Hospital Adventures

Hospitals can be many different things to one person…..

When I was very sick, it was a group of superheroes that saved my life but because of everything that happened to me in the past, I also hate hospitals. Just the sounds and smells bring back such horrific memories for me. Memories of things I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Well, maybe a few people hahahaha 

A common plight of people who use wheelchairs are urinary tract infections (uti’s). Bacteria love a warm, dark environment. I think a lot of it also has to do with sitting so much so the body is constantly bent in that area. As most people know, things definitely change the workings with body positioning. That is one good reason to try and utilize something to put yourself upright for however long your body can handle, as many times as possible. Please consult a physical therapist before trying this because no matter how simplistic it may seem, it’s definitely not. When you are always sitting, certain nerves and blood vessels have adjusted to being pinched. So it may seem like no big deal but that little thing can quickly overwhelm your body, causing horrible health problems. We only get one body. Treat it kindly so it can continue to carry you  through life.

I have a history of renal colic and drug resistant UTIs that can last months. It usually comes at the worst times, making me miss something important. The first really bad one, I was on several different antibiotics for months. My urologist had done so many tests and then suggested the hospital for IV antibiotics. 

My cousin’s wedding was that weekend and I didn’t want to miss it so I asked my doctor to try one more strong antibiotic instead. I got so sick and missed it anyway.

You can try to ignore it but it doesn’t like that and gets stronger, demanding attention. Besides the pain, it makes you feel like you just stayed up for a week and ran a marathon. It’s amazing how an invisible group of idiots can destroy so much.

This summer, I started playing wheelchair softball. Such nice and funny people! I look forward to all the inappropriate comments and “that’s what she said” jokes. Especially when it’s something a “she” would never say.

Then, my friend UTI makes its usual, unwelcome visit. So I couldn’t play in many games. I did when I could ignore it but it kept getting worse.

The doctor suggested that I go to the hospital. Right before another special event that I didn’t want to miss.  

After everything in the past, my pain threshold is pretty high. So it takes a lot for me to hurry to a doctor or hospital. A UTI causes so much pain that I couldn’t ignore anymore so I went. 

Did you know that an ambulance will not take a wheelchair? Some of the people who might need medical assistance most often, don’t have access to it. Some may think, just stay on a stretcher. Think about that! When an ambulance comes for someone who isn’t in a wheelchair, do they insist that you leave your legs wherever you are. If I go without my “legs”, I give up a lot of my freedom and I can’t even go to the bathroom on my own. I’m basically their prisoner and that is a horrible feeling. It also means that if I need an ambulance anywhere except home, I might have nowhere safe to leave my chair and no way to get it back or even use my own bathroom or lock my door….. 

The last time I had to go to the emergency room, I arrived on my own. After sitting in a hospital recliner for thirteen hours without being offered food or water, I just wanted to get home. My phone battery was almost dead so I wouldn’t even be able to communicate with anyone. They were finally able to release me but at 3am. There aren’t many options for someone in a wheelchair at 3am. 

When I explained this to the doctor, she thought that couldn’t be right! After the doctor was turned down by every ambulance they work with, she was shocked that I was correct. She had thought that I couldn’t possibly be right because it seemed insane! Someone who works with ambulances EVERY DAY! 

Some people think that wanting accessibility just means some ramps and handrails but it’s so much more than that! It is things like this too. Big, life altering things! This world is very inaccessible and makes disability mean that you need a whole other person to do so much! Think about how you feel when you are treated like a child. Besides everything that you have lost physically, your dignity is often taken away. 

I had to spend my last $25 on a taxi from the hospital. I was exhausted and hadn’t slept or eaten in two days but there I was, at almost 4am, taking all these bags on and off my wheelchair, taking everything apart and then putting it back together without help. 

The cab driver told me that the seemingly new credit card machine wasn’t working. I knew he was likely playing me but I didn’t care at that point. I hate that people see a disability and assume that is an indicator of someone’s intelligence. 

Many people I know, who have disabilities, are extremely knowledgeable. They were taught the same things as most but also have a variety of unique experiences that a lot of people would not understand. This isn’t knowledge that many people would choose to have but here we are. It’s very hard won knowledge that no amount of money can buy! Unique knowledge that even a billionaire couldn’t afford. So use those unique experiences to help someone in a similar situation. Because, just like you, other people may be looking for answers but only find confusing medical articles. I know that I would have been so put at ease by hearing from someone who has gone through it. A mentor can’t tell you the big medical terms, read your tests or give you any certainties. It’s something no Dr., nurse, billionaire, etc….. could ever learn without going through it. No matter how different the situation might have been, only someone who’s been through a traumatic health event knows the reality and the flood of emotions of it all. Trying to sort your feelings out alone, can steal years. Everything, including rehabilitation, is put on hold. You see people being coaxed to walk or even sit up when their head isn’t in the right place yet so it’s frustrating for all involved and may even cause a setback. When everyone is anxious for you to get back on track, you are still in shock and thinking things like- WTF just happened? Wait! I can’t what? I need what? I have to do what? What is happening? 

That’s why I strongly believe that all hospitals should have a mentor program. A list of people who are willing to come when called to help someone in a scary situation.  Beside their name, any situations they could relate to. That is something that might help a lot. No matter how many people there are trying to save your life or praying for you, nobody can truly understand and help heal your mind quite like someone who has been there.   

Being unable to speak means a lot of people just completely ignore that I have something to say. Being portable also means that a lot of people, who are in a rush, just grab my chair, stretcher, hospital bed, etc….. And put me anywhere they want. Some people treat me like an inanimate object on an assembly line. These people aren’t stopping to read what I have to say.

My hospital trips before this one were interesting. Once, I arrived on my own. Then when they released me, the paramedics came to take me home. They took me without looking at what I was saying and just told me they were taking me but not my chair. I tried telling them I couldn’t do that but they wouldn’t even acknowledge me. They brought me home and dumped me in my bed. I couldn’t even lock my door or get to the bathroom. My only means of transportation, along with my personal belongings, were just left in a hospital hallway. The police had to get it and bring it to me but left it outside my door! With my bags on it! An apartment hallway in a bad neighborhood! Without that chair, my life would be turned upside down. So then they had to come back and bring it to me. Times like that make me feel horrible! Like I’m inhuman to others.

People assume that any available help is good. I’m not ungrateful but it would be so helpful if more people knew how things really are so they might be motivated to help make a change. Tomorrow, these stories can be yours, your children’s, parents, friends, etc….. People who are in the position to help make change should do it while they can because if you end up like me, a lot of people stop listening to you.

So besides bringing up awful memories, hospitals are like a prison for me. I know I’m a horrible patient! To everyone there, I profusely apologize. I had these words pre typed and immediately showed EVERYONE “No offense but I hate hospitals and want to leave”

You all know I love humor so I’ll share a funny story from the ER:

The triage area is a bunch of hospital recliners and the nurses start your IV there. I hate needles and I had been feeling awful. They had me in the corner so my wheelchair wasn’t tripping people. On top of feeling sick, there were so many things going on, machines beeping, people talking, babies crying, it was hot, etc….. So when the needle came, it was the cherry on top of this marvelous experience and I fainted! The nurse said my eyes just rolled back far and I was out. That lovely flash of sweat that comes with fainting made the iv tape come off. The nurses were trying to get me on a stretcher when it came off and there I was out of it, trying not to faint again and “walk” to this stretcher. Then I look over and there is a tube half sticking out of my arm and blood everywhere. Hahahahaha it was so funny!

Even funnier were my thoughts about the stupid thing some woman said next. As they are trying to get me on the stretcher, this lady says “is that what I have to do to be seen?”

She definitely heard from several people on that! I was thinking “Yes idiot! This is better than going to Disney!” and thought- if I could move right now, I’d point my squirting blood at her face and squeeze my arm! So when people thought I was probably scared, I was laughing inside thinking about that.

It also speaks to her intelligence. Fainting meant I had to be monitored before I could even be seen. She was probably finished before I was even seen and didn’t have all those transportation issues. Be careful what you wish for!

The opposite of this seems to apply to so much these days but I still choose to take quality over quantity.