Night in the Emergency Room

 

Once again, I'm taking to blogging to keep updates going because it's overwhelming! Apologies for an impersonal link, but at least it's something.

It was 2:30 a.m. when I woke with another nosebleed--the fifth in less than 24 hours. I stuffed a rolled up tissue in my nose with the thought, I can't take it anymore! After a week of multiple bleeds a day and many imaginations of calling 9-1-1 when the blood was too much to handle while driving (which was most of the time), I finally set out to the emergency room on my own. I thank the Lord that my little "plug" held!

The ER doctor swiped it out of my nose an hour or so later with no warning. I don't know the time or passage of it because the clock on the wall was stuck at about 2:55 with the second hand clicking in place.

It was 6:37 a.m. when I got in my car and came home cauterized. 

OUCH! I guess an artery was "welded"??? I'm not a fan of that experience other than the hope of no more bleeding.

SO...since this is the first post, I'll put some bullet points here to answer messages:

• Yes, I have finally seen my doctor ... 
• But, I did not realize that my new insurance is not compatible with them! 
• I've had Blue Cross Blue Shield before, but not "MyBlue" which is specifically what the clinic does not contract with. They offered to cancel the appointment or I could sign paperwork saying I understood they could not accept my insurance and that I agreed to be held financially responsible (which I found also goes for any medication he prescribed).
• I cried in the lobby and signed paperwork. I had been "laying low" and de-stressing my home environment (as much as I could) until my new insurance kicked in. Part of my anticipated comfort was seeing MY doctor. To not see him after all this felt 
• The first spontaneous nosebleed of the day happened in his office. He talked me through it, and it stopped eventually. I didn't get sent to the emergency room from there, but they would have if it didn't stop.
• His disagreed with the chiropractor's hunch that I had experienced a mini-stroke.
• The only issue in his eyes is my blood pressure.
• The ER doctor agreed that high blood pressure is likely behind all of this.
• I will comply with medicine until I can "prove them wrong" in the sense that it will be a lifetime. So I'll get blood pressure down again that way and work on lifestyle.
• Ironically, a book arrived with a 21-day health refocus. Good time to start that!