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Thursday, July 16, 2009

ER Visit That Could've Been Avoided

So last night was interesting to say the least. All day I was feeling chills and then would get hot again and chills. I thought it was just my body getting used to the different temperature changes as we went to different stores, the hospital, home, outside, etc. Well when we got home at 6:30 from seeing Lincoln in the NICU and as soon as I sat down, I threw up. My Dr. said to call her if my temp reached 100.8 degrees or higher so I took my temperature under my arm pit because I had just drank some 7-up and it was 97.1. So I didn't do anything about it. Then at about 8 I could just feel myself burning up so I took it again this time in my mouth (which I should always do from now on!) and it was 102.0! So I called my Dr. and she asked different questions to try and figure out what type of infection I had. Well we eventually got to the point where she thought it was probably a bladder infection. Now let me back up a little here, I've had a catheter put in twice while I was in the hospital once for a 24 hour sample and once when I had the c-section. After the first time, they made sure to do a lab on my urine after it was taken out to make sure it hadn't caused a bladder infection. The second time, they didn't do that. I had the catheter in for 5 days and so when it hurt to urinate I figured for awhile that it was just because the catheter was in for so long. Well I finally asked a Dr. (a resident to my Kidney Dr.) about it and he said nonchalantly "oh no, it's just from the catheter." He didn't write anything down in my chart and so my Dr. didn't even know I had asked about it. So when I called my Dr. last night and told her some of the symptoms she asked how long I'd had then and it had at least been from Friday. She was frustrated that the resident didn't look into it more or at least write it down. So we get to the ER (I had been to almost every place in the silly hospital except the ER, now I suppose I can check the ER off of my list). So lucky me, when we got to the ER they had to put in ANOTHER catheter to get a clean urine sample (it wasn't as bad because they didn't keep it in). They found it was a very big bladder infection and said from the blood work that my Liver was looking better but my kidney's were really dehydrated. They put in another IV and gave me lots and lots of fluids. They kept me there until the fever broke and my heart rate went back down to about 110bpm. (normal is between 60-100bpm) At it's highest it was 146bpm. The Dr. said that for every degree above 98.6 your heart rate increases 10 bpm. So they pumped me fulled of antibiotics and gave me prescriptions to fill today (yay, more drugs!) Oh on a side note when we came in and they learned how long I had been in the hospital and when they went to start the IV the nurse had a hard time finding a vein that wasn't already "injured." I had to laugh after they asked if I smoked, drank, or did drugs because I told Tyler I bet they didn't believe me when I said no I didn't do drugs because just take one look at my arms and it looks like I'm a drug addict! So they let us leave about 12:15am and hopefully I'll start feeling better soon. I was just sooooo sooooo frustrated, first because I had JUST left the hospital Monday night and was already having to go back and second because it could've completely been avoided had that Dr. taken my complaint seriously and looked into it a little more. I just accepted what he said because he was a Kidney Dr., he should know what he's talking about right? Well now I know to always get a second opinion!!!!!

1 comment:

  1. Oh Marie! I'm praying this is the last time you will have to visit the hospital unless you are going to see Lincoln. I cannot believe how many times you have had trouble with the doctors not communicating with each other. I'm praying that your days from now on will be filled with lots of rest and lots of time with Lincoln!

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