6:58 A.M.
I went into the surgery recovery room to see grandma and she seemed surprisingly well.
More than anything, she just wanted to get up and go home to sleep in her own bed.
The nurse had missed pricked her when trying to start a new I V.
Her arm was all bruised and purple and it looked pretty painful.
Her neck was all yellow from the iodine they used on her skin after the surgery.
We visited for a good hour and fifteen minutes. She said that she wanted to go back to sleep so we headed out to let her rest.
The family all pilled into the elevator and what happened next is somewhat hazy.
I remember grabbing my dad's arm then going down to the ground.
I passed out in the elevator and had another episode.
It was so freaking embarrassing. There was a doctor present and apparently he suggested that they rush me to the emergency room based on what ever happened while I was out.
I woke up to a guy quizzing me about my personal information.
"Name, Date of birth, social security number?"
"Kelly, are you listening to me? Can you hear me?"
It sounded somewhat muffled like I was in a tunnel. My lips and neck were all numb and I felt like I had pins and needles in my face.
I started to feel extremely cold and my hair was soaking wet from sweating.
The guy continued asking me a bunch of medical history questions as doctors poked and prodded me.
I wanted to scream at them.
I wanted to tell them to leave me alone.
My head was pounding again.
They kept asking me why I was holding my head and I told them it was just a headache.
The same guy who had been quizzing me about my medical history ran to get a doctor and said that my eyes looked like I had a severe head injury.
A nurse hooked me up to a bunch of monitors and said they would be coming back to do some blood work.
I waited around for a few hours and decided I could get blood work done at my normal doctor for much cheaper.
I'm already thousands in debt because of hospital bills.
If I'm okay to walk out of a hospital I think I'd rather pay the ten-dollar co pay instead of another thousand-dollar emergency room bill.
The doctor came in and told me I could leave but I had to answer some of his questions.
He flashed a light in my eyes and said he thought I had a cerebra-something or another.
Which in laments terms means, you passed out because your brain doesn�t get any blood pumping to it.
Your face goes flush and numb and your heartbeat and blood pressure skyrocket like mine did.
He kept insisting that I hit my head and obsessively asked my dad about details.
My dad who was in the room was very confused himself.
The doctor asked, "When did she hit her head? Did she hit it when she passed out?"
My dad looked confused and almost like he was going to cry.
Dad explained for the tenth time that the elevator was full of people and a doctor lowered me to the floor gently.
I never hit my head. I just passed out again.
But the doctor kept drilling dad.
�But dad, when did she hit her head?!? She wouldn�t be like this if she had not hit her head.�
My dad just acted more and more frustrated and confused, and told the doctor that I had a severe head injury as a kid. Dad told him I was in a coma for a long time and they didn�t think I would wake up.
The doctor asked to speak to mom and dad told him that my mom had briefly left the hospital to take my crazy aunt to get something to eat because she is diabetic and she needed to eat something right away.
The doctor said that I needed a cat scan and I said no because I just had one a couple of months ago.
Doc said that it was fine for me to refuse and asked why I had one done the first time.
I said I was in a car accident and hit my head and had a concussion.
Then my dad started to tell him I was in a coma as a kid and had some problems since then.
I didn't think the doctor was going to let me leave.
He said that I had a lot of symptoms of severe head trauma and he asked if I would mind if he admitted me overnight for some tests.
I shook my head rapidly in a "NO" manner and told him I just wanted to go home.
The doctor asked me a few detailed questions about my headaches and told me that if I didn't stay in the E.R. he was going to have me sign a patient responsibility letter that states I would need to seek medical attention from my primary care physician immediately in the morning.
I changed out of the robe they gave me back into my normal clothes.
The doctor shook his head at me as I was walking out and said he was disappointed.
Then again, he doesn't know how many medical bills haven't been paid yet.
*^*^*^*^*
So here I am. Scared outta my own mind.
Wondering, Was it just stress?
Are my electrolytes just out of wack?
Or is it more serious?
