JOURNAL ENTRY #71 THE HOSPITAL part 1

This entry will be a change.  Then again I did say I was going to change the focus of this blog.  This time around though I am going to write about MY personal visit to the hospital.  To cover it properly as well as to make sure I don't rush  the story I am doing this in parts.  There will be a point to the entry but it will not be apparent in the beginning.  In the meantime this is just a story about MY personal trip to the hospital.

On April 5th 2016 I got up for work the same as I would every morning.  The only difference this day is that it was colder than it had been the past few days so I  put on a winter coat.  That morning was only in the mid  20s.  Significant because I felt cold and I never feel like that.  Except for snow and ice I embrace the winter weather.

I got on the express bus and never felt warm even with the heavy coat on.  I had the chills.  When I got off the bus at abut 8:45 I still felt cold so I went to McDonald's for a hot tea.  In the back of my mind I wondered if I was coming down with something.

I drank the hot tea and it offered little relief.  I warmed up a little.  I took a cab for the remainder of my ride to work.  Halfway there I threw up.  In the cab.  I managed to get the driver to pull over and most of the vomit was out of the taxi.  From there I felt a little better and continued to work.

Once at work I felt just a little better.  I no longer had chills but I still felt sluggish.  I held off from my job and took a walk.  I carried a plastic bag with me in case I had to throw up again and I went to the staircase to clear my head. I walked downstairs to the first floor where the building nurse was located.

I went to the nurse just to check my vitals.  I had a fever (102.9) and I threw up again.  The nurse  gave me some barf bags and a note telling me to leave work and go to either Urgent Care or my primary physician.  I left work around 10:30 to go to my primary doctor who is actually across the street from my apartment.  I was told I had the onset of the flu.

Unfortunately that didn't go as planned.  Upon arriving at my doctor the receptionist told me that I wouldn't be seen and would have to go to the Urgent Care facility which opened about four hours later and was a couple of miles away.  I chose to go upstairs and lay down.  Rest and over-the-counter flu medication should do the trick.

I don't remember a lot of my stay in bed.  I didn't vomit anymore but I was too weak to really do more than drink the Vitamin water and occasionally go to the bathroom.  The next day I didn't feel much better.  In fact I was more achy, particularly my legs.  I attributed this to the flu and thought nothing more about it.  Aches and pains go along with the flu.  The next day (Thursday) it was difficult to walk on my left leg.  This isn't supposed to be normal with influenza.  I could hardly move though.  I had to crawl out of bed...literally and destroy part of my room to get a cane my father had.  Then use that can to walk to the living room to get a wheel chair he had that wasn't used in over eight years.  The pain was that great.  Once I got the chair I called 911 for an ambulance.