Home from the Hospital
Posted by harlan on 23 Jan 2008 at 03:46 pm | Tagged as: talking to the void
That was the worst five days of my life.
I came home from work feeling kind of lousy on Friday, which is when I wrote here that I have a cold.
By Saturday I felt really bad. Cold, except when I’m hot. Sore throat. Nothing tasted good, and drinking hurt. I stayed in bed. The inside of my mouth hurt.
By Sunday afternoon I couldn’t walk very well. The one time I peed my piss was closer to pumpkin-colored than yellow. The inside of my mouth hurt so bad, I thought it must be bleeding inside, even though it didn’t taste like blood.
I looked in the mirror and it wasn’t bleeding. My tongue was covered with cankers. It turns out that the reason everywhere in my mouth hurt when I touched it with my tongue was because my tongue was messed up.
I considered the irony of this for a while, but the Ambien kept me from figuring out how it might be a funny joke. Not that I had plans to call my sister and tell her, even if I had come up with a BRILLIANT joke. We’ve had this conversation before:
Me: I’m really sick. Could you come take care of me? I’m really sick.
Her: If you really need me. I’ll have to figure out who’s going to take care of the kids. And I’ll have to get someone to cover for me for teaching piano lessons. And I’ll need to get the oil changed in my car before I drive down.
Me: Never mind. I’m fine.
On Monday morning about 3am, I emailed my manager and said I wouldn’t be coming in the next day.
On Monday about 5pm, I went from having a hard time walking to not being able to walk at all. I called my doctor. Closed. Figures.
I thought of all the people I could call to help me out, but decided that list was pretty much my sister (no chance), although I briefly considered calling Richard. But that would have been weird.
So I called a taxi instead, crawled down the stairs and to the front door, got the driver to give me a hand into the car (he didn’t complain or refuse, which I was worried he might do) and got a ride to the Emergency Room at the hospital.
Monday evening must be a pretty good time to get sick, because I only waited in the Emergency Room for about 90 minutes.
The doctor there took a look at me, smelled my breath (!!!), and said he was sure I had a really bad case of strep. I asked what my breath had to do with it and he said strep has a certain smell.
Strange. I wonder if my breath always smells like that.
He also said I seemed really, really dehydrated.
So he put me on something for the strep (amoxydihoxyaphmedocillin or something just as weird sounding), hooked me up to an IV to get me rehydrated, and put me in a room to stay overnight, just to make sure I was better.
Of course, it wasn’t a private room. That would have been too comfortable. The guy received phone call after phone call after phone call, and then — even after 10pm, his wife hung around and talked with him. I don’t think she left until close to midnight.
My right arm, the one with the IV in it, was cold the whole night and I couldn’t sleep.
Tuesday morning, the doctor said that the strep was responding, but I was still dehydrated, and that I should tell my family I would be staying another day.
I called my manager and said I wouldn’t be in, but I didn’t call anyone else, including my stupid sister, who would have given me hell for not calling her.
People were bringing balloons and shit for my roommate all day. Eventually, I took a walk with my IV out into the hall and called FTD from my cell phone. I ordered a bouquet to be delivered to my room.
I know that sounds pathetic but I had to have something.
The guy brought in the flowers and left. And meanwhile my bed was part of the parade route for my roommate, who had at least twenty people stop by. I am not exaggerating.
He didn’t even seem sick to me.
This morning, I felt so much better. Not achy. My tongue feels scabby, but not covered in cankers anymore. So I finally came home.
I’ll go back to work tomorrow.
Total visitors while I was at the hospital: 0
Total comments on this blog after I mentioned I was sick and then didn’t post for 5 days: 2. Thanks for caring, folks.
Isolation Score: 9.99
I didn’t know if you decided to pack in the blog (you have threatened to do that) or if you were on a bender or got busted for trying to lift a barbeque grill from WalMart.
Whatever the case, you apparently do not know that you’ve been nominated for the “Best Kept Secret” Bloggie award! I’m sure this news will either excite or scare the hell out of you. Whatever the case, you can undoubtedly expect more virtual visitors soon.
(Seriously, though, I’m glad you’re doing better and sorry you had to go to the hospital.)
Hospitals charge way too much, so I always feel better about going to them if I can steal some medical supplies before I check out.
Herb is right…you’ll get more visitors, like me! You are no longer a secret!
I’m glad that you are feeling better. Strep like that can really make you feel like you’d have to feel better to die–I’ve been there! I’m sorry you had to take yourself to the hospital and send yourself flowers!
I came in here to say “Hi.” I heard of this blog from the Bloggies. I’ve read more than a few of your entries…
I can’t tell what you want. You want privacy, but you don’t want to feel alone? Good luck with that.
I enjoy reading people’s diarys and journals, and although your’s isn’t the most exciting, it’s interesting. Update often and I’ll keep coming back.
You lived! Congrats! Hope you didn’t catch anything deadly from your roommate. He must have a lot of family living in the same city.
Next time your deathly ill, and want more comments about it, you should add lots of gory details to the post before you become too weak to type any further entries. Heck, make some symptoms up if you have to.
..and say the word “pustule” at least once- nobody likes those.
Glad to see your ok. I was wondering why you haven’t posted in awhile. I just assumed you were busy with work.
Glad to see the “project” is going well.
Had I been one of your readers, I’m sure I would have commented on your absence… if you are usually a pretty regular poster, anyhow. I’m here checking out the “best kept secrets” blogs so I’ll know who to vote for. I hope you’re not still contagious. I haven’t had so much as a cold this year!
yikers. i just got here or i would have commented earlier. no really…
hi there. i read about you in the bloggies. all i can say is… WHY ARE YOU SO SAAAAAAD???? life´s good! anyway… glad you survived.
i feel compelled to comment after the last poster asked “WHY ARE YOU SO SAAAAAAAAD????” i’ve gotten that same question my entire life–even as a very young child. you’re not alone.
glad you’re back home and congrats on your bloggie nom!
Happy people (like Dea) just don’t get it. Life is good? That’s about as true as the statement “people are nice.” Some are, some are not.
Its the same way Extroverts think its the Introverts that have the problem:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200303/rauch?r
i totally get what hh and bob are saying, but i think, maybe, if you guys try and see life in a more positive way, things will change. i know it´s really tacky what i´m saying here, but it kinda works, ya know…
i see what you’re saying and i don’t think it’s tacky! (and i do think that life is good.) but:
1) it’s easier said than done.
2) sometimes you get so far down you can’t see the up.
3) psychologically (and this applies to me, personally) some people just struggle more than others.
it’s been my experience that “hey, i know what you’re dealing with and it’s okay” is so much more supportive than “hey, think positive!”
to me, all the “chin-up” stuff just makes me feel like a weirdo who makes everyone miserable. let me put it this way: telling someone who’s overweight “hey, lose weight” would be perceived as unkind. so why is telling someone who’s going through a rough time to just “cheer up and look at the bright side” acceptable? it’s sorta a lame analogy, but both can make someone feel even worse about a bad situation.
I care harlan. I figured you were done blogging.
H — you sound like you need some cognitive thinking therapy. Before you dismiss it as a bunch of crunchy-granola mumbo jumbo, try to find a really good therapist. Just like you need to learn to walk, some people need to “learn” how to think in a non-negative way. It’s not that things or life changes, it’s your perception of things and life that can change.
Good Luck.
Had I been a reader… well I probably wouldnt have posted… Im not reall the type. This is very abnormal for me.
Just checking out the ‘best kept secret’ blogs - and you are IT, my friend! Thanks to your nom, Im sure the next time you get hospitalized you’ll have a ton of worried readers.
I really hope you win. I feel sadly neglected when nobody comments my blog too, though I just started it up again. Anyway, glad to hear you’re better!
Cyber chicken soup is way better than no chicken soup.
Maybe, someday you can change the blog name to:
not so very alone.
I’ve come to your blog via fatty via PW via CW.
I understand the feeling of isolation in the hospital. I literally died last october (heart stopped and everything) Only one person came to the hospital, my two year old son, who my coworker DROPPED OFF. what the f–k?!
Glad to hear you are well. Would have said something earlier but also just found you (thanks to fatty and the bloggies).
I like the blog and will be a regular.
eclecticdeb: are addressing me?
i feel u are writing down my story
hmm i think the whole world is like us :)
Hurray
I know this is old, but I just had to point out that nobody came to visit you or send you flowers, because you didn’t tell anybody you were IN THE HOSPITAL.
How were they supposed to know, you needed them? Sending flowers to yourself wasn’t pathetic, it was weird, you should have just told your family and they would have showed you some love. Makes me think you are creating situations, so you can feel sorry for yourself or maybe prove to yourself, that you are right and no one really does care.
But, we do care bwhahahaha