asks.
Hoseok is put on the spot. "Oh, I'm..still a bit sick yeah"
"Hm, have you seen a doctor?"
Hoseok knew someone would ask that. "I mean, it's getting better I think.." *His stomach growls louder* He half winces, holding it.
"Awh, you're probably just hungry. You'll feel better with some food" Jungkook reassures. Hoseok wants to believe that. He takes the last of his antacids and hopes for the best.
At the dinner table they're having bulgogi, Hobi's favorite dish. It smells good but can he keep it down? Hoseok eats slow and cautious with a hand over his middle. But still tries listening to the convo going around.
"What do you guys think? Did I use enough spices?" Seokjin asked. Everyone nods and agrees that it's delicious.
"Hobi hyung, I haven't seen you all day. How are you feeling?" Jimin brings up.
"...I'm fine" Hoseok mumbles "just been busy." He keeps it vague but feels like they're lowkey pressing him. They all noticed the change in his behavior.
Hoseok's trying to hide the torment he's going through. He's barely half done and wants to give up. But knows Jin took forever getting the meat just right. He tries smaller pieces and takes his time chewing it. His stomach gurgles in complaint when receiving the new food. Hoseok pauses, a microexpression of pain flickered across his face.
"Hyung, are you ok?" Taehyung worries
Hoseok holds back a whine, pressing his lips together. He sqirms in his chair tensely. The spicy meat sitting in his stomach incurs painful nausea.
"Hoba, what's wrong? Aren't you hungry?" Yoongi asks
Hoseok sets down his chopsticks and pushes his bowl. "I can't eat any more"
"Do you have a stomachache? Cramps?"
"Urghh, no, it.. burns" Hoseok grunts.
Yoongi's eyes widen at that."Burns??"
Hoseok pushes his chair back and leans forward, arms crossed over his abdomen. His breathing slowed down and strained. A jolt of searing pain extends through his system. He wails out, unable to hide it.
The members watch Hoseok get up and run to the sink. He hunches over and then projectile vomits, making them all gasp. His dinner pouring out, one horrid retch after another. Hoseok moans in anguish as his stomach twists and the acidity worsens. "Ughh, fuck!.." His arms tremble as he tries to stay balanced.
The others rush over to help. "Oh gosh, hyung, you're really sick!" Jungkook frets.
Hoseok coughs and his stomach contracts forcefully, shooting out more. He recoils and gasps for breath, his whole body shaking.
"Hyung, do you need to go to the hospital??"
Hoseok shakes his head but gives one more scratchy retch. Then starts to feel dizzy and sinks to the floor. He curls up in a ball, clutching his stomach desperately. "Owwww!!" He shrieks with teary eyes. The pain is unbearable and his insides feel like they're on fire. Hoseok gets ringing in his ears and his head spinning. Before he knows it, he passes out.
****
Hoseok doesn't know how, but he finds himself at the hospital. He slowly shifts in bed, putting a hand on his stomach. It still hurts a little and he moans tiredly. Now he wishes he saw a doctor.
"Hey there" Seokjin murmurs "how you feeling?" Hoseok's face says it all. The older rubs his arm gently. "You gave us quite a scare yesterday" The members all nod. "We're just glad you're ok"
When the doctor came, he explained that Hobi has an ulcer from H pylori infection, but he's going to be just fine.
His doctor prescribes him antibiotics and medication to reduce his stomach acid while he heals. And of course, get plenty of rest. His members stay close by, and that makes it that much better.
