I'm alive.
Saturday:
My fever continued. So did the pain. I woke up around seven after dad left for a run. He wasn't home until noon. The aggravating pain on my left side had me walking like The Hunchback. I always held my side as I walked. It was as if I didn't, something would burst.
Being home alone somewhat unnerved me. I called Grandma J. She babysat me until dad came home from his run.
Grandma J believed what I had was a stomach-type virus. I also told her about lifting my filled dresser drawers up and down the stairs. She figured that was the cause of my left side back pain.
Once dad was home, grandma departed. I thanked her for watching over me. Dad cared for me when he could. But most of the day, he spent it inside of the garage or washing the cars. Can't blame a man for doing stereotypical-manly things. Yet I really, really wanted him near me at all times. It calmed me. Just having someone to talk to or sit by almost healed the mental pain.
Throughout the night my physical pain AND mental pain were synced in catastrophic measures. I had to sleep downstairs because of the heat. The heat sent my fever skyrocketing. From 99 to 101, I was either sweating or shivering. The shivering came from forcing myself not to sleep with a blanket. I wanted to cool myself off. I tried my best. I kept myself awake to make sure my temperature wouldn't go above 104.
About midnight, mom landed at the airport. Dad picked her up. When she saw how much pain I was in, the following hours determined my visit to the ER.
Sunday:
I woke up every hour in the AM. I either had to piss or toss and turn or moan due to the pain. Sometimes, I would wake my mom up (who slept downstairs with me) to tell her that I was in a lot of pain. I would wake her up a couple hours later and tell her I couldn't sleep. I had crazy crying fits from Friday until today. The pain and suffering I endured made me feel like a toddler. I was weakened. And yet, I still wasn't sure what was causing my pain.
My dad didn't want to take me to the hospital unless I said so. He said I had a torn back muscle from lifting my dresser drawers. He claimed the doctors couldn't cure a torn muscle. I trusted him. But I also wondered if it were something else.
Rewinding the clock, on Sunday morning (Saturday's midnight), while my mom settled and talked to me about what was happening, she questioned, "What if it's a kidney infection?"
I never thought of that possibility. She researched the symptoms and every symptom linked up to mine. She decided we visit my doctor when the sun rose.
Around eight, I awoken. I couldn't sleep any longer. I wanted to see if mom was correct. She called my doctor to discuss my symptoms and possible kidney infection, but she had to leave a message. Another doctor called back to talk about what our next step was. He suggested we visit urgent care. After mom wrote down the address, I got dressed and we left.
The nurses at urgent care were pleasant. Some had humor and everyone was kind. They checked my weight, asked about my symptoms, had me do a pee test, checked my blood pressure, checked my temperature, checked my heartbeat, checked which side hurt the most, and even checked my private area... Inside.
My pee results stated that I was dreadfully dehydrated. Well, I knew one thing. She said I could go home and take antibiotics while drinking massive amounts of water, yet she strongly recommended the ER.
We took the nurses recommendation. I was driven to end my suffering.
The ER was close, thankfully. We registered and were appointed to a room. The male nurse who escorted us into our room asked about my symptoms. He asked to scale my pain on a range of one being no pain and ten being unbearable pain. I told him my pain was a ten.
A female nurse named Ester assisted me. She placed the IV in me as well as checked up on me. One moment, I was fine. I was rehydrating with the liter of liquid. I could feel the water wash through my veins. The next minute, I was crying in agony and worry. Ester had to push antibiotics into my IV line to clean my blood. It felt like an ice-pick being shoved down my vein. I asked Ester if my vein would burst. She said it wouldn't, yet it felt like it could. I had to squeeze my mom's hand to release some tension. I stared at her with frightened eyes. I knew if mom wasn't around, I probably would have fainted. After Ester finished pumping antibiotics into my arm, my vein started to flair. She had to remove the IV and enter another one on my right side. I still have the bruise on my left arm's vein.
The entire eight hours in the ER was exhausting. I had an ultrasound test to determine whether or not my kidney was infected.
The results came back as positive.
Mom was right.
Ester typed up the report on the computer to inform my main doctor. She prescribed antibiotics, too.
The second liter of liquid had me feeling swell. I felt more alive and a bit more energized. Although I had to use the bathroom every twenty minutes, I could sense my health growing strong. The only problem was my appetite; it was growing strong also.
Since Friday, I hadn't eaten more than a few bites of bread, noodles, and crackers.
I was starving.
It was nice to have my appetite back considering I needed it back very soon, but the doctors weren't offering any food. I would constantly say that I was hungry. They would reply, "We don't have great food here," or, the best response, "Okay."
A female doctor, who checked up on me often, suggested to emit me overnight. At first, I thought it would be a smart idea. However, when she left the room, mom turned to me and said, "Do you really want to stay at a hospital overnight? They would wake you up every five minutes to check on you. I'm worried they wouldn't feed you..."
I agreed with mom.
I talked to the doctor about switching from staying at the ER to going home. The doctor couldn't force me to stay, but I could see it in her eyes.
She allowed me to go home. Yet she was anxious over my blood tests.
I had to take three of them, by the way...
She was worried about my Fallopian tubes, too. She suggested I have another ultrasound on my uterus.
I was wheeled to the same room as my last ultrasound.
The worst part of the ultra sound was when the woman working the machine shoved a probe up my private area... That felt more violating than when the nurse at urgent care shoved her finger up my private area.
The test results came back negative. Nothing was wrong with my uterus.
As an assistant male nurse wheeled me back to my room, there was a new bed placed in it. Confused, the male nurse asked another male nurse where my new room was located. The other nurse told the assistant nurse a new room number.
I was put in a less comforting and less private space. A space titled Exam. God knows why it's called Exam. I tried not to think about it.
Supposedly, I was moved because the doctor had said to emit me. If I agreed to be emitted, the room I was put in wasn't relieving. Nonetheless, the doctor did assure us I was going to be released. But the doctor asked one last time, "Are you sure you don't want to stay? I recommend it. Your white blood cell count is very high." I answered, "I would really like to go home."
Thirty minutes after being placed in a new space, a new nurse assisted me. She removed my IV and wondered if I would like some juice. I said, "Yes, please!"
After a second pee test, I drank the sweet nectar of apples. I left the ER feeling 70% better.
And as a treat, mom bought me an order of clams and fries at Spuds.
At 8:00 PM, I started taking my antibiotic pills. Let me tell you, they taste AWFUL. Don't leave them in your mouth more than a second or it'll begin dissolving. Yuck.
Monday and Today:
Monday was the worst recovery day. I was weak, I had a stiff neck all night long, I woke up every hour to pee, and every time I stood I hobbled and developed a raging headache.
During the daylight hours, I was still weak. I cried and pouted from being seriously tired. However, I was happy because the pain on my left side started to slowly disappear. I was happy for my appetite, too. I ate here and there. I finished almost everything on my plate. The only thing that bothered me was resting and drinking water. Resting was difficult because it was super hot. It didn't help my fever or my mood to sleep. For water... well... I don't drink enough of it to say it's my friend.
Today was a lot better day. I ate more and finished what was handed to me. My energy increased and my pain decreased. The suffering is ceasing. I'm becoming whole again.
