Okay, I've actually got something interesting to say!

My doctor wanted me to have a blood test done, and she wanted me to fast for 8 hours beforehand, so yesterday morning I skipped breakfast and went to the clinic to have my blood test done. I had my day all planned out - after visiting the clinic, I would pick up a prescription, get an EggMcMuffin at McDonald's, and go to work. After work, I would vacuum my car and wash it at work, then go home and clean.

I got to the clinic and sat on the bench outside the lab, waiting for the technician to come take my blood - I was the very first one there. After a few minutes, a little old lady sat next to me. She took out some knitting and we chatted a little bit. Then the technician came, asked who was first, and since it was me, I went and sat in the chair that looks like it could occupy a 400 pound bottom.

I wasn't really nervous - I've had blood taken before, and I thought I'd be more nervous because I hadn't eaten, but I wasn't really. I was doing fine, she put the needle in, and I felt kind of sick so I put my head back and closed my eyes. She asked me if I was okay and I said "yeah". I felt really dizzy but I knew it was almost over. She asked me a few more times if I was okay and I just kept saying "yeah".

Then I opened my eyes and there were about six people standing over me, and I was lying on the floor. Someone was saying "You're okay, Amber, you're fine, it's okay". I saw the lab tech and thought "I think that's the girl who took my blood a few days ago." I closed my eyes again because I thought I was just in a dream and I was really tired. Someone said my name and I was like "What?" and I was kind of annoyed. They were like "Have you ever had a seizure before?" I was like "what? no."

Gradually I realized what was going on. "Wait, so I'm still at the clinic?" "Okay, I passed out?" "What do you mean, I had a seizure?" I couldn't believe it was happening. They brought me some orange juice and I sipped it. After a few minutes I could half sit up if I was leaning on somebody, but I was shaking really bad. They got me into a wheelchair, and as they took me away I saw the lady I had been chatting with. Her eyes were huge as she stared at me.

I laid down on a table and everyone there was so nice, asking me if I wanted a saltine or some orange juice - I had people popping in every ten seconds to see how I was doing! The lab tech came in and she was like "oh good, your color's back." I said "Why, was I pale?" and she said "Um, your face was the color of your shirt" (I was wearing a white shirt). I called a friend from work to pick me up because I couldn't really drive.

I got back to work and used the bathroom and discovered I'd peed my pants while I was out! Haha, I don't think I've done that since I was too little to remember. I laid down at work for a few hours, then I suddenly got this massive headache. I was able to walk around, but poorly and only for a minute or two. I could only sit up for a minute or two before having to lie down. I called the clinic and they told me to go straight to the ER. I didn't want to, I cried and begged and said I wanted to wait longer but they said I had to go and get a CT scan. So my coworker drove me to the Auburn emergency center, but they were out of power so their CT wasn't working. So I went to Valley Medical Center, which is kind of a bad word around here - people always make a face when someone says "I went to Valley". It's just not a great hospital. But it was the closest thing.

My coworker dropped me off, and I checked in and they said the wait would not be long, but I was in the waiting room for at least 2 hours. I was miserable - I was thirsty, they wouldn't let me have water, and I was so hungry and I wasn't supposed to eat but I was sneaking fingerfuls of peanut butter. The only nice thing was that a friend of my mom's works there and she found me like two minutes after I got there. I was laying down on the bench because I was so dizzy and she brought me a pillow for my head.

Ooh! Dramatic moment! A black dude came in, screaming, "My fingers are cut off! They're gone! F***! F***! My fingers are gone, you understand they're GONE! Can you people help me! I have insurance! I have insurance, I'm covered, but my d*** fingers are gone, they're just gone!" He was waving his bandaged hand around in the air and getting blood everywhere. They took him back and you could hear him yelling. We in the waiting room kind of looked at each other, smiled, and resumed our normal sleeping/reading/talking. Two minutes later the guy's buddy came running in - "I've got the fingers!" Heehee. This poor traumatized little girl that was there, I felt sorry for her but at least her mommy was with her.

Finally I went back and got a bed. From here on it was pretty boring - lots of blood pressure tests, an IV, EKG, CT scan. The lady in the bed next to me, I guess she was waiting in the waiting room with me because she asked if I was the girl with the peanut butter. Her name was...um...Lydia? no... dang it. I cannot remember. Anyway, it was nice to talk to her for a bit. After a bag of IV fluids I felt so much better, and after a few hoursI was discharged and my cousin picked me up. But I hated being at that hospital. I've decided to write them a letter:

Dear Valley Medical Center Emergency Room:

Your staff is really extreme. Either they are extremely competent and nice, or they are extremely arrogant and rude. Your check-in lady was nice. She was efficient and quick. My mom's friend, who works there, was nice.

Your nurse, the blond guy with all the muscles who looks like he could break my arm off at the shoulder when he's taking blood pressure, he's arrogant. He was asking me why I'd had a seizure and I said "well they think it was because I was fasting" and he was like "well duh you should have eaten first" and I was like "well they told me to fast, dodo," and he was like "how long did you fast" and I said "just eight hours, I skipped breakfast" and he was like "well pfft, that's not fasting" and I was like "well that's what they called it so you can just take it up with them." I don't really remember how much of my part of the conversation was in my head, but he was a jerk.

Throughout the day, my blood pressure and heart rate were taken at random intervals, and the heart rate was taken with this little finger thing you put your finger in. Well, sometimes they'd forget to take the blood pressure cuff off (or so I thought) and just leave it on for forty-five minutes until they came back. So when Mr. Blond Surfer Nurse came in and put the finger thing on and left, I figured he'd forgotten to take it off, so I did. My monitor started beeping and he came in and was like "What's up?"

I said, "Nothing,"

"Why did you take your monitor off?"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was supposed to leave it on."

"Well, if you don't want to wear it that's fine, we just want to monitor you so we can tell if you are dying or something."

"Um, I don't mind wearing it, I just thought you had forgotten to take it off."

"Ha! I never forget anything" and he stalked off.

Your patient advocate, whose name (I think) is Ray, was really nice. He came with a smile and asked if he could get me a pillow, and I said yes, and he asked if I'd like the light off and I said yes because I was laying on my back staring up into the light. He gave me a card to fill out and he thanked me for my smile.

Your doctor was nice. His name started with an R. He told me the same thing had happened to his dad, fainting and then having a seizure. He said it might not have been a true seizure, just a reaction after fainting that some people have. Then he asked if I'd peed my pants and I said yes and he said "Oh, well that's more like a seizure". He ended up giving me a referral for a neurologist, which I didn't want, but I asked if I really had to go and he basically said yes, and I couldn't drive till I see the neurologist.

The lady who came in just before I was discharged, what the heck was up with her? She acted like it was her job to convince me, the hypochondriac, that I was fine. "Yeah, you passed out, but that's a normal body reaction and a lot of people do that when they get blood drawn, so you're fine." I got that reaction from so many medical professionals yesterday who asked me what had happened and when I told them they tried to tell me why I was overreacting. So here's what I want to tell them.

1. I don't know what happened. I was passed out, remember? For all you medical professionals who asked me what I did during the seizure and how long it was, how the heck would I know? Idiots. I felt like I was in the ER for nothing. It's not like I had a litte pain so I went straight to the hospital. I don't even remember what happened. So don't try telling me that I'm overreacting to something I don't even remember.

2. I didn't want to come in to the ER, but my doctor said I had to. When the first hospital I went to couldn't to the CT scan, I called her again to see if I could just wait till they got their machine up and she said I had to come to Valley. I didn't even want to come in! You think I like sitting in the waiting room with groaning, sleeping people, having water withheld from me, donning an ugly gown that would fit someone 200 pounds heavier than me, having needles stuck in me and handsomely arrogant surfer nurses being dumb at me? Well, I didn't! I was so bored and I was dizzy and in pain. So don't try and tell me I came in for nothing and it's my own fault.

Sincerely,

Amber.

Grr.

Anyway, today I still felt pretty sick until about noon, then something clicked and I was way better. Like, I couldn't really walk straight before and I was so dizzy and tired. And this morning it was pretty warm but I kept getting chills. I'd be like "Agh! It's FREEZING in here! Can we PLEASE turn off the fan!" and my coworkers were like "Um, no. It's hot and we're sweating." But I feel soo much better now! Wow! I have to see my regular doctor tomorrow - I thought I'd get out of it by seeing the neurologist, but they called me this morning at 8 and they were like "Don't think that just because you went to the ER you don't have to keep your 9:00 appointment tomorrow!" No, they didn't say it like that, but that was the basic message.

I drove today even thought I am not supposed to, but I just got my car from the clinic and moved it to work so it won't get towed. It was only like five minutes away.

So that was my day yesterday and my day today. Sorry everything is so detailed - I like to put in as many details as I can because whenever I read back on old blogs I like all the details and remembering.

Heehee. Random, huh?