TR: ER Hoopla (sorry, no photos!)

[smells_like_team_disney]

With all the commotion that happened on that particular day I couldn't really get any pictures. But I thought I should share my little trip report to the ER with all of you. Enjoy!!

 

My Saturday began like any other Saturday the morning of August 13. I got up around 10, had breakfast and went outside to wash my car. I usually wash my car every Saturday morning inside and out, although this particular morning had been the first time in about a month! So there was a little more scrubbing and rinsing to do. I was leaning over washing the top of my car when I noticed a slight pressure on the left side of my lower back. I ignored it, suggested it was just gas and went along my way prettying up my "Sexy." Later, as I was finishing vaccuuming the interior, I felt it again, but this time it was sharper and seemed to linger longer. I was a bit concerned, but nonetheless I continued as I was almost finished. By 12pm, my "Sexy" was sparkling clean, and I was happy to note that she still had that new car smell. However, as I was putting everything away, I noticed the pain had gotten sharper. I stopped, took a few deep breaths and let them out. At this point I'll go into more detail about what I thought my symptoms were.

 

About a year and a half ago, my left lung suddenly collapsed, for no apparent reason. That particular day I happened to be washing my car as well. I felt this pressure on my lower back and ignored it. As the day progressed it got worse and worse, until I was experiencing shortness of breath. That evening I tried laying down and felt as though I was suddenly drowning. That's when my parents decided to take me to the ER, and sure enough, I had a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung in laymen's terms. I won't go into the details of the surgery or the recovery (shivers) but all the symptoms I felt that day were exactly the same on Saturday.

 

Around 12:30, I decide to take a shower to see if that will ease the pain, but I start experiencing shortness of breath and suddenly become light-headed. My entire body starts to tingle and I feel as though I'm gonna faint. So naturally I tell my mother and she starts freaking out. My sister and her drive me to the ER where I explain my symptoms and they rush me in and hook me up to all this familiar equipment. By this time it is around 2pm, and I'm actually more hungry than anything else. The doctors bring in a large machine to take my X-ray. After that, we wait to see what happens.

 

Well, I am relieved to say that my lung did not collapse. The doctor assured me that the pain I was experiencing was muscular-skeletal pains around my chest and lower back, which can be rememdied by taking an ibuprofen. The light-headedness and tingling was a result of my hyper-ventilating. My mom and I laugh it off, realizing how ridiculous this may seem and go to the hospital cafeteria to get something to eat. With all the commotion, no one had had any lunch. We finally left the hospital at 5 and head home.

 

So that was my ER hoopla on Saturday. Feel free to comment (or not).