# Time sensitive- do I need to go to the ER?



## Missy9579 (Jun 11, 2007)

Ok, so maybe there is a nurse on the board, or perhaps someone who had similar symptoms.

For the last 2 days I have had bad stomach pains, along with nausea, along with a headache. Today I have diarhea, and while I still have pains in my tummy, its feels like,,,my insides have grown and there is just no more room,,,or they are trying to grow and pushing ,,its a weird, uncomfortable feeling....and it does hurt. Im unsure if I need to have this checked right away. I always hate the thought of going to the ER only to be told there is nothing wrong. Its such a waste of money for me, someone who has no health insurance. i called my doctors office and they gave me an appointment for Friday,,,,,but just in the last few hours it has gotten increasingly ore uncomfortable...Im so unsure!

I do have 2 ulcers that I am aware of,,,,


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## SamanthaNY (Jun 11, 2007)

Vi - you know the only really safe thing to do is to have this checked out, and if you're worried enough to be posting here asking the question, it's probably best if you just go to the ER. When you're scared and possibly in trouble, it's never a waste of money.

At first read, it sounds like you have some sort of intestinal bug or irritation that's now moving down your intestines. But, it could be any range of things. The bloated, overcrowded feeling could be inflammation and/or irritation. Those can be serious. 

Here's a page that gives you some questions to answer based on your symptoms, and what to do about it. I hope this helps.


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## Waxwing (Jun 11, 2007)

Go. Get thee to an ER. More than likely it's nothing serious (does sound like an awful bug), but if you're worried then go. It's so much scarier not knowing, and worrying over it is going to make you feel even worse.

*hug*

Now quit posting and see a doctor.


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## Seth Warren (Jun 11, 2007)

Short answer: yes.


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## MissToodles (Jun 11, 2007)

I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but often public hospitals have urgent care clinics. If it's a true emergency, go to the e.r., but try to find urgent care first.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 11, 2007)

BigCutie, I hope by now you've gone to the ER. Pain like you describe could be so many things -- anything from gas to a tummy bug to appendicitis to .... gosh, just about anything. If you're miserable, you should go. If nothing else, they can check your blood to make sure you haven't pooped yourself into dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance. And they can give you meds to make you feel better. Those are two reasons -- your history of ulcers being a third! -- why you should get checked out.

Yes, it could be nothing. Or it could be something. And you'll never know unless you go. So scoot, M'goot!


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## SamanthaNY (Jun 11, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> they can check your blood to make sure you haven't pooped yourself into ...



That's why I love health professionals (really!) - all that medical jargon. 

I hope you're on your way to the clinic or ER by now Vi - please update us if you can!


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 11, 2007)

SamanthaNY said:


> That's why I love health professionals (really!) - all that medical jargon.



Heh. Well, I've found that a little laughter helps patients not feel talked down to. And yeah, I talk like that at work sometimes, too. My colleagues roll their eyes but the patients laugh -- but they really do get what I'm saying, which is always my intent. That and to make them laugh. I had two career choices lined up -- stand up comic and obstetrical nurse. I couldn't decide so.... I do a little bit of both, since as they say, humor is the best medicine.

I just so suck at that maintaining a professional distance and demeanor thing, don't I?


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## SamanthaNY (Jun 11, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> Heh. Well, I've found that a little laughter helps patients not feel talked down to. And yeah, I talk like that at work sometimes, too. My colleagues roll their eyes but the patients laugh -- but they really do get what I'm saying, which is always my intent. That and to make them laugh. I had two career choices lined up -- stand up comic and obstetrical nurse. I couldn't decide so.... I do a little bit of both, since as they say, humor is the best medicine.
> 
> I just so suck at that maintaining a professional distance and demeanor thing, don't I?



Maybe - but that's what makes you a GREAT nurse, imo.


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## tonynyc (Jun 11, 2007)

Go to the ER and get well


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## Missy9579 (Jun 12, 2007)

So...I was in enough pain last evening to decide to go get checked out. I first went to a walk in clinic, where they said it was $100 to be seen, I said fine, then they went on to say that if they ran tests it would be very costly,and it all had to be paid up front and that I was better off to go to the ER.

So I go to the ER. I wait for 3 hours to be seen. My blood pressure was pretty high and they said that could be because I was in pain. I get taken back to a room. Asked for a urine sample. Then the PA came in and talked with me. I was not asked to even put on a johnnie. He asked a few questions, talked about my history for a little bit, and then decided that there is definitly something wrong, but that he didnt know what without tests. But he was not going to run any. He said that he wasnt even going to blood work, because he would probably get whacky numbers back, and not know why. He gave me a GI cocktail, what he called it, malox, litocain and something with a b for muscle spasms. And I was then told to follow up with my doctor today. So after all that, he did no tests. No anything. I was really disappointed.

I went to the doctor this morning. I have lost 9 pounds since last Monday. I havent eaten in 24 hours, and I cant even hold liquid in for more than 10 minutes. The doctor gave me some pills, and said take them, and if im not better by Friday to come back. That this was the LEAST costly way to find out what is wrong.

Im really frustrated that no one is listening to me, I know my body, I know when something is wrong, and I KNOW that if i had health insurance, I would have had several tests by now, and probably had an answer. But because I dont, I get to be treated like second class, and have to take whatever they give e for care. Its very dissappointing.

So I am still really sick, in a lot of pain, I cant wait to see how much the ER is going to charge me, and I have no asnwers.

Thank you to all who showed concern for me...hopefully ill be better soon.


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## SamanthaNY (Jun 12, 2007)

Aw, Vi - I'm sorry you had such crappy treatment! It should be unacceptable to refuse to run tests just because someone has no insurance. Will your doctor run any for you? You'd still have to pay, but at this point I think you have to find out what's wrong, and deal with the costs afterwards.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 12, 2007)

How awful, Vi.  I hope they're not treating you this way because you don't have insurance, but rather because they think you have a bug that'll pass and when that's the case there really is very little they can do other than wait it out and keep you hydrated. Those GI cocktails can be helpful -- we use them sometimes. A little something to take care of nausea, another little something to stop diarrhea, that kind of thing. And yeah, your numbers would be whacky. Duuuh. That's why you do them.  I'd definitely want to know if -- or rather how much -- you're dehydrated. Being dehydrated alone can make you miserable and nauseous, which perpetuates the whole problem.

So, with that in mind, can you at least try to get sips of gator aid down? (They didn't tell you not to eat or drink if you could, did they?) Just little sips if you're allowed, and keep on sipping every few minutes; even if you throw some up, you'll absorb at least a little bit, but you're less likely to throw up if you just sip. And the pills they gave you, is it some sort of anti-nausea medication? I hope so, because that should help you be able to keep at least liquids down. You poor thing, I wish there was something I could do. 

Please take care of yourself, and if you get worse, you may want to make a second trip to the ER or an urgent care clinic for no other reason than to get some IV hydration. While we can't really do anything about garden variety intestinal bugs, we can get you re-hydrated and give you meds to ease your suffering.


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## Missy9579 (Jun 12, 2007)

I just went to a walk in clinic. I know something is wrong, so I decided to go get another opinion.

The doctor said he thinks its an infection, probably viral, but it could be bacterial. He gave me a prescription for cipro, he said i need to drink pedialite because I am getting dehydrated, and thats the last ditch effort to avoid IV rehydration. He also gave me some vials for stool samples to take to teh lab, but said thats up to me if i want that extra expense.

So, hopefully I will be feeling better soon!!!


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## mossystate (Jun 12, 2007)

I hope this cipro will help 'do the trick'. Right now I am also without medical insurance and it is so very scary. Feel better soon!


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 12, 2007)

Cipro, huh? Well if it's bacterial, Cipro'll kill it, that's for sure. There's very little that Cipro doesn't kill. Just watch out for yeast infections -- that's probably the last thing you need right now. 

Poor thing. I hope the Pedialyte can stay down so that you don't get poked, and I'm glad you went back and got seen.


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## Missy9579 (Jun 13, 2007)

where would one get acidopholis? Im only on 3 days of cipro....6 pills, so I dont know if that is a normal course or not? They told me no dairy right away but dosnt yougurt help avoid a yeast infection. Great, my twidget is itchy just thinking about this.


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 13, 2007)

You can get acidophilus at the health food store, or if your grocery store has a natural food section with vitamins, you might find them there. Sometimes they need to be refrigerated, sometimes not. No dairy, eh? At all? Or just with the pills?

How's your tummy, by the way? You feeling at all better?


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## SamanthaNY (Jun 13, 2007)

twidget? lol


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## Missy9579 (Jun 13, 2007)

Oh, we have a whole foods store here....just up the street Ill stop by and pick some up,,,,You really think I need it even with just 3 days of Cipro? Must be some serious stuff.... 

And yes, my twidget started itching as I thought of a yeast infection...cmon,,,all you girls have twidgets!

And Im feeling a bit better....I woke up disappointed as I headed straight for the bathroom , its been over 36 hours since I started with the diarhea and its still not letting up at all....I guess I thought the one dose of antibiotics i took last night would be a miracle worker,,,but it wasnt :-(......I dont feel dehydrated anymore, I could definitly tell when I was because it took all I had to make it up the stairs, and now, I feel better...Im eating a little Jello this morning, I havent eaten anything since Monday at 2pm....when I went to the doctors yesterday they weighed me, and I was down 9 pounds in 8 days. 

But hopefully a few more doses of the antibiotic and ill feel better, I wanted them to stop teh diarhea and the doctor advised against it, he said its infectous and that we wanted it to come out.....I dont see the we part in this!

thanks for asking guys, and for caring!!


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## Sandie S-R (Jun 13, 2007)

Vi, if this doesn't calm down soon, is there a University (teaching) hospital near you? They will not refuse you treatment, will let you pay based on income (sliding scale) and you can at least get some care. Even if you have to drive an hour or so, it would be worth it in my opinion to get this addressed. I'm so sorry that you have had a hard time with this. If you feel too sick to advocate for yourself, please get a friend or family member to go with you and fight for your need to be treated.

Also Vi...Please, please consider telling your story here.....

http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24323

It is so important that we fight for better health care, and now that it is at the attention of the media and public (because of the Michael Moore movie) it is even more important.

PM me if you need any help with this.


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## Missy9579 (Jun 13, 2007)

Ok this may be a little bit gross, but I have a question for those of you with medical knowledge who have been reading this,,,,

My stool is now orange. Ya know that pill you take when you have a UTI, I think it begins with a P, and turns your pee orange, thats what my stool looks like, is this normal? I did eat cherry jello this morning, but I would think if that was effecting it it may be red....so I am unsure!!


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## Waxwing (Jun 13, 2007)

BigCutieViolet said:


> Ok this may be a little bit gross, but I have a question for those of you with medical knowledge who have been reading this,,,,
> 
> My stool is now orange. Ya know that pill you take when you have a UTI, I think it begins with a P, and turns your pee orange, thats what my stool looks like, is this normal? I did eat cherry jello this morning, but I would think if that was effecting it it may be red....so I am unsure!!


 
Don't worry about it being gross. If my stool is off in color it terrifies me. I figure if stool color is a barometer of health in my dog, it might as well be for me as well. 

I can't speculate what the orange would be, but as far as I know if there's blood in your stool it's more black. 

If I'm wrong someone with medical knowledge please correct me.

And I'm so sorry you had such a horrible experience in the ER.


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## SamanthaNY (Jun 13, 2007)

Blood in the stool can be red or black - depends on it's origin. But... other things can give it a red appearance, a recently eaten steak (those can also give positive test results when testing for blood in the stool - even if it isn't noticeable) for instance, or... yes... red jello. 

Orange, however can be caused by certain medications, or foods rich in beta carotene. My guess is that your case is medicinal in nature, aided by the fact that you don't have a lot of food in your system, so processing is, uh.... altered. 

Check these out for more information: source source source search.


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## Suze (Jun 13, 2007)

good luck! hope you feeling better soon


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## Miss Vickie (Jun 14, 2007)

BigCutieViolet said:


> Ok this may be a little bit gross, but I have a question for those of you with medical knowledge who have been reading this,,,,
> 
> My stool is now orange. Ya know that pill you take when you have a UTI, I think it begins with a P, and turns your pee orange, thats what my stool looks like, is this normal? I did eat cherry jello this morning, but I would think if that was effecting it it may be red....so I am unsure!!



Vi, I looked for stool discoloration as a side effect of Cipro and couldn't find it. In general, the scary kind of blood is old blood and it looks a lot like black coffee grounds. Fresh blood can happen from irritation in the rectum, or fissures, or hemorrhoids or polyps and looks like, well, blood. Sometimes blood with mucus.

But bright orange? I have no idea. It could be coloring from the jello since it's unlikely you're able to break it down completely. I'd call your doc tomorrow if it continues, just to be sure it's not something I haven't heard of (vajayjay's are my specialty -- not tummies). Bile is kind of greenish in the stool, but I'm stumped by orange, other than the obvious, that it's insufficiently broken down food coloring.

Oh and that drug you were thinking of? Is Pyridium, I think. AWESOME stuff!

Oh hey, here's a cool article about variously colored stools and what they mean.


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## Missy9579 (Jun 14, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> Oh and that drug you were thinking of? Is Pyridium, I think. AWESOME stuff!



Yes! hey thats it! The one that makes your pee low in the dark orange!!!

lol at vajayjays  

Im up at 4 am because im still pooping orange *sigh*


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## DeniseW (Jun 14, 2007)

just wanted to see how you're feeling, remember to call me if you need anythng.


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## Paul (Jun 17, 2007)

Bumping this thread higher up the threads.

Violet how are you doing? I hope you are getting better. Please let us know how you are doing, okay?


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## lemmink (Jun 18, 2007)

I hope you get better soon. This sounds like a really horrible bacterial infection... has anyone given you antibiotics yet? :/


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## Missy9579 (Jun 19, 2007)

hello again! From a girl who is feeling SO much better.


I did my 3 days of antibiotics, but i have to say it was not until Thursday night I started to feel even human again. I went many days without eating a thing. I had lost about 8 pounds in those 5 days of sickness.

That Saturday I bleach cleaned my whole entire house to kill whatever it was here as well.

Thank you all for your wonderful advice and well wishes!!! 

It means a lot


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## kr7 (Jun 19, 2007)

Yay! Glad to hear you're well again!

Chris


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## Paul (Jun 19, 2007)

Violet,

Thanks for your reply. I am very glad you are feeling better. One recommendation: after a treatment with antibiotics it is a good idea to eat some yogurt for a few days to replace the e-coli killed by the antibiotice in your gastrointestinal system. Don't eat the yogurt until you are completely finished with the antibiotics since it is not a good idea to mix antibiotics and diary.

I am so gald you are on the mend. Yaaaaah! :happy:


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