Hospital stay…

Number of hospital visits in 23 years in the United States = 0

Number of hospital visits in 1 year in El Salvador = 2

Hmmm…maybe El Salvador is trying to tell me something…

At least that is what I told my nurse friend Lupe last night as I was writhing in pain on her spare bed waiting for a ride to the hospital.

“El Salvador hates me,” I told her.

“Lindsey, no! We love you,” she told me.

“Lupe, no. YOU love me. El Salvador hates me,” I said.

“Ay, Lindsey. You are so dramatic,” she said smiling as she pressed a cold dishcloth to my forehead.

We both laughed, but laughing made the pain in my side worse, so I tried a smiling sort of grimace instead.

Well, I guess she knows me. I can be slightly dramatic.

So anyway, hospital story. I am typing to you from the hospital in San Salvador. Yesterday I was having all the symptoms of a UTI (a common illness among volunteers, and Salvadorans) but normally these symptoms are contained, and with a few days time and lots of water most disappear on their own. For this reason I was determined to wait it out and see how I felt the following day, but as the day wore on I was developing a sharp unrelenting pain in my flank. By about 4:30 it was difficult to walk or stand or even lie down. There was no position I could be in where the pain was not there. I tried to rest, but the pain was making it impossible so I called the PC doctor, and suspecting it might be a kidney infection she decided to send someone to pick me up. I waited at Lupe’s house and she gave me juice and let me rest my head on her lap as she stroked my hair.

Finally around 8:30 the truck arrived to get me. I laid down on the reclined front seat, trying to find a way to make this now unbearable pain, bearable. The bumpy ride was terrible. Each tiny hole or crack in the road sent shooting pains all through my right side. At one point I was whimpering like a puppy dog. Embarrassing…

Anyway, we got to the hospital and the doctor asked me a million questions (Do I drink Coke? Do I have a lot of bugs in my house? What is the climate in my site like?) some seemingly random, but then again I am not a doctor. Then came the best part, a big bag of pain killing liquid dripping straight in to my veins…ah (sigh of relief). I felt excellent after that and went to sleep in an adjustable hospital bed. However, I sleep on my stomach, and during the night I pulled the tubing too hard trying to put my hand under my pillow, and now my IV will not drip.The nurses were in every hour bothering me, trying to get the IV to work again. Now my arm hurts where the IV has been twisted and moved and played with while still in my vein. Not exactly a peaceful sleep, but at least there was no more flank pain.

But the doctor came in just a few minutes ago to tell me that the results were not what he expected. He thought because there was no fever and no chills that it was not an infection that it was kidney stones. However, the urine sample came back positive for infection. So, we are still scheduled to do an ultrasound later today and see what the results of that are, because kidney stones are still possible. Diagnosis still unknown…

So, will keep all of you posted as I find out more details…just thought I would let everyone know because I know Grandma Nanu would have a fit if I was in the hospital and did not tell her. But no one worry…they are taking excellent care of me, and the hospital is very nice. I haven’t had breakfast yet, but I will let you know how the food is when I do.

I am going to watch cable and paint my nails now…will update with more info later!