This was originally posted to my blog, Diabetes Odyssey.
For those of you who are new to my blog, I have been going through some painful symptoms lately. For well over a month now I’ve been getting dizzy spells. About two or so weeks ago I strted getting terrible headaches. And about a week and a half ago I started having a painful, and eventually swollen, lymph node on my neck.
I saw my primary on Tuesday. Did labs, and started antibiotics. The labs came back with some abnormal results, but nothing to explain the pain and the lymph node issues.
Well, I woke up yesterday morning with dizzy spells right off the bat. Not too long later the headache started and just got worse and worse. I kept throwing the idea of going to the ER around, but I hate doing that when I don’t think I’m having an emergency.
It was Friday, though, and there was the point that I would have to wait until Monday to see my primary. What if the symptoms continued or got worse? I was already in near unbearable pain.
Then I started getting chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath… was this anxiety from the pain? Or was I really having heart problems (I do have heart disease)?
My hubby got home from work at 6ish and he made the decision for me.
“Let’s go.”
We got to the ER and signed in. It took an hour for them to call me for triage. By then I was crying from the pain and people who know me know that if I’m crying in pain then it’s really bad pain. I have a high tolerance for pain.
We told the triage nurse all about my symptoms including the chest pain.
You would think the chest pain would put me at the top of the list, right? Well, nearly three hours later everyone was getting called in before me. Some people who obviously had more minor issues than chest pain.
My hubby went up to the window to inquire why I had not been called yet. The receptionist looked me up and said:
“A headache is not considered urgent.”
“Headache?!” Hubby said. He asked her why my chest pain was not listed. The receptionist was flabbergasted and promised to fix the issue.
It was probably fifteen minutes later that I got called in.
They put me on IV, gave me a migraine cocktail which made my chest hurt worse, did an EKG, CT Scan, blood work, blood cultures.
Part of the blood work was a BG test. It came out at 222.
“OK, no problem, I’ll correct it right now.” I told the nurse as I pulled out my insulin pump.
I was relieved that she put up no resistance. Sometimes hospitals like to try to take control of EVERYTHING. They left my diabetes to me.
Whew.
EKG was normal, CT Scan didn’t show anything worrisome, blood-work didn’t indicate an infection. ER doctor sent me home with Hydrocodone for the headaches and basically said they don’t know why my lymph node is angry and I’ll just have to wait it out.
All in all I was in ER for like ten hours.
