Vision a bit blurry at 8.30, I put it down to Liebling waking up at least once every night all week and needing me there with him each time. Just tired, nothing more.
At about 9.30, I notice that it's a migraine. Don't know how bad, but it has hit.
9.45, I have no control of my left leg below the hip, my left arm is doing the random movement thing that I can't stop, and my left cheek and jaw are difficult to move. My tongue feels swollen. Migraine. Colleague takes me home, everyone at work makes me promise to see the GP.
At 11.30 I walk to the GP. I can walk! OK, with a heavy limp as I can't bend my left knee, but I get there.
See the GP at 12. He's worried because he hasn't seen this type of migraine before and it is pretty severe. Calls an ambulance, calls the hospital to get me an urgent CT scan. Close hospitals can't do this, so get sent to a further one. At 12.30 I'm in the back of an ambulance, get a full ECG done and blood sugars taken. These are normal, they tell me, except a slightly raised potassium level.
Arrive at hospital at 12.50. I'm pushed into a ward and the nice ambulance people leave.
Ah, in a hospital. Guess what? Things go wrong. Firstly, I have bloods taken. For "everything", when I ask. (They don't tell me, I ask, and still don't get an answer.) After about 10 minutes, with some normal blood pressures done by a machine, a nurse starts to wheel me away. Where am I going, I ask. To another ward. Yeah, don't tell me before you wheel me away. Or even introduce yourself. (He was a nice bloke, just really sums up my hospital experiences: I don't need to know what They are doing to me.)
Doctor will see me soon, I am left alone. Get bored. Read about 8 comics on my phone. Arm is controlable, but with a stent left in so uncomfortable. Vision fine. Left leg weak.
I call over a nurse and ask when a doctor will see me, as it is now 2.20 and I've been here an hour and a half and came in with a suspected stroke. An hour an a half, she checks. Really soon then. I decide not to go to the loo, despite starting to need it. DH texts, I tell him to come and pick me up once he has picked up Liebling from school.
2.50, I ask the nurse who wheeled me in when someone will see me. Two hours with suspected stroke. He says he'll find out. I now have my powers of speech back in full (over 6 hours after the migraine started).
Ten minutes later, I ask him again. He's alerted the doctors that I'm waiting.
DH calls: he is to get me. I am fine. Even if I had a stroke, they can do nothing about it now. I've been here over two hours and nothing has been done. Unimpressed.
3.25 and a doctor arrives. Aside from left leg weakness and peripheral vision on my left side gone, I am fine. She does some basic tests (follow light, squeeze fingers, push and pull with all limbs) and gets me to walk about. I'm probably fine, she decides. But she'll ask the consultant if I need a CT or can go home. I just want to go home and let her know that: DH is coming to collect me. She arranges another ECG, as I may have heart problems occasionally and was OK for the ambulance but won't be now. This is a better idea than a CT, which uses X-rays. No-one told me that. No-one asked if I were, say, pregnant before organising this. I finally risk going to the loo, as I won't miss the doctor now. Urine specimen taken.
DH arrives at 3.50. They do the ECG on me. I have no idea what the outcome is.
Someone arrives to do my blood pressure shortly afterwards and tells me that they're admitting me. WTF? No, I'm going home. I just have to see one more doctor. DH won't take me home without that. Oh yes, I have to go to the ward to see the doctor. Yeah, thanks for terrifying me.
On the ward, they get me to do an MRSA swab. Cos I've been admitted. No, I'm going home. I'm going home. You're not keeping me.
6.15 and DH and Liebs leave to find some dinner. I ask when I'll see the doctor. No, I'm not seeing a doctor. I'm waiting for a CT scan. WTF? I was told I was seeing a doctor then going home as the CT was not needed now. Oh, right. That's what the nurse was told when I was handed over. No-one has ordered a CT scan for me at all.
7.15 and I walk perfectly well over to the nurses' station and ask what is going on, I am going home and if the doctor doesn't see me I'll self-discharge now. If I had a stroke it would be over 8 hours ago and as I'm fine now there's nothing they can do about it now. (Really annoyed now.) I'm told the doctor is on the ward and I'll be seen so very soon.
7.20 doctor comes onto my bay of the ward. Sees one patient. Leaves. I see him at the nurse station doing paperwork. Then... he has gone.
7.30 DH arrives. I just want to go home! DH won't.
8pm and the doctor sees me. Guess what, I'm well! He'll discharge me.
8.10 and I ask the nurses to take out the stent. But the doctor hasn't told them I'm being discharged. They see my face and volunteer to go ask him.
Yup, it's fine to go home. They let me just go without waiting for the doctor to produce a discharge summary.
I do thank the lovely, apologetic nurses. It really wasn't their fault I was left waiting, and waiting, and waiting. I just need some rest now. DH not good at me needing rest and has already been annoyed at me today for it. But when I'm so weak I start crying, I just need to sit down. He can put away the groceries that I went out and bought. And I'm not laying more patio today either.
However, I have no idea about any of the tests done at the hospital or the outcomes.
All I know is, no matter what, I am not going to see a doctor for an illness ever again. Just for a sick note or a maternity note. Cos that was one of the most ridiculous experiences of my life.
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Re: Migraines suck
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