E.R. Visit

"All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart."

o   Tahereh Mafi

I was able to experience a Saudi hospital a few days ago, what an experience that was! It wasn't anything serious, I was just taking a precaution. Around 3 pm on Wednesday, I started having really sharp pain in my stomach. I didn't know what it was but it kept coming back, giving me little breaks in between. My appetite left me and I didn't eat anything all day other than some oatmeal. This was a red flag to me because I'm always eating. Some more details of my ailment can be left out but after a while, the pain got much worse and I started feeling dizzy and weak. I thought to myself, "I don't want to die in Saudi." That was obviously dramatic, but I always see the worst thing that could happen flash through my head. For example, every time I walk down a flight of stairs, I imagine how painful it would be to fall down them.

Badr fed me some fresh cumin tea (which is just boiled cumin) and it was disgusting. We tried a hot bath. We tried sugar free Sprite. Nothing. So at midnight I gave in thinking, "I'm sick of this pain!" and we left for the E.R. 

First of all, getting into the emergency room is like a maze at Al Habib Hospital. You walk in and there are signs "Adults this way, Kids this way". We found the place you check in and there was nowhere to sit; they had no waiting area! I was dizzy and thinking how I might just pass out if they didn't hurry up and give us a bed. They finally showed us to a bed. All the beds are divided by curtains, no such thing as private rooms like I'm used to. And, the maintenance guys were cleaning the floor right beside my curtained in room. The machine was so loud and the chemical smell was so strong. 

It took a long time for the nurse to just come in and get the story, and take my blood pressure. The little kid in the curtain room next to me kept walking up against the curtain and hitting it; I was ready for him to crawl under and enter our area, but he didn't. When the doctor finally came in, he got my symptoms and everything. I wasn't completely sure he was listening. This concern was confirmed later. He asked about my symptoms and I started, "Well the pain isn't constant, it comes and goes. It feels very sharp..." About a minute later, he started firing off questions: "Is the pain constant? What does it feel like?" 

He left and a different nurse then I had seen came in. She asked us, "Are you the one getting the shot?" I'm thinking, "I have no idea, shouldn't you know??" That made me a bit uneasy. Then my nurse came in for the I.V. and meds for pain and nausea. 

We waited for the doctor to come back; it seemed like forever. We had a real life soap opera acting out for us a couple curtains over, too bad we couldn't see it. The guy was basically shouting. I wonder if he knew it was 3 am and the emergency room was a place you sit down and be quiet? Guess not.

The doctor came in later, asked if I was better, and told us we were free to go and he prescribed us some meds. Never told me what I had or what medicine he prescribed. At least I'm a nurse and know what they are for and how to take them! What a day.