Adventures at the ER

So, today was a fun day, I say in the most sarcastic way possible. I got to visit my favorite place: the ER.

It all started last night. I began experiencing a lot of pain in my left leg. By the time I was about to go to sleep, I was limping around and it hurt to put weight on my leg. The first thought I had was “uh-oh.”

I have already had two confirmed clots in my leg before. So, I know what this pain feels like. It feels like a possible clot. I have residual pain from the scarring and calcified clot already in my leg. But, this pain is sharper and newer.

This morning when I got out of bed, my leg still hurt a lot. It still hurt to put weight on it. Honestly, it felt like it hurt even more than the night before.

So, I put on my compression socks. As I put them on and looked down at my legs, I noticed that my left leg was slightly swollen. It was noticeably bigger than my right leg. “Ah crap,” I thought, “here we go again.”

I have known for a while that I was playing with fire. I lost my hematologist last year. He just stopped responding to my calls and messages. Then, when I went to my pre-scheduled follow-up, the office was closed. When I tried to call and reschedule, no one answered.

I have been trying to find a new hematologist ever since then. In the meantime, my blood thinner prescription ran out. I’m supposed to be on blood thinners for life. So, it’s pretty problematic that I have been without blood thinners for 3-4 months now.

Momma didn’t raise no fools. So, even though I haven’t had blood thinners, I have been taking asprin and grape seed extract. But, I have known for quite some time that I was playing a dangerous game and needed a new hematalogist and a new prescription. But, I can’t say that I was surprised that I most likely have yet another blood clot.

I knew what I had to do. But, I really, really didn’t want to do it. I knew that I needed to go to an ER to get an ultrasound. Meanwhile, my chest pain had been worse than normal and I knew I had to get that checked out too.

But last time I went, I was there most of the day and then they told me that they didn’t find anything. A week later, I returned and then they told me that I did indeed have a blood clot. It was a pretty irritating experience even though it did teach me an important lesson about trusting my intuition when it comes to my body and knowing that something feels wrong.

Still, I was really worried that this would be a big waste of time. But, I also knew already what both my family and my primary care physician would say. So, I grabbed my cane and headed to the ER.

Once you’re disabled, you begin to see all of the ways in which the world is just not disability friendly at all.. There was no parking next to the emergency room. I had no choice but to go park my car across the street and then hobble back. Also, the elevator in the parking garage was out. So, I had to hobble even farther just to get out of the garage and down to the street.

I finally got back to the ER and checked in and was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to wait in the waiting room long. I went back and explained why I was there. They examined my leg. But, they didn’t measure or check to see if it was swollen. They just eyed my leg and said they couldn’t tell.

Then, they took my blood (like normal) and sent me for an ultrasound (like normal). Then, they brought me back down to wait on my chest scan. I was actually also pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to fight them to do a CT scan of my chest. But, I had very little hope that they would find anything. I have been trying to get help for my chest pain for nearly two years now.

Finally, 5 hours after arriving at the ER, I received the world’s fastest summary from the doctor. Nothing was found on the ultrasound or the CT scan. Test results would be available on my patient portal. But, they still wanted me to follow-up in a week with my primary, a hematologist, and get another ultrasound. They also wrote me a script to start back on blood thinners.

In my head, I couldn’t help but think about what a waste of time that was. Still, I am grateful that they at least weren’t as sure of themselves this time as they were last time when they told me I didn’t have a blood clot. And I was also grateful for the script for the blood thinners. It was only enough for a month. But, hopefully it could help me make it long enough to finally see a hematologist.

While I waited to get discharged, I noticed that the test results came back and I also noticed several slightly abnormal findings that they didn’t bother to mention.

I gathered my things and began my hobble back across the street and of course, now it was pouring rain and I didn’t have an umbrella. And, just as an extra middle figure to me, a car splashed me while I waited to cross the street and soaked me to the bone.

I spent the rest of the day trying to understand my test results and once again, trying to schedule an appointment with a hematologist or vascular surgeon. The end result is that I still am waiting on call backs to schedule with a hematologist or vascular surgeon; I have an appointment with my primary this Friday that is going to be out of pocket because they no long accept my insurance; and my blood test results show something weird going on with me involving my immune system. It might actually partially explain my chest pain.

My blood test results also have me thinking about the theory that long covid really is akin to an autoimmune disorder. But, in the interim, I get to continue to sadly limp around with my cane and incur more doctor bills. Plus, I got essentially nothing else accomplished today.

Still, I am glad that I honored myself, put myself first, and got myself checked out. And anyways, who doesn’t love a trip to the ER?

#treatment #hospital #bloodclot #longcovid #disability