On my mental list of things to do in a personal emergency at the very foot almost falling off the page is calling an ambulance. It would take a lot to do that. Aside from the fact that I hate hospitals and have always had problems in them when visiting I just can't go at this time. Not only can I not go but I couldn't stay either even if I did get there. It would be mental torture that would drive me over the edge.
But last Thursday before noon I contemplated phoning one. So close to it. I was in so much pain I could no longer stand it. It was excruciating. I was on the couch in various positions and thenwalking up and down the hall. Back and forth I went. Then I had to try bed but no position there would alleviate the pain and it was added to the routine as I spent 20-30 seconds in each place before moving on. Complete agitation beyond the point I could stand. Real fear that something was very wrong and by not calling 999 I was maybe lessening my chances of a positive outcome.
Further up the list of things to do in a personal emergency but well below halfway on the page is taking painkillers. They just don't agree with me and its years since I took paracetamol or anything like it. The pain was so much though that I finally gave in to my wife's wishes and she brought me two big pink pills that she said would do the trick- though her mother said later you are only supposed to take one. Half an hour later there was no change.
The kids have toy beany animals that you can microwave and then apply for pain relief. I had the rabbit dipped in fire nestled on my stomach- they stink to high heaven. Lying on the couch well over an hour after it started finally the pain subsided. That is to say the excruciating pain had mellowed. The other pain around the whole abdomen which had been with me for three days was still there.
In between taking painkillers and calling an ambulance on my list is calling the doctor to visit. This in the throws I had to do but instead I got a phone call later. Remotely the doctor concluded that the problem was a blockage in the plumbing which I didn't agree with but started then to take the prescribed Mr Muscle equivalent. To me it was very much muscular.
The doctor was kind enough to make a visit on the Friday and checked me over- the first time I have seen him in over 2 years. Again he concluded the same but said if I was not better by Monday I would need blood tests done- didn't say where. He'd come out because he had feared it might be Peritonitis but thankfully that proved not to be the case.
On Sunday I was absolutely pig sick of it all. Still I was in pain but on top of all that I was absolutely knackered as I had not slept since the Wednesday night. The medication meant I was up every hour or so during the night having to go somewhere. Rising, standing, walking, sitting, standing, walking, lying- it was all painful as anything that used the stomach muscles just hurt alot. So I decided to stop taking the stuff.
I was also not eating. God knows how much weight I have lost. My wife was really getting annoyed and I can understand but with no sleep and constant pain its pretty hard to work up an appetite. So she set about making home soup and that along with stopping taking the medication helped enormously. I was at least eating again.
Monday came and went with no change but I didn't phone the doctor as I was supposed to. Instead I thought I'd see it out. At least I was getting a bit more sleep. Still I was in pain at night but not having to get up and down was making things easier.
Today started much the same then sometime before noon I felt very strange- the world of unreality. It was like I was not here but I was. I was reading a blog and suddenly realised that the words were just words. I knew what they were but they had no meaning. Read the word cow and an image of a cow appears in your head but the images were not coming. It was very strange. Its hard to explain but most unreality episodes are. Something was not right.
It was then that I noticed I could move without pain. I stood up and although there is still some pain there it is nothing to bother me. Still I cannot walk freely but I am so much better. It all happened instantly and strangely instead of the massive joy that it should have brought it brought the unreality which persisted for hours after.
So now tonight I am a happy bunny. I am pain free. I cannot believe I have lost a week to agony and I cannot believe that is down to constipation. But there you have it.
