Monday, August 27, 2007

Hospitals Do Make You Go CRAZY!!

So for about 5 years i have been working in hospitals and never had the chance to see what it was like to be a patient. You always hear about how horrible they are and they make you go crazy. This is ALL TRUE. Two weeks ago I was feeling sick. It was a sunday afternoon and Clinton and I were in Flagstaff, AZ. We were actually headed to UT for a wedding and our car broke down in Flag so we ended up staying there for the entire weekend with his Aunt and Uncle. They are AWESOME!! So it was sunday night and i was saying to Clinton my throat is feeling funny and Im having aches. I just blew it off and went to bed. Come Monday morning i woke up and i knew something was wrong. (.... going back to April/May of this year> I got REALLY sick with a crazy throat problem which took 5 weeks to find out what it was. After 5 Dr's and ER visits i finally went to an ENT Dr. and she told me i had a abcess in my throat behind my tonsills. So she poked it with a needle and drained it. IT HURT but felt sooooooooo much better. So after that i was on the road to recovery. Not to mention i was EXTREEMLY ill. I coulndt swallow b/c my tonsills where the size of golf balls and the amount of infection in my body was killing me but i was treated with anti-biotics and all that good stuff to fix me. It was about 8 weeks later that my throat was better i was back to normal..... BACK TO PRESENT TIME> so Monday morning i wake up feeling achy and sick. My throat is really sore and i take a look sure enough it was red/swollen and forming white pockets kind of like strep. (which i have NEVER had). So the day went on and i began to get worse. We got our car back and headed back to Mesa. on the way home I started running a fever and not doing well at all. Clinton looked in my throat and now my tonsils were huge and white. It was late so we decided to go to the ER b/c i new exactly what this was... THE ABSCESS and it was back. I didn't want to go through 6 weeks of torture again so i thought i would catch this early. Well in the ER the Dr. didn't think i had an abscess and felt i was okay and to follow up with my Dr. So I was sent home. I woke up at 2am Tuesday morning in so pain and b/c i couldn't swallow my spit and i was drooling like a teething baby.... it was horrible. I went into the bathroom and looked inside my mouth and saw what looked like 2 white golf balls! No they were just my tonsils. So I mustard down some Ibuprofen and got back in bed to only lay there until 6a.m. I then called my mom and attempted to tell her i was dying. By this time i couldn't talk b/c my tonsils were GINORMOUS.....Miraculously i got into see my ENT Dr. and at her office i was on the verge of Dying so she decided to admit me to the Hospital b/c i was so dehydrated and my tonsils where so HUGE i was having trouble breathing. So I was put in the hospital Tuesday morning and released on Wednesday night. I thought i was doing better and feeling good. Thursday came and it was horrible i some how managed to sleep the entire day but when Friday morning came that was not good....I woke up at 1am. b/c i couldn't breath again and i had so much pressure on my ear that i was passing out. So my sister-in-law Shelly (heaven sent!!) ,told me i was on the verge of death after all of this of course, took me back to the ER and this is where the fun began. I spent 12 hours in the ER. Is that even possible?? I think i may have set the longest ER record! While i was there they started an IV, ran blood tests, and did a CT scan and this is when we found the ABBY, i have just named my abscess b/c it has been with me and part of me for so long i thought she deserves a proper name. What they found was an abscess in my throat that was 2.5x2.5x4.5cm. which is HUGE considering the space it was in. So that meant you are going back into the hospital. But i had to be transferred to another hospital where there was an ENT on staff. So this is why i spent 12 hours in the ER. I did get to ride in an ambulance which was kind of fun. They are not really exciting but its a cool story to say i have ridden in one. So from Friday- Sunday i was back in the hospital and i wanted to die. These places really makes a person go crazy. I felt like I was in jail attached to a pole. Every time i had to go to the bathroom i had to drag around that darn IV pole and the beds are worse than sleeping on the ground. I just have to say that I was SO incredibly happy to be going home no matter how miserable i felt. I just wanted to take a shower and clean up and i couldn't even do that. I would find myself crying over nothing..... i was just so mentally/physically/emotionally exhausted no one or nothing could make me feel good. No matter how many doses of medicine i was given nothing helped i just wanted to be OUT. So Sunday afternoon i was sent home. That week was the longest week of my life. I was off work so i was just home trying to get well and it was almost as bad as being in the hospital. But now i am feeling wonderful and i have one more day of this b/c Thursday i go in for surgery. They are going in to take out those NASTY tonsils and ABBY! GONE they will be. The best or i mean worst part of this is having a tonsillectomy at my age is probably the WORST thing you can do. Those of you who have had you tonsils out you may know what i am about to go through. But i see it as I was pretty darn sick for a week and i don't know what could be worse so this may be a snap compared!! Well I am hoping at least. So this is why I haven't updated my blog in a while. After my surgery i will try and post how things are. My mom will be staying with me so maybe i can talk her into writing a little post. Well I'm off for now until post surgery. Wish me luck.

6 comments:

jayne said...

Erin! I'm so sorry! I hope getting out your tonsils cures everything for you so you don't have to go to the hospital anymore (as a patient) and ABBY goes away FOREVER! Good luck with your surgery.

Tiffany Fackrell said...

Holy Cow Girl, that is crazy! I agree with you, I hate hospitals. After being there for a week when i had Cambree, I don't ever want to go back!! Plus it wasn't a pleasant experience! I hope all goes well with your surgery. You will be in my prayers. Let us know how you are doing!!

ashleyboice said...

Wow that is a crazy story. Good luck! You are right I think it will be better than what you went through already.

Samantha said...

Oh erin. better now than in october i guess. I'll be thinking of you. hope all goes well!

Scott & Tami said...

Dang Gina!! You have been through so much. Good thing your mom is there...there's nothing like having mom when you are feeling poopy!! Good luck with the recovery.

Krystin said...

you poor thing! good thing your man is there to support you and take care of you too! :) goodluck with everything...