Sunday, January 8, 2012

Role reversals

I spent Friday in the emergency room, as a patient.  A bad cold superimposed with some type of viral stomach bug turns out to be a pretty awful combination.  Particularly when the patient is a type 1 diabetic who can't stop vomiting.  The family med doc who I saw in clinic Friday morning decided that a shot of phenergan along with a trip to the ER for some IV fluids was exactly what I needed.  Turns out that I also needed some IV zofran to actually stop the vomiting, a chest XR to rule out pneumonia, phenergan and cough syrup to take home with me, antibiotics for sinisitus, and a weekend of sleeping to break the fever and kick this bug. 

I really don't understand why our patients seem to like the ER so much.  The beds are uncomfortable, the IVs sting, the hospital gowns leave little to be imagined... It was not my ideal way to spend a day. I am very grateful for the treatment I received though.  And that they respected my knowledge of my diabetes as that isn't a fun fight to have when sick.  I am also grateful for the classmate who spent the day in the ER with me and the others who have been taking care of me all weekend.  While I don't feel perfect, I definitely feel better.  Here is to hoping I have the strength to pull off a 30 hour ob/gyn shift tomorrow as I've already used up one precious sick day. 

3 comments:

Solitary Diner (Also Known as The Frugalish Physician) said...

Being the patient is never fun. Hope you feel better soon. Is there a limit on the number of sick days you get? I usually end up taking anywhere from 2-5 per year, as I inevitably get hit with a bug that just won't go away. (Or maybe I'm just a wimp.)

EmFish said...

I am thankful that you know your own body, that you got good care, and that you have friends to give you TLC.

physician activist in training said...

In theory we have 3 per month for all month & 8 week long rotations before we have to repeat the block. However, in practice, I'm not really sure how it works out.