So Tuesday night I ate dinner (nothing too weird; some coleslaw, pizza, a mango, and flan) and about an hour later I was rolling on my bed waiting for myself to vomit. It happened while I was already on the toilet. I let the PCMO know and she told me to let her know if it happened again. I took some immodium, pepto, and tums (a valiant effort, I'd say) which came up another hour later. I was taken to a hospital here in Iloilo, which couldn't give me a room. I stayed the night there, on a bench, in the hallway, with an IV. Huge props to Hannah and Sharon, who stayed with me the entire night.
Also, I can officially say I know what it's like to wear an adult diaper now!! Hannah had the idea that I should wear one on the plane ride to Manila, in case I couldn't get to the bathroom. It was huge.
So, Hannah took me to Manila since I didn't think I could go by myself. I feel so bad for her but am really grateful that she was there. Probably the worst part about the night wasn't the throwing up or constant diarrhea but my thirst. I couldn't drink anything because it would all come up anyway, but I knew I was dehydrated and it was scary. The first time the nurse tried to put an IV in my wrist he couldn't because my veins were so jacked up. This also made it hurt way worse. I started crying when Sharon told me I was almost dehydrated because I seriously thought I was going to die there. It wasn't really all that bad though.
So I got to Manila on Wednesday morning and Dr. Eloi took me from there. She sat with me as I got another IV, a failed attempt at getting my blood, and finally a successful blood getting. My nurse asked me where I was from and he told me he'd been to the Charlotte airport. He was so sweet.
I spent 3 nights at Makati Medical Center, where the staff took good care of me and pumped me full of antibiotics, antacids, and IV fluid. It was actually a really nice room: I had my own bathroom, shower with running water, toilet paper, a framed picture on the wall, a TV with cable, a minifridge, air conditioning, and a bed with 2 huge pillows. It was a really big room, too. I was almost sad to leave it. Almost. I would have given up those three days of air conditioning for not getting sick in the first place. It would have been nice to go hiking and cook out with my cluster and other PCTs, but I know getting sick wasn't really a choice.
That's what's kind of puzzling me. I feel like it wasn't my dinner that made me sick, unless the bacteria or whatever that made me sick could get through my entire system in the course of an hour or so.
Anyway, I got to watch a lot of TV during those 3 days in Manila. For example, I watched the end of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Promotion, Law and Order, Australia's Next Top Model, America's Next Top Model (THE NEWEST EPISODE), Asia's Biggest Loser, the beginning of The Biggest Loser from 2 years ago, National Geographic shows about Haerbin and the Yangtze River, the health benefits of Kimchi, and low-budget documentaries on the ethnic groups of China and the Philippines. It may not sound like a lot, but it was. I didn't have a book to read and I couldn't draw or write because of the IV. I'm really glad that I got treated and am feeling better though. Also, one million thanks to Jessica for calling me and making me feel better! It was also really nice to see a fellow PCT, Britt, who happened to be in Manila for an appointment at the same time as me. Also, thanks to the male nurses in the Philippines for all being cute.
No comments:
Post a Comment