Yes … sadly. The title means exactly what it says. Once again Chris was back in the Emergency Room yesterday. She was experiencing the exact same symptoms she was having before the heart attack back in November. Shortness of breath, hot flashes, light-headedness, nausea, and the tell-tale stabbing pain in the middle of her back. Only this time she was having lunch with Lauren from Church at Pit Stop Barbecue (No, she didn’t order a rack of ribs. She had a chicken salad). And this time the nausea won the day. She threw up. Last straw for Lauren. She got Chris to the car and drove her home. That effectively put the ball in my court.
Once
I heard what was going on, my decision was already made. See, I made it after the last spell like that
she had. I vowed to her that next time
would be a trip to the ER, no if’s, and’s, or but’s. She still wasn’t completely convinced,
though, so I didn’t hesitate to call in the big guns. I asked Nathan to come over and help me
negotiate. He said he would be right
over. Actually, he said “we” would be
right over. There it was. He went right past the big guns and into the
weapons of mass destruction category. He
was bringing April.
Sure
enough, it didn’t take long before Chris agreed to be taken to the ER. April even came along to serve as interpreter,
guide through her own personal stomping grounds (She is an ER nurse),
and all-around familiar face. Greatly
appreciated. They raced us through the
check-in procedure and had us in a room in mere minutes after we arrived. Monitors were all hooked up in a jiffy, with
all the beeps and whistles we could hope for.
Blood drawn, urine sample taken. The
ER doc was amazing. He ordered tests for
everything he could think of, from head to toe.
Yep. They even did a CT scan of
her head to see if there was anything there.
That was an exciting moment. No, I
don’t mean the discovery of actual brain matter, although that was exhilarating. After the head scan, they rolled her quickly
into the hall to make way for some trauma case that had just come in. About an hour later, they remembered she was
still out there and finished her scans.
I was glad for me that April was around to talk to. Chris had a coveted front row seat to all the
action. Not sure she wanted it,
though.
They
ruled out things like gall bladder and stomach issues. The head action was I think because of her
Dad’s stroke issues. I have no idea what
all they did, but April was on top of everything. The Cardiology Team finally descended as
well, and they elected to officially admit her, watch her blood work through
the night, and decide this morning whether to do an echocardiogram, an
ultrasound, or skip straight to another heart cath. Then it was time … to wait … of course. April left to get some schoolwork done at
home. Chris and I chatted and watched
what little action we could see between the curtains. I even opened the door so we could be a
little more engaged. Also so they wouldn’t
forget we were there.
We
finally got word that she had been assigned a room, with the ever-present
caveat, “But it is dirty right now.” It
wasn’t until around 9 or so that a lady with a wheelchair rolled up to take her
to a regular room. I gathered up our “waiting
around things” and moved to follow them.
But no. “You can’t come upstairs
with us. Visiting hours are over.” Booted to the curb. But at least she got into a room. I made my way home and hit the sack. Early start today. Gotta cancel home group for tonight and see
what work I can get done between now and the all-powerful visiting hour at ten.
Hebrews
12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be
holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
Father,
would you please once again watch over Chris during her stay at the lovely
five-star hospital-hotel? Amen.
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