ER Visit

I had abdominal pain come on last morning and get worse over the day. After much internal debate and some prodding from chatgpt I decided to go to the ER. I knew enough about abdominal pain that appendicitis is a risk, and because it was in my lower right quadrant, I knew it was a concern. I was nervous, since it was my first time seeking emergency medical help anywhere in the world. Unplanned visits to the doctor anywhere in the world involve a lot of waiting, unless you are dying and in some places even if you are dying. A chatgpt query told me that I should prepare for a 4-6 hours visit as a best case. If I had appendicitis, it could be as long as 24 hours. I mulled whether to get an Uber but decided to drive myself. If it was a short visit, I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of a snowy night waiting for an Uber. When I reached there, the waiting room was so sparsely occupied that I had double-check if it was the ER. No chaos, no patients waiting on stretchers, nothing that would make for good drama on a TV show. All the medical staff I encountered were friendly and solicitous and I didn’t have to “advocate” for myself. I knew that they would do a blood test, physical examination and a CAT scan and this exactly what they did. No appendicitis, but I did have an inflation of the colon. I was free to go, and the only treatment would be a dose of antibiotics. So, I did have something, but it did not serious, which, to me, sounded like the best possible outcome. As I told my friend, its nothing serious AND I do not feel like an idiot for going to the ER. It was not the end of the story though. My decision to go to the ER was vindicated because my pain got worse after I got home and ate something. I was able to sleep but this was definitely enough pain to make an ER visit a no-brainer, especially if appendicitis hadn’t be ruled out. This morning, I woke up feeling sore and groggy, with the pain level unchanged from the previous night. But, I was not feeling anxious. I felt like this was a chance to take a break from matters of the head and the heart—career uncertainty and my dating life. In good health, few people are able to switch of from these worries without feeling guilt, especially career problems. But poor health is a good justification to take a break without guilt. I am not out of the woods yet and maybe the illness will take an unexpected turn. But, for now at least, I am grateful for being able to hit the pause button on these problems.