My First Hospital Stay (for myself!)

I've been to the hospital before.  I've stayed overnight a number of times.  For example, when my children were born, when Rachel had kidney stones, and other things.  But I've never stayed at the hospital for myself - until now.

On Monday night around dinner time, I received a call to go visit a friend in the ER at the hospital and administer a Priesthood blessing.  I was happy to go and do this for a friend in need.  It was a nice visit, and somewhat short.  As inspired, I pronounced a blessing on his head.  Oddly enough, while still in the ER, I started to feel very hot and somewhat light headed.  My stomach was also bothering me, but I shook it off as nothing.

By the time I was back home, my stomach was really hurting.  I was having a hard time telling Rachel about my visit to the hospital because of my own physical pain.  I was feeling very hot and went outside.  The cool outdoors weren't providing any relief as I thought it should.

The pain continued to worsen and went from waves of excruciating pain to less excruciating pain and back.  I was frequently on the floor, crouched over, in any position that at least seemed to offer a lessening of pain.  Not very manly.  I threw up twice.  Each time, it did not offer the relief I expected.  The pain lessened for a few minutes, only to return to the terrible pain again.  By late evening, Rachel finally convinced me to go to the hospital.  While I was happy to go to the ER earlier that evening when it was to be of service to a friend in need, I was reluctant to go to the ER for the second time when it was me who was hurting.

At the hospital, I was seen after a wait that seemed to take too long.  By the time a nurse was seeing me in a triage room and taking my vitals, I had a tingling sensation over my hands, arms, and stomach.  It was weird and disconcerting.  I was finally taken back to a bed.  When it seemed the pain couldn't get worse, it did.

The attending nurse ended up being the wife of someone I know from work.  Rachel and I had seen her just two evening prior when we ran into them while out for dinner.  She even remembered my name!

I got an IV for the first time.  The nurse warned it would hurt, but it was nothing compared to the stomach pain I felt.  It seemed to take way too long to get some pain medication, but eventually they gave me something.  While the pain meds were finally starting to offer some relief, I received a Priesthood blessing from two friends who came to see me in the ER.  I can't remember anything at all about the blessing, other than it was done and they were there.  It must have been good.  Rachel said I was also shaking, but I don't remember that.  My pulse oximeter reading was getting low as I started to relax as the pain meds starting helping relieve the pain, so I received oxygen as well.  I clearly recall how grateful I was that the pain was finally subsiding.

That evening, I received a CT scan.  After the results of a blood test and a CT scan, it was apparently clear that there was no appendicitis nor other obvious reason for the pain.  I was disappointed it wasn't appendicitis, because I knew they would have taken care of that right away and I would have been on my way to recovery quickly.  Instead, they got me a prescription for pain meds, anti-nauseous meds and orders to discharge me from the hospital.  When they brought me the discharge orders, I threw up again (the second time in the ER) and they decided I should stay instead.  I was admitted to the hospital!

I was moved to the regular part of the hospital.  I remember thinking how odd it was that I could be so nauseous from pain that I couldn't feel as well because of the pain meds.  I received pain meds and anti-nauseous meds until late morning when the pain really started to subside.  I also started to get some sleep.  Poor Rachel didn't get much sleep.  She can tell you all about the severely uncomfortable hospital chairs.

By early afternoon, I was feeling no more pain at all, and I was anxious to get home.  I was discharged from the hospital in the late afternoon.  There seemed to be no real diagnosis, other than "Enteritis".  Not the greatest diagnosis, because I didn't have some of the major symptoms, such as diarrhea.

I know my status was on Facebook; and while I don't like the attention, I'm very appreciative of all the prayers and thoughts in behalf of my family and me.  I'm also thankful to those who went out of there way to take care of my children and to see me in the hospital and to give me a priesthood blessing.

Henry rides in a fire truck, for fun

While Rachel was out of town, I got to take Henry on his field trip to see the fire station in Inyokern with his pre school group.

It was really cool when they let all the kids get into the fire trucks and go for a ride! We rode out onto the tarmac off the airport and Henry got to push the button to spray water. I think that was his favorite part!

The firemen were very friendly and seemed to enjoy having us there. It makes you thankful also to know what great people they are who are there to help in an emergency.