In the ER… literally

[NOTE] Before I get started, I would like to let you know that today I will not be publishing episodes on Kindle Vella because of the story I am about to share. I am still recovering and needed the week to rest.

It all started on the Tuesday prior. You know how you always hear of terrible things happening to people, but you never think it could be you? That was exactly where I found myself. I remember feeling like I had a sore throat and being a little bit nervous. I didn’t want to get sick - hated it, really - but I never thought it would go further than a really bad cold.

It was then Wednesday. More specifically, Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, and I remember having all these plans that I was going to do. Instead, I found myself having terrible chills mid-afternoon. It felt awful. I was cold and my sister told me I was very very warm. So, I went to see the nurse. I was told it was the flu. I could live with that. She gave me instructions of how to deal with it and that was that.

The next day and day after, I realized something very strange…. my ear ached. Like a lot. But I ignored it, more worried about my sore throat that wasn’t letting me sleep and made swallowing painful. I went to the nurse again. This time, I was told to go to the doctor. I needed antibiotics because of the ear infection and my throat.

When I tell you, I felt like awful… *shudders* it was awful. My friend was kind enough to take me and I was given antibiotics. I thought it would be over. I didn’t think it would go anywhere. I was wrong. Again.

Saturday, the ear ache increased and with it, a premonition that something was wrong. My throat was feeling so much better, but my ear had not improved by much. What did I do wrong? I let the nurse know that something was wrong because of the symptoms I was developing. She wanted to see me on Sunday. On Sunday, I went to see her. She took one look at me and my ear and told me I needed to go to the ER. She explained many medical terms that only told me there was something even more wrong with my ear. The throbbing and pain indicated that much.

My friend and sister took me to the ER…. Walking in, it felt quiet, which was not what I had expected. I had thought that it would be busy and full of patients. I checked in and was given a bracelet and sat in the waiting room until I was called. They asked me questions and then sat me in a chair. I wasn’t given a room… just sat there with my sister. Strange, I thought to myself. It wasn’t at all what I had expected. A doctor soon showed up and I told him what was wrong. He was not very kind. He lied to me and then made light of my pain. I felt slightly offended, but at the same time knew that I didn’t have much energy to waste and I certainly wasn’t going to do it on a stranger. He only gave me the necessary attention because I presented the nurse’s note. Many minutes later, I was escorted to a room and prepped to receive an IV. It was noon around that time.

It took several hours before I was wheeled away to take a CT scan and so many more hours until I received the results. When the doctor came in with the results, he then apologized. It was much more serious than he had thought and I was going to be transferred to another hospital to be observed. It, honestly, made me nervous. I had never done any of this before. I was in a lot of ear pain and couldn’t think all too clearly. Hours later, I was given another IV… where I had a concerning reaction to the medicine! Needless to say, the nurse rushed in and quickly took out my IV before knowing to slow down the dosage of the medicine flowing in my blood. Much much later, I was finally given pain meds. I was also told that I would be discharged and would need to see a specialist. I left around eight pm at night.

The next day, I did not go to classes. Tuesday, I went to see the specialist with the help of the nurse. Wednesday, I slowly tried to restart and go back to classes. My ear was still aching, but I was hopeful that it would be better.

You know what was interesting? That after I got back from the ER, I was not filled with bitterness for the excruciating pain I had been put through. Instead, there was a sense of gratitude. The words God is so good kept coming to mind. Through the pain, I learned of my smallness and His greatness. I learned that I needed to lean on Him and could not rely on myself. Instead of making me feel helpless, it made me feel safe. Isn’t that ironic? Do I want to relive the past two weeks? Absolutely not! Will I ever understand why God permitted it? Possibly not. But, I do know that it put in perspective a lot of things in life. Yes, I did think of death, especially at the worst times and it scares me. But, there is a sense of hopefulness because He resides with me and is taking care of me every step of the way. They say “offer it up” and they sound like empty words, but through this experience, I learned the true meaning and that, although I may never see the results of my prayers, they are still being heard and answered.

I would like to add: Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who prayed and reached out to me! I genuinely felt your love, care, and prayers! It was so comforting to know that I wasn’t alone in this and I drew A LOT of strength from it. Love you!