moocow
07-26-2008, 09:31 AM
Uncompensated care FTW!
Okay, so... On Thursday I got up, went about my normal routine before work... Noticed what I THOUGHT was a zit on the right side of my neck. So, because I'm so anal about fresh pimples being where other people can see them, I try to pop it. Well, the mother fucker wouldn't pop. It was, however (even before I tried to squeeze the life out of it) all red and swollen. So after realizing maybe it wasn't pimple, I deemed it a bug bite of some sort. Maybe a spider? Oh well. Take my shower, wash my face, nothing out of the norm, right?
Well, I don't remember exactly what time it was, maybe 9 or 10 in the morning... I'm at work and I lean my head on my right hand. I notice a lump on my neck right under my ear. So, I poke around, realize it's about as big around as a dime. I wasn't sure what it was so I tried my best to leave it alone and ignore it. Maybe it'd go away?
As the day progresses, the lump and my pimple/bug bite start to hurt. The zit/bite is inflamed and swollen. People ask if I have a hickey. I get annoyed. I talk to Prr briefly about it.
Later that night, I notice that there's a much much smaller lump, further down my neck and closer to my shoulder. About the size of a pea. I start to worry a little. The original lump is now super sore and sensitive and about as big around as a quarter. I tell Aaron about the lumps when he gets home from work, and he tells me I should see a doctor.
I don't have insurance. I HATE the hospital. I haven't even got my bills paid from when I went in March, dammit. I tell him I want to wait it out, it didn't seem that serious. He made me promise that if the problem hasn't started to get better or otherwise gone away, that I HAD to go on Sunday. I agreed.
Yesterday, I got up and went about my normal routine. Zit/bite was more swollen, very sensitive and painful. It had a head. I tried to pop it again BECAUSE I'M STUPID. Didn't work. Just hurt. Bad. I take a shower, wash my face. The lump under my ear is bigger now, and much more sore. I noticed it while washing my face. I check the lump further down on my neck, which is also bigger now.
So then I start to worry. I wake Aaron up, tell him about it. He wants me to go to the hospital. I refuse. "I'm fine," I say, "Just hurts a little. Don't feel sick. Not an emergency, it'll go away."
Talk to mom. She wants me to go to the hospital. People at work think I should go. The lumps got bigger, and more sore (it hurt to turn my head), the zit/bite was more swollen, more red.
I start to worry. I try not to, but I failed. I started to get a headache in the right side of my head. I worry more. My neck muscles get sore. I worry more.
My manager sent me home around 2:30. I picked up Aaron (who called off work, how sweet!) and we went to the hospital. I only wait about 45 minutes. The doctor finally comes in my room, feels around my neck. I see the worry on his face. I am not happy.
Turns out I had cellulitis. The bug bite/pimple (we're not sure what it was) was actually an infection. An infection that lies right on my carotid artery.
http://www.daviddarling.info/images/carotid_ultrasound.jpg
So, he tells me that normally they would lance it to drain the infection. Since it's right there on top of that big, fat artery, he didn't really want to do that. But they had to kill the infection fast before it spread into my blood stream. Being right there on that artery, it would spread FAST. So, instead of giving me pills, they hook me up to an IV (I hate IVs... I was NOT happy lol), and pump me full of antibiotics for an hour. When the drip was done, the lumps and infection had actually stopped hurting. So, they give me two prescriptions and send me on my way.
If I had waited until Sunday like I wanted, the infection may have been deadly. They WOULD have had to lance it then, which would been dangerous and had to of been done in an operating room. I'm soooo glad I didn't wait. I was so scared knowing that this little red mark on my neck could have been my end.
But I'm okay now :)
Okay, so... On Thursday I got up, went about my normal routine before work... Noticed what I THOUGHT was a zit on the right side of my neck. So, because I'm so anal about fresh pimples being where other people can see them, I try to pop it. Well, the mother fucker wouldn't pop. It was, however (even before I tried to squeeze the life out of it) all red and swollen. So after realizing maybe it wasn't pimple, I deemed it a bug bite of some sort. Maybe a spider? Oh well. Take my shower, wash my face, nothing out of the norm, right?
Well, I don't remember exactly what time it was, maybe 9 or 10 in the morning... I'm at work and I lean my head on my right hand. I notice a lump on my neck right under my ear. So, I poke around, realize it's about as big around as a dime. I wasn't sure what it was so I tried my best to leave it alone and ignore it. Maybe it'd go away?
As the day progresses, the lump and my pimple/bug bite start to hurt. The zit/bite is inflamed and swollen. People ask if I have a hickey. I get annoyed. I talk to Prr briefly about it.
Later that night, I notice that there's a much much smaller lump, further down my neck and closer to my shoulder. About the size of a pea. I start to worry a little. The original lump is now super sore and sensitive and about as big around as a quarter. I tell Aaron about the lumps when he gets home from work, and he tells me I should see a doctor.
I don't have insurance. I HATE the hospital. I haven't even got my bills paid from when I went in March, dammit. I tell him I want to wait it out, it didn't seem that serious. He made me promise that if the problem hasn't started to get better or otherwise gone away, that I HAD to go on Sunday. I agreed.
Yesterday, I got up and went about my normal routine. Zit/bite was more swollen, very sensitive and painful. It had a head. I tried to pop it again BECAUSE I'M STUPID. Didn't work. Just hurt. Bad. I take a shower, wash my face. The lump under my ear is bigger now, and much more sore. I noticed it while washing my face. I check the lump further down on my neck, which is also bigger now.
So then I start to worry. I wake Aaron up, tell him about it. He wants me to go to the hospital. I refuse. "I'm fine," I say, "Just hurts a little. Don't feel sick. Not an emergency, it'll go away."
Talk to mom. She wants me to go to the hospital. People at work think I should go. The lumps got bigger, and more sore (it hurt to turn my head), the zit/bite was more swollen, more red.
I start to worry. I try not to, but I failed. I started to get a headache in the right side of my head. I worry more. My neck muscles get sore. I worry more.
My manager sent me home around 2:30. I picked up Aaron (who called off work, how sweet!) and we went to the hospital. I only wait about 45 minutes. The doctor finally comes in my room, feels around my neck. I see the worry on his face. I am not happy.
Turns out I had cellulitis. The bug bite/pimple (we're not sure what it was) was actually an infection. An infection that lies right on my carotid artery.
http://www.daviddarling.info/images/carotid_ultrasound.jpg
So, he tells me that normally they would lance it to drain the infection. Since it's right there on top of that big, fat artery, he didn't really want to do that. But they had to kill the infection fast before it spread into my blood stream. Being right there on that artery, it would spread FAST. So, instead of giving me pills, they hook me up to an IV (I hate IVs... I was NOT happy lol), and pump me full of antibiotics for an hour. When the drip was done, the lumps and infection had actually stopped hurting. So, they give me two prescriptions and send me on my way.
If I had waited until Sunday like I wanted, the infection may have been deadly. They WOULD have had to lance it then, which would been dangerous and had to of been done in an operating room. I'm soooo glad I didn't wait. I was so scared knowing that this little red mark on my neck could have been my end.
But I'm okay now :)