The Nightmare

I'm not going to write a full entry because I want to get back to bed.  But to hit the high points, t he day after things were "fixed" they were not fixed, the desktop did not see either hard drive again and I had no internet connection on either the desktop or the laptop, so I couldn't even write an Airy Persiflage
.
The next day Walt and I went to an Alzheimer's convention and midway, I started getting a bad pain in my side and went out to the car.  i told Walt to take me home, which he did  By night I was nauseous an felt awful.

In the morning I called Kaiser and got an appointment.  The dr said it sounded like appendicitis and sent me off to the ER in Vacaville, where the nightmare began  There was a long line waiting to register, and once registered I had to have blood drawn before seeing the doctor.  It took 4 hours to get blood drawn and after 5-1/2 hours it was so cold I had to ask for a blanket.

For the next couple of hours, I was texting messages to Facebook:

* The waiting room is FULL and most of us have been here for hours. The ER sucks!
* This is only HALF the people waiting for hours to be seen. (I have a photo, but am not posting it) I'm thinking just letting the damn appendix burst might not be so bad.
* ...and they keep pouring in...
* Someone is now barfing very loudly
* How does "The Night Shift" get a whole bus load of injured people triaged and treated in an hour? And still have time for hanky panky in the linen closet???
* Now it's SRO in the ER. I'd gladly give up my spot for a seat in on an exam table.
*And now we have the screaming (and I do mean screaming) child.
* A group of us who came around the same time are starting to get chummy. This includes pink hat lady and Rip Van Winkle, who have been here LONGER.
* Yay! Pink hat lady got called. I felt we should have cheered for her. There is HOPE!
 
And then this

 
* Finally in the room where I hope it starts to happen!

I made no entries for the next 2 hours, while I was poked, prodded, evacuated and scanned.  After the CT scan. they said it would be an hour for results.

While I went to sleep, Walt wandered the ER and checked out our "buddies" from the waiting room.  Apparently the wait was due to a massive computer glitch, which it would have been nice if they explained!

When the results finally came back, they were inconclusive.  Appendix looks fine.  Lab tests show some slight irregularities, but in places where I am not feeling pain.  He offered to admit me to the hospital for the weekend so they could continue to run tests, but my back was killing me (nothing to do with the presenting pain--my back ALWAYS kills me) and when he gave me the option of following up with my PCP, I took it (dismissal papers say I left "against medical advice" which was not the case!)

A mere 11 hours after we arrived, we finally left and were home by 3:30.  I think I was asleep by 3:35.

This morning the nausea is finally gone and I can eat again (though only "boring" food the doctor says -- fruits and vegetables).  I have an appointment with the PCP on Monday.  Physically, I don't feel "well," but I don't feel "sick either."  NOT being nauseated is a HUGE improvement, but I'm weak and sore like I'd been exercising.  But no pain like the pain that started all this.

In the meantime there is a computer, which miraculously has given me a connection, but no F drive again.  Waiting for a follow-up visit with the guru

And now back to sleep...