Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Off to Emergency for the 418th time this summer...

Yes, that is right. I am just waiting for morning rush hour to lighten up so I can manage the bus with my crutches, and I am taking myself to the hopital for the wasp sting I got on Sunday afternoon, which has made my arm balloon to alarming proportions - truly alarming - and is getting worse by the hour. I had a terrible sleep last night because of it.

I know it's a bit rich to be going to Emerg for a sting, but I feel as if, though this isn't a life-threatening problem or anything, it needs to be treated effectively, not with the half-assed measures that clueless walk-in doctors seem to take. The walk-in clinics I've been to in Home City always feel sketchy to me, as if they're populated with doctors who trained in the 50s and are stuck in a time warp.

Like the doctors from the new X-Files film, which some friends and I had the misfortune/delight of seeing last night. It was truly, truly, truly heinous. I couldn't believe it. So bad it was amusing. Did Chris Carter have a head transplant and forget what his show actually was? My goodness - appalling.

Anyway, I shall update ye. I seem to be in amused, light spirits, though I am sure being in Emergency for eight hours or whatever will beat them out of me.

Update: I went and didn't have a terrible wait - I was out of there in just over 2 hours. Anyway, the young doctor took one look at it and said, "Whoa, you have a nasty infection! I'm going to prescribe antibiotics, give you some benadryl, and I just want to have the other staff eyeball it so we can see if we should give you the antibiotics in an IV to begin." When she took me to the head doctor, he said you can't tell if it's an infection or just an allergic reaction, and so he didn't want to give me the antibiotics - he made her draw a line around the affected area and go home and watch it, and come back if it continues to grow and/or I develop other symptoms of an infection. I am to take benadryl for four days - which means now I'm going to go for a nap - this is going to be a very dozy four days.

My gut thinks it's an infection, but whatever. Let's just keep fingers crossed that it's not, and I don't have to spend tomorrow morning at the hospital, too.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh no!! The universe seriously needs to ease up on you and your health!! Not fair at all... That said, good to hear that you are still, amazingly in good spirits :)

BTW your comment about the walk in docs was dead on! I thought I was the only one who got these clowns! Nice to know that I am not crazy...

-DN

PG said...

You should get VIP service for frequent visits...Geez.

Good that you're going to get it checked out.

Pantagruelle said...

Oh no! That totally sucks. ((Hugs!))

You're so right about the walk-in doctors. I've had that experience more than once too. ER doctors do seem to be younger and more with it, perhaps just because the stress and the adrenaline of the job requires it of them. I hope you don't have to sit and wait too, too long. I do absolutely love free Canadian health care, but the system certainly has its flaws!

Anonymous said...

Hi Hilarie,

Not sure if you've left yet (or even if you're in the city I think you are), but the best walk-in, by far, is at First Canadian Place - I had to go last week (and have used it a couple of times in the past), and the doctors are truly professional and knowledgable. I had to wait about 20 mins to see a physician...I usually wait longer to see my own regular doctor, with an appointment!

I'm sorry about the wasp sting - speedy recovery, and do keep us posted.

Heather

medieval woman said...

Oh dear god. I can't believe this!

If karma counts for anything, I predict that you will soon win the lottery, get every SSHRC you apply for the next 3 years, AND have the best publisher in your field beg you to publish your monograph with them!

Anonymous said...

Dude! That is not good at all! But at least mornings are supposedly the best time to go to the ER, since people haven't really had a chance to hurt themselves effectively yet, unlike in the evening or something.

(I got some stitches recently in an ER in the US. That took about 3.5 hours from entering the hospital to leaving it.)

(I also got a wasp sting a few weeks ago. The stupid wasp flew into my shirt in the last 10 minutes of a 200km bike ride!)

Sfrajett said...

Hope you feel better, and thanks for the movie review! I was thinking about seeing it but now I'll see something else instead. Hope you didn't really have to be in the ER for 8 hours.

Anonymous said...

Dear PTB (powers that be):

Please, for the love of that is good and sane, LEAVE POOR HILAIRE ALONE. Or, better yet, let her win the lottery so that she can move back to Home City, get an excellent doc to watch over her knee so that she can run again, and save her ovary (or, barring saving the ovary, let it be outpaitent laproscopy).

Sincerely,
lilrumpus

What Now? said...

Oh my heavens -- not again! Fingers crossed that the Benadryl does the trick. And do, please, take care of yourself!