I Survived the ER... Again

 

Recently, I went on a road trip with my husband to visit his family for Christmas. I really enjoyed the trip and my time with them, but boy do I have a knack for finding a way to go to the hospital. My body loves to throw me for a loop! 

The day before the big road trip I noticed something was off but didn't think much of it. It felt a little like a yeast infection which I was struggling to fully get rid of. The next day while we were driving, that was when I realized there was something seriously wrong. The pain made it difficult to sleep and walk. I could still walk well enough for no one to notice though. But at this point, I was very swollen down there.

The next day while we were staying at a hotel, it was once again a rough night due to the pain. This time it was so swollen that anything that brushed against it was excruciating. I still didn't say anything though because we were travelling and just trying to make it to our destination. We eventually made it to my in-law's house... and it was another very rough night. This time I didn't really sleep at all. It was hard to walk, and I couldn't really sit properly. I finally mentioned it to my family and got some help. After a few calls we find out that my insurance only covers the ER if you're out of state. So, my husband drove me to the ER.

I got checked in and we ended up waiting about four or five hours before I got seen. While we were in the ER, I was in so much pain that I couldn't sit up, I was flinching really hard from big sharp pains every few minutes, and I couldn't walk without looking very strange because I had to keep my legs so spread out. When I finally got into the ER, they determined that I had an infected cyst in one of the most sensitive spots on my body. They gave me some morphine and knocked me out to cut it open. 

This was definitely the strangest feeling I ever had from being knocked out. Usually when I start waking up from being knocked out, I remember everything and am mostly aware of my surroundings and just feel a little groggy. This time, when I started waking up, I didn't remember anything for a while. I didn't know where I was at and could really only see shadows and lights. It was very strange. I could barely talk too. The first thing I remember when I was waking up was someone saying my name a few times and asking if I was okay. 

The next thing I remember is someone yelling over and over again. I didn't say anything at first because I was so out of it, I wasn't sure if it was just in my head or not. But when the yelling persisted, I asked the nurse if someone was yelling. Turns out, it wasn't just in my head. Later on, my husband told me that it was just a mentally unstable patient out there yelling. It's not a story related to my health, but still strange! 

After I was more awake and more aware of my surroundings, the nurse gave me some dilaudid because I was still in a lot of pain. Turns out, the cyst developed because of the yeast infection that I was not able to get rid of. Ever since I started taking Rinvoq for my ulcerative colitis I have been struggling with yeast infections and UTI's even though I have been very careful to keep clean and take vitamins. The last yeast infection I got that caused this I had taken prescription medication from my doctor and medicine that you can buy from Walmart multiple times, and it still didn't get rid of it. I would have called my doctor, but it was just bad timing because this all happened right as I was travelling. 

After the people at the ER cut me open and got me taken care of, they sent me home with prescriptions for antibiotics and hydrocodone. I think I threw up about three or four times on the way home. I felt so sick from all the pain medicine. I did feel better though! The first couple of recovery days were rough because I was still in a lot of pain, and it was excruciating to use the bathroom and move in general. But I was feeling noticeably better each day. 

Today, I am fully recovered. I got a follow-up with my general practitioner and have a plan to take care of any yeast infection that comes up again. My doctor recommended that I start taking women's probiotics from now on to help with infections. It's definitely difficult working around a weak immune system, but I am grateful to have such good doctors and family that help take care of me.