I had this little itchy spot on the inside of my thigh. Since I have a dog, woods behind my house, and a wood burning stove, I assumed it was just a bug bite. But then it kept itching. A lot. Really annoying and painful itch. And it was lasting longer than a little bug bite usually would. I took a better look at it (as bendy as I am, this is still a spot that I can't see easily) and realized it looked a hell of a lot like shingles. So I called in sick and planned to go to urgent care today. Well, the urgent care clinic said they'll take any insurance, but mine will still cost me a whole lot, more than a trip to the ER (the hospital my insurance is primarily affiliated with is down the street from urgent care). So, I went to the ER. I don't like the idea of going to the ER for non-emergencies, but $75 is a hell of a lot cheaper than the unknown several hundred just to have a spot looked at. But I decided to look at it as a glass-half-full situation. I've been battling with myself for a week to go get IV fluids because I felt like crap and it was dysautonomia related and I knew IV fluids would make me feel better, but it's so expensive to go to the ER for fluids. Nonetheless, I was already headed that way, so it was gonna be a double trip.
The doc decided that my lesion is shingles, but that it's small enough and contained enough by my clothes that I don't have to miss work (which I did today because shingles is contagious and I work on an oncology floor where immune systems suck). I will still ask to be reassigned if I should happen to have chemo or neutropenic patients for the next week though; better safe than sorry.
And when I asked for fluids, the doc asked a couple questions (rather than just giving it away, because that would be irresponsible) and said he can certainly give me fluids. And Zofran, since I was due for more and anything via IV is much better.
Since I was dehydrated, I didn't have a lot of options on veins. I don't let people stick my right arm anymore because in nearly 10 years, it's only been successful 2 times. So that left my left side. But since I have EDS, that eliminated the big fat veins in the AC space because I can't hold my arm straight that long, and my wrist. But the training tech was up for the challenge (he told me afterward he likes people like me, who he actually has to work on and learn from, rather than just shooting a standard canon through a big vein). We ended up having to use the smallest adult IV they keep (22) and it went into a vein in my hand that bent slightly after it was in. But it was a single stick, and not a dreadful one either. But because of the size and location of the IV, it took a long time. And I did have to adjust my knuckles a little to help speed up the flow (luckily, not painful, just awkward, I had to keep my hand pretty still to keep the flow going strong). But by the time I was done, I felt like a much different person. I managed to eat lunch halfway through and finish it - after taking a break and coming back to it. My headache went away, I stopped peeing every 5 minutes, muscle spasms decreased, dizziness decreased greatly, the whole nine yards.
I have found a new gastroenterologist who I am seeing at the beginning of June for the first time. I'm going to bring up the fact that the only way I can properly retain any kind of fluid volume is when it's normal saline IV or massive amounts of gatorade. It's hard to eat and drink enough to do the same as the IV fluids. I really think that either doing a nissen and G-tube with the sole purpose of small "saline" (I would just mix the appropriate amount of salt water at home) boluses all day or doing a j-tube with a pump and 'saline' would make a huge difference in my dysautonomia symptoms. I always feel like a WHOLE NEW PERSON whenever I get a single liter of IV fluids. And it shouldn't be that way. I should be able to get relief from these symptoms at home, instead of relying on the ER, and then paying out the nose for it. So I'm going to make the absorption/malabsorption argument a big one when I see the doc next month.
But for now, I have the rest of the day off (though I work tomorrow so I'll have to be in bed in just a few hours), and I feel good. So I'm gonna kick back and take it easy and just enjoy that I'm taking it easy in comfort for a change.
Hope all my favorite zebras and bendies out there are doing well and enjoying the weekend. ::gentle hugs and spoons::
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