Diagnosis: Biliary colic. In other words, pain from gallstones. It was the worst yet, I was hoping they’d yank the sucker while I was in there, but no such luck. They referred me to their surgical clinic to set up the surgery.
And of course, I got no sleep, what with the beeping machines. I hate hospitals almost as much as I hate most doctors. Oh, they did give me a prescription for pain medication. When I’d asked the local doctor, he said the pain “couldn’t be treated at home.” Asshole. I suppose I’m just another oxycontin-seeking neighborhood junkie to him.
Best health care in the world. Best health care in the world.
I’m so sorry. I know how you feel. Nausea so intense you can’t sit up let alone stand up. Pain like you’ve been skewered front to back under your ribs. Unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. And it doesn’t let up for hours.
I can see where your Dr. is coming from. If I’d self-medicated at home by myself, I’d have OD’d just to get relief.
Hold on. Once the sucker’s yanked, it all ends.
I’m so sorry to hear about this latest adventure with the Health Industry Complex, and I hope you feel better, Suze. I agree with Ron, though: go ahead and take the freakin’ perks, just don’t OD on ’em.
Oh, Susie, I’m so sorry to hear you’re going through this again.
I’ve been having some pretty serious sciatica pain lately — the kind where any movement while sleeping wakes me bez any movement kicks off more intense pain (the underlying pain just sorta stays there). One night when I couldn’t find any position which didn’t hurt, I kept weighing what to do: Try to drive myself to the ER; wait it out until morning when I could call my GP; or, take the pain med more often than prescribed. I finally went with take the pain med more frequently, but I substituted some of the oxycontin I had left over from my burn pain. I’d been saving it for some situation where I had terrible pain and couldn’t get to a doctor for it. This seemed like one of those times.
I cut the oxy into quarters. One quarter did next to nothing, so after screaming as I turned over –and sometimes I swear it took me at least 5 minutes to get up the courage to face that level of pain –and scaring the cat– I took another quarter. That tamped things down and allowed me to sleep.
The next day I called the AARP Nurse Hotline (available through my Medigap plan) and discussed my options. The nurse gave me some helpful advice. Then I called my GP and asked for actual pain medication — for some stupid reason, I’d turned it down when I was in his office! Of course, that I was there meant I wasn’t in the really hard pain that made moving so awful.
After three days of augmenting the Vicodin generic with one half of the oxycontin, I had a breakthrough yesterday where I was finally ahead of the pain curve. So I overdid things and now I’m paying for it today.
But I have only myself to blame; I could have continued to take it easy, but I didn’t.
You are at the mercy of whatever your body is going to do.
I was so glad to read your insurance was going to kick in on 1-1-12, and I’ll be so happy to hear you’re getting the necessary surgery.
My doc did give me a prescription for physical therapy, and now I have to get some ideas as to where to go for good treatment. Also, when I’d been hospitalized for L5-S1 pain in the mid-90’s (my all-time highest pain that I remember, when I saw blue and yellow flashes if I tried to move), I had PT which began with exercises in a swimming pool. That PT business is no longer around, however. So, I’m trying to find out where there is any aqua PT, plus I have to find out if my doc’s script allows for water therapy.
When I was in such pain, I kept wondering how anyone can do PT when any movement is excruciatingly painful, tears to my eyes kind of pain. Then a friend reminded me that they start with deep heat or electrical stimulation or something which works to lessen the pain, etc. D’uh! (Or is it spelled “duh”?)
May you find surcease of pain and good health in this new year.