last night i had my first ever IV

[datasuspect]

in the ER.

it was kinda anticlimactic though.

[Liberal Veteran]

1. They save the climax inducing IV for the interns.

:D

Anyway...hope you are okay.

[progmom]

2. are you ok?

[datasuspect]

4. bp was something

like 258 over 100 or so.

felt like shit and was vertiginous for most of the day. got tired of vomiting so i went to the hospital.

[progmom]

5. holy shit!

did they figure out why your BP was so high???

[datasuspect]

7. uh, they didn't

find any irregular enzymes in the blood test, they did an ecg/ekg or whatever that is, and pretty much left it at that.

they told me stop smoking and injected some liquid in a vein in my hand which supposedly dropped my bp to 170 over 50 and promptly released me.

[progmom]

8. do you have a follow-up visit scheduled with your primary??

:wow:

[datasuspect]

11. no doc/no insurance

probably gonna do some guerrilla health care shit to get meds.

actually, this really is pushing me start to consider taking better care of myself.

i don't want to put myself in a position where i have to see doctors unless i am bleeding to death.

[progmom]

12. oh sweetie

:hug:

[datasuspect]

13. wow

that's kinda floors me, even though it is the internet and all.

but your electronic gesture just touched me because it just dawned on me how isolated i feel and how deeply a "siege mentality" has sunk into my mind. but your message got through that.

anyway, i appreciate that, sincerely.

[progmom]

14. any time.

you're not alone.

[yvr girl]

3. My first IV came with REALLY strong painkillers

Fond memories.

Are you OK?

[datasuspect]

6. i'll live

although i am an "uninsured."

they were reluctant to give me a scrip for blood pressure meds because i don't have a doctor (for follow up).

it was funny, had this youngish dr. ask me: "who's your doctor?"

i said, "i don't have one."

he looked at me incredulously and queried, "why don't you have a doctor?"

i told him, "i don't live in your world, plus i am broke with no insurance."

doctors gall the living shit out of me sometimes.

[Skink]

9. I used to get scared when the nurse hung up this big glass bottle.

:scared:

[ismnotwasm]

10. I was going to tease you about your first catheter

But a blood pressure that high isn't funny. I hope everything works out.

[Tsiyu]

17. You want to say: "Reality Check, Asshole."

"You know those 40 million uninsured you keep hearing about from the Democrats? Did you think they made that number up?"

Hang in there, and check diet first. Cut salt, fats, sugars, soft drinks. Hypertension is very damaging if untreated. If anything, find a few pharmacies that have BP cuffs, where you can check that BP for free. Check with the local heath department, city or county or however they provide.

Around here, the Seventh Day Adventists have a few docs who treat for very little $$. That's my health care plan, and I've only needed it twice and not for a few years. The kids' college helped out with meds during flu season, but other than that, we are at the mercy of our bods and I should wake up, too and take better care of mine.

Thanks for the reminder and try to scope out some way of monitoring that bp on a regular basis. I hate to say, "Good Luck" but damn if that isn't about it for our "insurance" these days, huh?

[datasuspect]

20. luck

yep.

this kinda has been a wakeup call.

i used to have insurance, and i remember the level of care i received, the solicitude of staff and doctors.

this time, as a "self-pay" i noticed what seemed like a general hostility - seemed like they wanted to do just the bare legal minimum to ensure that i didn't keel over before i made it off their property.

thanks for the pointers though.

i'll be sure to investigate.

[Zuni]

15. Are you ok?

That is some scary shit. I hate IVs---I have been in the hospital and been strapped down with all these tubes etc.--- makes me claustrophobic and shit, gives me panic attacks to be strapped down in a hospital bed

But I hope your condition gets better! I hope you are ok.

[datasuspect]

16. i hope so

but feel fine today, thanks

[Zuni]

18. good

:thumbsup:

I hope it continues like that! :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

19. IV's generally are anti-climatic if the patient has a decent vein, and

the nurse has anything like decent technique. Please take care of your blood pressure...It can kill you if it's too high for too long, OK? Did they give any instructions to you? Do you have a free clinic or some such thing that you can get to?

We don't want to lose you! :hug:

[datasuspect]

21. they just printed

the codes for hypertension, instructions to go to the ER if conditions persisted.

i had to argue with two doctors to a 14 day scrip for Lopressor.

they didn't even want to do that.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

22. Well, at least they did that much...

That's a start! You need to follow up somehow; you need to be seen on a more or less regular basis at least until you get your BP under control..2 weeks of Lopressor won't do the trick for the long haul. Please take care of yourself, OK?

Goddamn our lousy healthcare system...

[davsand]

23. Check your in box.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

24. You get used to it after a while.

I get the needle in the arm every six weeks (arthritis medication).

--Now, having a needle stuck into your knee joint so they can aspirate the fluid out of the joint-- THAT'S rough! (I've had that little thing done many a time, and I still cringe when they get that ol' needle out...)