Spooked and Panicky - Run To The Emergency Room

May 1 2010
4 litres a day
Rex and I meet daily on Skype. We were visiting web sites on the thoracic duct and learned that 4 litres of fluid is moved by this system in the body I know only by name. Astoundingly, it does so without a pump, relying on muscle movement and gravity to get the job done. Clearly in my seating arrangements I will have to redefine elevated, having seen drawings I can finally understand. Clarian gives me pages of explanation, but for me health care is a new language. With each passing week I am learning more and give myself a strong B grade so far.
At present I am too tired to stand on pride when it comes to suffering. Consequently I went along with rushing to the hospital at the first sign of anything. Vance would say this was a huge waste of money and resources (Vance being the fellow who gets teeth filled with no pain killer, 'after all' he says, 'if they hit a nerve the stuff won't work anyway, so why use it?' No such cavalier crap for me at this point.
Suffering a rash and perceived shortness of breath Van drove me to the north hospital. I directed her to the wrong entrance, got out and pressed the talk box button on the wall. As someone answered a nurse who was passing by opened the door. ‘May I help you?’ She asked with a gentle expression, ‘I am patient Michael Courtney, birth date ………. I was instructed by the oncologist on call to report here for possible allergic reaction to antibiotic.’ was my reply. I stopped for the prerequisite pee function and as I came out the attractive nurse smiled holding an inviting wheel chair. To exam room one, an IV set, two nurses attending one manned the workstation and proceeded to find me in the system and the prerequisite questions. Blood was drawn and finally admitting came in. Vanessa of course now has a go kit that includes everything needed. ER got a complete update whish should help on second visits.
I got an x ray and vitals run and blood numbers run and hustled out the door with a scrip for super itch cream. Once again, the standard of care evidenced in another department of this institution. I wonder at how organizations of such size can function at such a high level. I remember as a kid nights in the Pizza King when only the high schoolers were there without adult supervision and under the pressure of heavy traffic we were a well oiled machine that could produce at record amounts, with a smile, keep up with the dining room, sell up to Customers and feel up at the end of the day. Only problem was as kids we could not do this consistently, night after night. After all, we had other interests.
Here from the late teens and early twenties to likely octogenarians and beyond work ‘in the zone’ every day. And that is a hell of a lot more demanding, just in numbers of clients than anything I and probably most people face in their careers.
My first extended hospital stay over and the bill came in at a little over 16 grand paid.