I had been having a sharp pain on the right side of my belly (below my ribs) emanating from my back. It had been bothering me for some time, but since it had been off and on, I didn’t immediately report it. I had to go in for my monthly visit with my perineal dialysis team, so I just decided to wait until then to tell them about it. But by the time of my visit with the team, the pain I was having had gotten worse. My PD nurse told me it would be best for me to go to the emergency room, so that’s what I did.
After I arrived, as I waited, the pain started to get more intense. By the time the emergency doctor entered the exam room, the pain had become unbearable, so they gave me some morphine. The pain started to subside (and I must say I was feeling rather good), and I felt a little drowsy. They decided to admit me because they couldn’t figure out the source of my pain.
After they got me registered, I gave them all my vital information, especially concerning my health. I gave them the medications I was taking and the doses (I keep all this in my notes on my phone). Even though I explained all my symptoms, they still hadn’t found an answer for my pain. Day after day, I got more frustrated by the minute.
Another thing that frustrated me was that they always had a nurse standing over me to make sure I took my medication. They stood there staring down my throat to, I guess, make sure I swallowed it? First of all, the medication was not prescribed by them. Second of all, I am the one who gave them the list of what medications, when, and how much I take. Which meant I knew I had to take my medicines. It made me feel like I couldn’t be trusted to take my much needed medications for my many illnesses, especially my CKD. I understand they need to make sure it’s taken but it doesn’t have to be done in a way to make the patient feel uncomfortable.
For some reason, I came in for one simple pain, and it seemed to turn into a whole different diagnosis. They kept running different tests. They would give me different medications (while “the guard” stood over me, making sure I took them).
Every day, I seem to get worse and worse. I started getting very weak and hurting all over. By then, my family had started to get involved. Whenever we would ask, they would always say that they were still running tests. I was so weak that they had to have the therapy team come by daily to help me exercise with a walker. One day I was walking with the walker, and for some reason my legs gave out, and before I knew it, I was on the floor. All I hurt, though, was my pride (lol)
After being there for a couple of days, it was time for me to have a dialysis treatment. To this day, I’m still not sure what they were doing wrong. The treatment was making me feel worse, and the alarms just kept sounding off. They would stop one alarm just for another to blare even louder. All they while, I’m feeling worse and worse. I was at the point of telling them to take me off when my nephrologist walked in.
I guess it had gotten so bad that they had to call my nephrologist. When he walked in, I was never so happy to see that man. He saw me, it was almost like he said, “I got you.” He started hitting buttons left and right. Turning on this and turning off that. Immediately, I started to feel a whole lot better. After he finished and the machine was running smoothly, he said jokingly, “What were they doing, trying to kill you?” I laughed weakly and said, “I guess”.
He stayed a little longer, talking with me and making sure I was okay. Before he left, he said if I wasn’t out by tomorrow, he would confer with the doctor who was handling my case.
The next day came and went. I did start to feel better, but no one told me why. The only staff I saw was the food service staff (bland meals for no reason) and the guard (a nurse) bringing me my medications. I was getting impatient, my family was getting impatient. This whole hospital stay had turned into a debacle.
So the day after that, I was so happy to hear the phone call from my nephrologist. The first thing he said was, “Wanda, are you ready to get out of there?” I was overjoyed to hear that question. I immediately said YES!. He said the doctor would be visiting me soon to explain my situation. I thanked him profusely and hung up the phone with joy in my heart. I had been at the hospital for five days and I was ready to go.
Not too long after we got off the phone, the doctor came in with a nurse and the ER doctor. She started to explain to me that there had been a misdiagnosis with my case. She continued to say that she had been given misinformation, but now everything is in order, and I will be released today. I was so ecstatic that I didn’t even bother to ask what they thought the problem was or why I had been feeling more sick during my stay than when I first got there. Come to find out, it originally started with just kidney stones. They had cleared up by the third day but because of the misdiagnosis other things had start to develop.
I was still weak by the time I was released, so they prescribed a walker for me to take home. I took it but I really didn’t need it. I hate to say this, but as soon as I was released from the hospital, I started to get my strength back and feel a whole lot better.
Ok, I will get off my soapbox now. I guess my point is to be vigilante about what’s going on with your health and what you are being told by the hospital staff. You can always request another doctor’s opinion if you don’t feel like you are getting the answers you need.
