My Mind Numbing Adventure Part # 2

At some point I fell asleep, hard because next thing I know I wake up in some other part of the hospital and my mom has a blanket on her in the chair next to me. It's 8am and we are STILL in the ER. I still have NOT had an MRI. And I still have NO answers. A new staff has come on duty. I ask what is going on? I'm told that the MRI staff has to "fit me in" around their already scheduled patients. I'm told I'm admitted, but they are waiting on a bed to "open up". I'm told they can't feed me until after I have the MRI with no time in sight.

I lose it for the first time (there will be another time too).
I said "I want to know what's going on?"
Nurse (N): "What do you mean?"
Me: "What do I mean? What do I MEAN? I've been here all night and I still don't have any answers."
N: "Well we can't get you into the MRI until they are ready to get you."
Me: "I don't understand."
N: "What is it you don't understand?"
Me: I don't understand why my neuro tells me to get here asap and to call an ambulance if necessary, but when I get here you do an EKG & stick me in the waiting room for over an hour. I don't understand why I've been here all night and I still don't have my MRI done. I don't understand why nothing is happening when my neuro is the one who said this was an emergency situation, but none of you are treating it like it is!"
N: "What is it that you want us to do? We don't have a room yet and they aren't ready for you in MRI?"
Me: "I want you to get me some answers. Wait, You know what? Get my neuro on the phone. I want to talk to him myself."
N: "Well we can page him and ask your questions."
Me: "No. I want to talk to him myself. After he returns your call, I want to talk to him."
N: "But we'll have to get you out to the front desk and you can't get of bed."
Me: Your problem, not mine. I WANT TO TALK TO MY NEURO!!!! NOW!!!!"
N: "Fine. I'll have him paged."
Me: "Thank you."
Within a half hour, they say he's on the phone and after several attempts to transfer him to the phone near me, they finally wheel my whole stretcher/bed out to the front desk.
Neuro: Hi Tamera, what's going on?"
Me: "I'm still in the ER. I still haven't had my MRI. I haven't been allowed to eat, even though I told them I don't need to fast for an MRI. No one has done anything to treat this like an emergency and I don't know what to do."
Neuro "We have to get you out of that ER. They don't know how to treat you there."
Me: "I know!"
Neuro: "I'll tell them you can eat. And I'll see about getting you into a room faster and find out why your MRI hasn't been ordered. I did that last night."
Me "Thank you"
Neuro: "I'll have to see if your neuro has privileges there, if not I will come. If it's me, I will be coming. It just will be later tonight."
Me"That's fine as long as someone is coming from the practice."
Neuro "I will. Get some rest and hopefully we can have some answers soon. I'll see you later.
Me :"I hope so. Thanks. Bye." Hand phone back to desk nurse.

Me to my nurse "He said I can eat & he's coming later."
Nurse: "Ok I'll see about getting you some food."

Around Noon, my husband has come back to see me for awhile and my kids are in the waiting room. I tell him to take them home, but I want to say goodbye first. Now since I am STILL in the ER there are signs posted stating "No one under 12 yrs old may visit". I get that. However...

I am still in the ER, but "admitted" but they don't have a bed for me yet after 16 hrs. Not really my problem. So a medical assistant comes in, now I know what you'll be thinking, but I did get names of most of the staff that helped me. I missed hers.

She comes in & I tell her I want to see my kids before they leave. She says children aren't allowed back here. I tell her I understand that, but that the hospital doesn't have a room for me yet & if I did I could see them. I'm admitted and they are scared and need to see me before they leave.
She says, "well they can't come back." So I tell her to bring me out to them. She refuses that too. I tell her one way or another, I will see them.

She tells me no and that I'm on an IV and that they can't come in under 12. Foolish girl doesn't know me. I told her I absolutely will see them and that I am still waiting for my food.
She says, "I'm sure someone ordered you a tray."
That was all it took. "Oh, you're sure are you? Are you really sure? Because I'm sure that I've been promised food since 2 in the morning and I'm still waiting. So don't tell me your sure someone ordered one for me. "
She said, "You know, you can leave." I'd love that." She says well it'd be against medical advice." Me: "Honey, I would leave if I could. Unfortunately, I need medical help to figure out why I can't walk, so I'm stuck here. Now let me see my kids!"
She said, "no" and walked out.

I looked at my husband and told him to go stand by the front of my "curtain" and see who he could see. He looks and says no one.
Keep watching. He says he sees a blonde nurse. "Oh that's Diane! Get her."
What do you expect ME to do?"
I don't. Just get her attention. He does.
She comes in.

I say, "Diane, look I know I'm being a pain in the ass..."
D: "no you're not."
Me: " I am, but my husband has to go to work & my mom needs to go home to sleep. The problem is my kids have been waiting to see me & their scared. I just want to tell them good bye and not to worry."
D: "How old are they?"
Me: "Only 10 & 6 years old. I know your sign says 12, but I should be in a room already. Please can they come in or can I go out? I have no IV hook up or anything." (I never did have an IV. The last MA saw the old stand behind me. )
D: "Absolutely, Sweetie! Let me get you a wheelchair."
She wheeled me out & said to let her know when I was done. I visited for about 15 mins and then came back in. The best part was wheeling in right past the girl who said there was "no way I'd see my kids."
Don't underestimate me.

Best part is after they left, my food finally came. As I lifted the lid to reveal some questionable food, my friend arrived with a hamburger & fries plus fresh fruit and homemade soup.
Look at me living it up. :)

I finally got into a room at 3pm on the neuro ward. The staff up there and even any other staff I met through transfers etc. were wonderful, patient and kind. The neuro nurse was really angry when she revealed at 3:00 AM orders were put thru that I needed an MRI STAT. It was 3:00 PM. She definitely got stuff moving then.

Eventually I regained feeling in my arm and both legs. I'm in PT now. My number one lesson I take away from this is I will have my neuro call ahead BEFORE I leave for the ER and have the neuro floor ready for me. Live & learn.
I'm still waiting on food. She says, "I'm sure someone's ordered you a tray.'