The Cherry on my Sundae of Suck

[hinakiba777]

Saturday morning at 7:50am I woke up to pain in my left hip. It was quite annoying, but not really that bad. Feeling a bit nauseous I went to the washroom and got sick. I then tried to get to sleep, but the pain was beginning to grow. Soon it was getting quite hard to ignore, so I called Campus Security to come and look me over. I couldn't really walk at this point.

So my favorite Security Officer comes into my room as I'm screaming in pain, and he offers to call me an ambulance. The paramedics came eventually, making me walk to the ambulance, and then into the hospital when the time arrived. The nurses said they couldn't even give me a drink of water until the doctor had examined me, so I ended up having a horrible case of dry heaves on top of my pain. The doctor eventually sees me, and gives me some pain medication. He also says he'll get the nurses to get me food from the cafeteria, but that doesn't happen. After about 2.5 hours, I am released to go home with an official case of "inflammation" though he used the actual medical title (bursitis).

Sadly the Christmas Parade was going on when I got out of the hospital. It took forever to get a taxi, and once I did the driver kept trying to explain that it was going to be expensive to go the long way around the parade. It was 11:00am by this point, I was tired, still sore and sick feeling, and kind of drugged out. I just wanted to go to bed.

The experience wasn't horrible considering it was an ER trip. I only had a two hour wait, and for the most part everyone was nice and helpful. Though I still don't understand why I couldn't have some water. I've never been denied water in the ER before. However, there was a nurse who I wanted to kill. There were three nurses, one paramedic, and a doctor looking after me. Just before the doctor arrived, a nurse who wasn't treating me came in the room. I was screaming in pain, when she came in. She looks at me from the door and asks, "Are you sick, dear?"

The thing that really makes this day horrible, is that I was supposed to go home today. I've had a viral infection for about three weeks, but I was only well enough to get examine Tuesday night. All week I've been making plans to go home, medical documentation to excuse the semester, just a lot of stuff. Tonight I was supposed to hope on a boat and make my way back home. I was supposed to make the trip alone, which scared me, but at least I could be home where people could take care of me.

Now, because of the random Saturday morning pain, I have to wait until Tuesday to go home. Dad wants to make sure I'm well enough to travel before I come home. I'd already given all my groceries away Friday so that I wouldn't have anything perishables left in my fridge.

It's been a rough month, leading up to a rougher week, and I really just didn't need today's BS. I have never been in so much pain, but I'd gladly go through it again right now if I could just be home.

Yeah I just wanted to get that off my chest. I'll keep you all updated in regards to my health, and my trip home, etc. Happy Holidays.

[BookstoreEscapee]

Aw, I hope you are feeling better soon.

I imagine the water thing was on the off chance you had something that might require surgery (given vomiting and pain, something like appenidicitis isn't outside the realm of possibility. Even though the pain was in your hip, sometimes things cause "referred pain" where the pain is felt in one place but is actually caused by a problem in a different part of the body).

[Green_Fairy]

aww! i hope your feeling better soon and your trip home isn't horrible

[Food Lady]

Yes, please update us. Sorry for all the drama! Glad it's not appendicitis, though--was my first suspicion.

[Amina516]

Aw, I hope you are feeling better soon.

I imagine the water thing was on the off chance you had something that might require surgery (given vomiting and pain, something like appenidicitis isn't outside the realm of possibility. Even though the pain was in your hip, sometimes things cause "referred pain" where the pain is felt in one place but is actually caused by a problem in a different part of the body).

Yeps.

I know it may seem mean, but if you had had a drink or food before they found out was was wrong, you would end up being in pain longer and/or put yourself @ risk for aspiration had you actually needed surgery. What I dont understand is why the EMTs/Paramedics had you walk out to the ambulance and then into the ER? Were they out of stretchers that morning?

Hope you feel better and get to go home soon.

[hinakiba777]

I suppose I understand not giving me water if they thought it was appenidicitis.

On the topic of stretchers, I don't think they thought it was serious enough. Though they could have put me in a wheelchair to get from the ambulance inside at least. I mean, they had me in a wheel chair to get my X-rays.

[hinakiba777]

Update=

Well my leg hasn't been bothering me all week so I'm happy.

In terms of my illness, my GP told me it's probably not from the H1N1 shot. We discussed everything that was happening, and she wrote a note just saying I was too ill to do work in school. It's quite the vague note, and I hope the university accepts it.

She also faxed the hospital I went to asking for the documentation. The girls in the record rooms at the hospital said they weren't allowed copying my chart. My doctor says that's BS and it's my right as a patient to have it. Anyway, hoping i get all the documentation soon. So i can send it off and have everything work out.

If it doesn't...I'm not sure.

[trailerparkmedic]

The girls in the record rooms at the hospital said they weren't allowed copying my chart.

Your doctor is right. You have the right to any medical records. Push back on the records people.

[Amina516]

Your doctor is right. You have the right to any medical records. Push back on the records people.

Shes right.

They might have a fee for it, based per page or something. But you should be able to sign a medical record release/waiver and get the records you need. They tell you anything else..they lie. Lookie here!

Access
Only you or your personal representative has the right to access your records. A health care provider or health plan may send copies of your records to another provider or health plan as needed for treatment or payment or as authorized by you. However, the Privacy Rule does not require the health care provider or health plan to share information with other providers or plans.

Charges
A provider cannot deny you a copy of your records because you have not paid for the services you have received. Even so, a provider may charge for the reasonable costs for copying and mailing the records. The provider cannot charge you a fee for searching for or retrieving your records.

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa...alrecords.html

[hinakiba777]

I will have to research this on a Canadian level. But I will be looking into it. And maybe go to the hospital next semester, and show them.