Mommy and wife turns nurse: The ER Trip

So earlier today I wanted a fairy Godmother who would grant me more time to blog and tweet...or maybe I wanted the fairy Godmother to blog and tweet for me...Well, now I have some extra time to blog. I don't have extra time really, it's just that I'm stuck in the ER with hubby...ironically our department has been plagued with ill husbands in emergency situations! Why is that? Who knows really! I'm the 4th wife with a hubby who was rushed to the ER this semester and we're not quite 1/2 way through the semester yet....

Last week I thought he had the flu. He had a pounding headache and body aches. I felt guilty for meeting a friend for drinks. Then the severe stomach cramps started. Then he left work early 3 days in a row and he wasn't hungry! What the hell is going on?
8 a.m.: So I made him a doctor's appointment (despite his protests). He went, they drew blood, poked him, sent him home with something for gastritis and a cup to collect a stool sample (yucky)!
5:45 p.m.: Early evening I say "I think we should check your temperature just to be sure." The doc had said to check it and if it went above 101 to call the office. This is my mommy instinctt kicking in for the benefit of the hubby. He protests, I take his temperature and start packing an overnight bag for him and putting the bay in his PJs and preparing for what I assume will be a long night.

6 p.m.: 105 degrees! And we're off to the ER (as per the nurse in the doctor's office). He's sweating, can barely walk or stand up straight, his eyes look weird and he isn't talking very loudly (not that he ever speaks loudly). The triage/admissions nurse gets funky with us for not managing the fever at home with acetaminophen. I get funky right back and say "My doctorate is in education not in medicine and the nurse sent us here and I suppose if there's a problem you can call her for further explanation. But I'm sure if she thought we could manage the fever at home we wouldn't' be here."
7 p.m. Approx. 600 mg of acetaminophin to bring down the fever....

11 p.m.: Several hours later (if you've been to the ER you know how this works), we're getting hooked up to IV, being sent off to get an X Ray and I'm grateful that ironically our neighbors are there (well, not ironically....long story...grandpa had a stroke Sunday night and got rushed to ER, he's up in ICU holding on....) because they end up taking baby boy home so he can sleep uninterrupted by the girl in the next bed who I think took someone else's Vicodin and is now screaming for pain meds (uh? what?) and is being obnoxious beyond belief. PLUS the other guy needs a social worker (oh! wait, that's me) because he tried to O.D. and his handcuffed (not sure why?) to his hospital ER bed....maybe I could go do an assessment....or not....then the guy who just woke up from a seizure and is playing with his iphone, ipad, and kindle...his mom keeps asking what each gadget is for!

2 a.m.:  Going to get X Ray and/or CT Scan (same thing maybe?). I'm surfing the internet looking up possible diagnosis. I've narrowed it down to a few.
4 a.m.:  You have a kidney infection, here's 2 prescriptions, and you're free to go home, follow up with your primary care.
5 a.m.:  Driving home, picking baby up from neighbors, going to get 30 minutes sleep....maybe because baby always wakes up at 6 a.m.! :-)