My Not so fun weekend

[Guest guest]

This is to crazy not to share with all of you. I've been having migraine

headaches for over three weeks and have been trying to get my internist

to contact my cardiologist or the neurologist to contact the

cardiologist or anyone for that matter to contact my cardiologist to see

if I could take Imitrex. (I have SVT- an arrhythmia problem). Anyway,

was in the ER last week having a spinal tap and CAT scan done to rule

out meningitis or West Nile. Can't tell you how thrilled I was when I

heard the choices I had about what they were testing me for. Everything

was normal, gave me two bags of fluid and though the ER doc didn't want

to, sent me home. Let me also tell you that over the past three weeks,

though my docs would not prescribe the Imitrex, they had no problem

whatsoever prescribing narcotics for me. Percocet, Vicodin, Darvocet,

etc. Go figure.

Finally get in to see my neurologist Friday morning and he tells me that

he thinks I've been having migraines. What a shocker!!! Gave me a scrip

for a Medrol Dose Pack, but told me not to fill it until I spoke with my

cardiologist and a scrip for Vicodin. Then he tells me that I look

dehydrated and I told him that I was and I have been vomiting and having

diarrhea from all the pain. Also told him that I had not urinated since

7 pm the night before and it was fast approaching 11 am.

He insists that I go to the ER to be catheterized immediately. He was

thinking that all the narcotics I was taking may have done some renal

function damage. Told him I have to go to my class first then will go to

ER. After my class, went to the ER, they called him (by the way, he is

the head of the Neurology Dept of this hospital). I get some cute

hotshot resident and a nurse who just became a PA who decide that even

though the doc told him to catheterize me, he said that he was going to

load me up with fluids and make me go by myself. Well, they loaded me up

with fluids, after six hours of this, I feel sick to my stomach, go into

the bathroom to vomit and pass out on the floor. They find me

unconsciouss on the floor of the bathroom of the hospital. Get me on a

bed and boy, can't tell you how quick they were to catheterize me after

that episode!! Now I have to be admitted to the cardiac unit for 24 hour

monitoring because I passed out. Meanwhile, they have me on IV

painkillers for this headache, Dilaudid, morphine, Toradol and Percocet

by mouth to cover me when the other stuff wore off. Have to tell you, it

was one hell of a party, too bad I was the only guest. I was high the

whole weekend. Finally get me off the cardiac floor and put me on neuro

and finally my gastro doc got the neurologist to speak with the

cardiologist. Finally, they're all playing nicely together in the

sandbox. They then decide to give me the Imitrex, because if I have a

reaction to it, hell, I'm already in the hospital. One dose of Imitrex

and three weeks of migraines just went Poof!!! They finally let me home

on Sunday night, had to argue for that one and I notice that my arm is

red where the IV had been. Well, wake up Monday morning with a nice case

of phlebitis with a pretty bad infection all around the site going up my

arm. Now had to go see a general surgeon who put me on antibiotics and

told me that he may still have to surgically go in and clean it out. I'm

the only person I know who can go to the hospital for possible renal

failure and migraine headaches and come out requiring surgery on my arm.

Best part of this whole story is that nobody ever checked my renal

function. Not even a urine specimen did they take. Today at my doc's

office and told him I was still having a problem urinating, sent me over

to a urologist who had to " tap " my bladder and told me I had to have a

special test done next week. He's pretty sure that it's a direct

reaction to all the narcotics I've been given over the past three weeks.

I asked him if he wasn't sure if I should go into rehab or something. He

was livid when I told him what had gone on. If that ER doc would have

done what he was told to do in the first place, none of this ever would

have happened. You are truly at the mercy of these total strangers

depending on the fact that they know what the hell they're doing.

Just had to vent. Thanks.

Regina