CHAPTER 209 EVERY OLOGIST BUT A GYNECOLOGIST? 2016
Resting, even sleeping that night, did not change anything. I still had the strange vibrations in my legs and arms and my toes still pointed outward and I still shuffled with a strange gain when I walked. I had some upcoming doctor’s appointments; you know how it is, you visit a specialist once and they have you in their net and insist you revisit them every six months no matter how you feel. I visited with my nephrologist, who I inherited once because my thyroid problems had once distorted a CKD test. I had to go back regularly, although he saw nothing threatening. This was how it was with them all. See them once; see them forever more. Next was a urologist. My prostate was slightly enlarged, but again no threat. But he still wanted to pull on that glove occasionally. Then I went to my Rheumatologist. I did and do have psoriatic arthritis and get a few painful moments, but the biggest benefit of him putting me on Methotrexate was the side effect — it cleared up my skin. If I miss taking it my body breaks out in red patches and white plaque. Ugh!
But none of these fellows had anything to say about my gait
or tingling. Nothing to do but make an appointment with my primary physician. I seldom see this doctor. It is usually a nurse practitioner who sees me. But this time the big guy himself came into the examination room.
I had the sniffles, which I get every Spring when the trees begin to grow leaves again. He hears my sniffle and grabs his electronic pad and sends a prescription off to my pharmacy. He then gets up and starts to go from my presence.
“Wait,” I call. “That wasn’t why I came here.”
“He sat back down. I want to know why I walk this way.” I stood and walked across the room and back.
“Hmm,” he said. “I have no idea.”
Now he is writing orders for me to Get blood tests (doctors love sticking needles in you) and orders for certain specialists. I was to see my cardiologist and a neurologist, I was ending up seeing every kind of Ologist
except a Gynecologist. At one point down this trail I even conferred with my oldest daughter, who is a VetTech, so in a way I even got into Veterinarian medicine (I don’t know if there is an ology for that).
No one could say what was going on.
I passed all the cardiology tests, no blockages or anything. I was sent to take an MRI.
I went to a imaging place. I was wearing my usual summer gear, a T-shirt, shorts and sneakers. The lady technician led me to a small cubicle, handed me a hospital gown and told me to take everything off except my underpants.
“Oh,” I told her. “I’m not wearing any underpants”
.
“Then we have a problem,” she said.
“I don’t think so I mean these shorts are like boxers. Why can’t I just wear them?
on a tray and it slid back into this tube. “I am right outside,” she said. “We can talk. There is also a panic button near your head if necessary.”
Even being in that confined space for an hour I felt no need for the panic button.
There were no problems brought to light at the Cardiologists. I called for an appointment at the Neurologist my Primary had suggested, and I got one, but not until in October. This was June.
Do I just wait, nervously twirling thumbs that are resisting twiddling?
No something else had arisen…or should I say dropped.
prescribed. They were called CEFDINIR. I was to take in capsule by mouth every 12 hours, which is how I began. This is a cephalosporin antibiotic given to treat used to treat bacterial infections and He prescribed it to me because I was sniffling slightly when I came into his office. No questions, no exam, just an order off to my pharmacy. I was supposed to take until the bottle I was given was empty. I was given 20 doses of capsules each containing 300. It should not be taken if you are using magnesium, which I was, but no one asked or told me do not combine.
There were listed some possible side effect: headache nausea, vomiting and stomach pain, none of which I got. Vaginal itching or diaper rash, no worry there.
Far down the list, under rare was something called Clostridiun Difficile. Never heard of it and it said rare, so not gaining to worry about it. I could barely pronounce it.
But, Ah ha, diarrhea! Knew about that, but wasn’t usually bothered by it.
and got pretty hot in the car and I began to feel something pressing in my abdomen. I had to go to the bathroom, but felt I could hold it until she came back. Except it was taking a long time for her to shop and not a long time for this pressure to go.
A lot of thing went from bad to worse now. The diarrhea seemed just one of those things, a kind of bug that bites one sometimes. But then that week I was in the kitchen and felt woozy. I fell over and landed on the floor and I could not get myself up. Laurel came out and Lois and Laurel both star ed to lift me. Finally I ask them to push a kitchen chair near me and after a struggle I was able to pull up enough to sit on the chair.
Lois called the Great Primary and we heard those favored
words, “ Go into the hospital emergency room.”
I got my trusty walking stick and with some effort stood up and walked out to the car. Lois drove and we went into the parking area behind Wilmington Hospital’s emergency section. I grabbed my stick and with Lois’ help mangled to get inside to the registry window.
Little story about this stick. It was customer made by an artisan in Phoenixville. My parents give it to us on our 25th wedding anniversary in 1987. It was strictly decorative then It was upon it the wedding date and then our names. I displayed it in all our homes as we moved around, but did not use it. I didn’t need it. Now I did, as I aged, and I used it on all my hikes. It would come to play a very important roll in my life in the coming years.
to know the definition of the word. You heart could be busting out of your chest, but you are still going to be directed into the ‘emergency” waiting room and their you wait while your hair turns gray. The emergency room was pretty full, with people constantly coming in. Occasionally the door would open far enough for a head to poke through and call a name. Then someone would get up and follow he head into the back.
The head was not calling my name.
But nature was being to call very frantically. I got up.
“I got to go find the rest room,” I told my wife and started off. To where I don’t know. I could not find the restroom. They had hid it. The restroom was down some hidden hallway and I could not find it. This may have been the waiting room, but things were not waiting. I could feel the icky crawl down my legs. I stepped faster, but the restroom eluded me. Here, there, I tried every direction and finally in it’s hidden above I spoted it was dashed forward.
It was marked by one of those all-inclusive restroom signs. I didn’t care, whoever might be in there better stand aside because I was going in.
The room was empty, thank God! I dashed into the first stalk I saw, leaving a real behind. I was there a while and there was toilet paper, and I used a lot.
take you now,” she said, and led we to a manned window. Now I knew how to get quick service in an emergency room, Just act upon your immediate emergency. As I approached the window I looked toward the waiting room. There was a somewhat chagrined housekeeper mopping the floor.
I am now rushed along. A gurney and a couple orderlies magically appear and I am raised by these guys and placed on the cart. I am left behind a curtain in a cubical, placed upon an examination table. Lois has followed and taken seat along the wall, I can see hustle and bustle of medical staff through the part in the curtain. A nurse enters. She has an electric I-pad she is reading from.
An aid accompanies her. This second woman pulls off all my soiled clothes and drops them in a bag that she hands Lois. The aid get a basic and sponges me off and helps me struggle into the dreaded hospital gown.
The nurse now asks questions read from her i-Pad as the aid leaves. Usual stuff. Name, address, age, medical history and the all important health insurance numbers.
My wife has my numbers. She reads the card to the nurse.
The nurse takes my vitals. I am apparently alive.
“The doctor will be with you shortly. Are you warm enough? Would you like a blanket?”
She brings we a blanket as she leaves.
We lie there. Neither of us say a thing.
neck comes through the curtain followed by the nurse.
“Hello, I’m doctor something-or-other. Can you stand.”
I try and can’t. He takes my vitals. The nurse puts an IV in the back of my left hand. She takes my vitals again and asks if I am thirsty, I am, and she brings me some water.
Doctor Doogie is asking me how I feel and what happened and why did I come to the hospital and again if I can stand.
I struggle and the nurse helps me to my feet. The doctor asked me to walk. I can’t and sit down on the bed.
“All right, Mr. Meredith. We can’t allow you to go home until you can show us you’re capable of walking. We will leave you and then come back and see if you can.”
They leave Lois and I. It seems as if they are gone for hours, but most likely was twenty minutes. Both of them return. She is typing notes into her i-Pad. He checks my vitals. She helps me to my feet and I take a few wobbly steps. I fear I might starting going again, but I don’t. I stagger back to the bd and sit.
“We are going to admit you,” he says.
Lois stands, holding the bag, “I’m going on home she says.”
“Fine”
An orderly with a gurney pops in and I am loaded on and
take another fast trip down hallways only seeing the overhead lights flash past.
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