Tuesday, 1:00 AM: Diana wakes up in pain and unable to take anything more than a shallow breath. We stalled for a bit to see if she got better (I’m getting used to her having random pains that disappear as quickly as they appear). But the moment she said “I hate to go to the E.R. and have it turn out to be nothing…” I knew it was time to go.
2:00 A.M.: We arrived at the E.R., and sat. And sat. We were finally called back to the triage nurse, who gave her something for pain (ineffective), and nothing for her breathing. We were sent back to the waiting area for more sitting.
6:00 A.M.: After several hours of being vigorously ignored by various nurses, Diana gets some real pain medication. This is so effective that she returns to almost normal. (We later learn that it’s the same stuff they give to cancer patients, and that she shouldn’t have received any.)
7:00 A.M.: They shuffle us off for an ultrasound. They determine (probably incorrectly) that she has gall stones, her gall bladder is infected, and she’ll need surgery to remove it.
8:00 A.M.: We sit in the hall outside Radiology, waiting while they figure out if she’s really done and where they’re going to take us next. Finally they take us into a room and have her drink two quarts of wall plaster (barium, actually) in preparation for a C.T. scan. Her mom joins us, after taking Lenny to daycare.
10:00 A.M.: We learn the room Diana’s actually going to be admitted to upstairs, and relocate to a nearby lounge. Her dad and stepmom arrive. More sitting, waiting for her to finish her C.T. scan.
3:30 P.M.: We leave her mom there with her, and I go home to (theoretically) catch a nap and pick Lenny up from daycare. I spend the time packing things for an overnight stay at the hospital instead.
6:00 P.M.: Lenny and I arrive back at the hospital. He charms nurses, interrupts me from dozing off, and generally ignores his Mommy. Eventually his Grammy takes him home.
9:00 P.M.: They locate a folding bed for me, and I crash. Hard.
I was awakened at various times throughout the night by nurses, respiratory therapists, etc. coming to check on Diana, but only briefly. I wasn’t much good for watching over her, but she’s breathing okay and not in (much) pain, so I don’t feel too bad.
They’ve pretty much written off the gall bladder diagnosis as a mistake, though they’re running one more scan today to be sure. They’ll keep her again tonight for more medicine and monitoring (and I’ll stay at the hospital again), but hopefully she’ll go home tomorrow.