bloody mortifying

Last night, mom and I got to the ER and it was pretty packed.  I asked the lady at the front desk about how long of a wait because I could go to another ER if necessary.  I told her what was going on.  She immediately got me into triage, which I thought was a good sign.  After triage, we headed back out into the waiting room with the rest of Mechanicsville.  I was feeling worse and worse but I didn’t want to take anymore Motrin in case that might mess things up with the doctors. 

The sweetest lady called my name to get my blood and urine.  I told her under my breath that I needed a pad.  Dummy me, I thought that I would be back into a room by now and didn’t think at all about bringing extra of my own.  The phlebotomist, Joy (very fitting), gave me a urine cup and told me to go to the bathroom.  She would bring me a pad.  Well, before I could even pull my underwear down, I was dripping blood all through the bathroom.  It looked like a warzone.  I tried to pee in the cup but all I got was blood.  I’m sure that wouldn’t do any good.

I was so embarrassed when Joy came into the bathroom to offer me a pad.  Instead of giving me that and moving on, she stayed in the bathroom with me, took my bloody underpants and wrapped them up so she could put them in a bag and give them to my mom and brought me another pair of disposable briefs from the hospital.  I promised I would clean everything up and she said absolutely no way.  She would have someone come in and clean up for me.  I was so disgusted for whoever came in there to help clean.  I got up what I could with toilet water and toilet paper, but some of it had already dried.  It was so gross! 

Joy took my eight vials of blood and sent me back to the waiting room.  I am not sure how I had any blood left.  Honestly, though, I never once got dizzy or lightheaded.  I guess that was a plus.

Mom and I took our seats back in the waiting room.  Remember, I had a brand new pad in my underwear.  Within 30 minutes, I saw a wet spot on the TOP of my dress.  I had on a black dress so I couldn’t tell what it was.  I felt the liquid and realized it was blood by the color.  I checked my arm to see if the line she put in was bleeding out.  It wasn’t.  I pulled my dress up a little bit and realized that it was all in between my legs.  I looked at mom with absolute fear.  She immediately got up and said I needed another pad if they could please get me one.  Then, I happened to look at the floor in front of me.  Between my legs were two pools of blood.  There were splatters of blood on my ankles.  Oh my gosh, I started freaking out, as did my mom.  She returned to Joy and said that I needed to be seen NOW.  Joy came within minutes with a wheelchair.  I hadn’t cried until this moment.  People were watching.  When I got up to get in the wheelchair, I left a pool of blood on the seat in addition to what was on the floor.  I am not sure I have ever had a more embarrassing moment.  I cried and cried.

Finally, we were put into a room in the ED and the sweetest nurse was there to help.  I asked about just getting a D&C and she said she thought that was probably the best bet.  Then, the MD arrived.  He basically said that they don’t do that routinely and that he would just ask that I follow up with my OB in the morning.  WHAT?  Are you kidding me? I am freaking bleeding out here and you’re not going to do anything?  Apparently, my bloodwork came back fine.  He was willing to call the OB Hospitalist to get their opinion, but that means he would have to do a pelvic exam.  Okay, what do I care?  He pulled out a few more clots and said that my cervix was open a little less than the size of a dime.  I was starting to fall asleep and he finally came back saying I was being discharged.  The OB also said I just needed to follow up with my OB.  I just don’t get it.  I wanted it over with tonight!  Oh, but right before I left, they did give me two hydrocodone for the pain.  So nice of them!  I was a loopy mess when I got home!

Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to fall asleep, again on a towel to try to protect the bed.  Maybe today we will get some more help.