Emergency Room Nightmare, Held Against my Will

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I was in the emergency room March 1, 2011, and it was a nightmare, I arrived there at 3:00PM and marched out crying and broken hearted at 11:00. Nowadays, waiting up to five hours, in its self, is not odd, I have had more waiting time at emergency rooms, save for the problems started back to my home a week earlier.

Allow me to back up here, I in no way want to bore my readers, other than what transpire to me is yet, stranger then if someone was creating characters for a script on a, ‘nightmare emergency room horror film.’ About a week ago, I woke up in a rush for my semi annual family doctors appointment. My head was really itching and of course I was scratching, which seemed to make it worse. I thought, "gee maybe a spider got in my hair"; nevertheless,I had absolute no idea what was wrong, and guessed I was just itchy that morning. I hopped into the shower and actually scrubbed my hair to the max; next I got dressed and drove to my appointment.

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I’ve been presently appreciating the same doctor for eleven years, promptly and by now my hair and scalp was an inferno, he took a look and saw hundred of bits on my scalp and when I scratched them they seemed to grow together and become extreme. He said” You have bed bugs.” OMG, I’m like Howe Mandle, whom abhors germs, and I detestation staying hotels for this very reason.

The TV news has happened to be talking about an outbreak of bedbugs in most of the local hotels, and the disease control list on the local website outlines where all the problem area's are. Every now and then I go to second hand stores, so perhaps I laid a container on my bed before I had anytime to wash or clean off any items. Furthermore, this is one of the most horrible thing any person can say to me; this is a serious phobia of mine, and spiders are an even worse fixation.

I conversed with several people that day; our road was blocked off due to a crime scene, so once I got home I couldn’t leave the buy the Rid, (orders from my doctor.) During the time at home, I could feel these creatures crawling about my head. I contacted the Or-kin Man; as they remain expects in detecting house pests and would discover precisely the problem. In the meantime, I purchased the Rid, put it on my hair, and it didn’t work, then I put it on my hair a second time and left it on for a few hours. That worked, I closed my bedroom door and started to wash all my clothes, linen and whatever I could find.

I moved onto the couch to sleep, which by the way, I am still at; yes I am scared of my room. I woke up the next day and couldn’t move my left arm it was in such pain starting on the top of my shoulder, and moved down my arm to my wrist, hand and fingers, the pain was excorticating, and this develop into a great deal worse in a three day span of time, and I couldn’t move my fingers, the pain started in my right shoulder at the joint, and traveled down my arm to my wrist and then into each knuckle joint. Near this time I progressed to understand that I undesirability must get dressed, as the Or-kin Man was pulling up in front of my house, they dispatched an specialist first to check out my room. I positioned myself at the threshold of my room; he placed his gloves on and looked all around my room. Then he got onto the bed and pulled back all the seams and deafeningly proclaims that I did not have bed bugs!

Wait it gets’s worse! He stated that a nest of baby spiders essentially emerged and numerous must be the culprets who had done the dirty deed which made the bites on my scalp, he also said that bedbugs in no way would go in hair, they can't stand hair, even pets hair, he annonced that they only liked human skin. Consequently, he told me to spray and left. I did have the room sprayed by a friend. I closed my bedroom door and that was that…for three days I could not use my left arm, my fingers were throbbing. It was, as if the truth be told, I was exceedingly geting worse each day; without fingers I can’t write which in turn, gives rise to me becoming very sad. Upon reflection, I figured I must have slept improperly on my arm…On the third day, I went to my computer and was glancing through my email messages and I started to feel pain in my right finger joints, and to write was extremely painful.

I stared down at my right hand and noticed the top of my hand was swollen and bright red, then the pain started and the pain was impossible to bear. I called my doctor for an emergency visit, and they told me to go to the emergency room right away. I had to wait for my housekeeper to leave; she drove me to home depot and got this spray that will kill bed bugs, spiders, lice, insects and germs. The room is still closed today, and I am still on immobile on the couch.

Accordingly, I drove myself to emergency, and ambled to the check in window, I have survived this hospital during different times over the years. By this point both my arms and hands could not be moved, and I told them I was in a lot of pain. The waiting room was large and packed; there were so many very sick people. I merely wanted someone take a look at my hand, simply to let me know what was going on. Within 45 minutes I was called, past the screaming and sick babies, I was sitting next to a man that stabbed himself with a screw driver and it went right through the center of the palm of his hand. I thought, "How strange that they would call me so quickly."

I trailed the man into the registration area, we sat down to get me registered and talked about my medications he asked if I was still taking the same med's, I told him yes. He asked if I was nevertheless still on medication for bipolar, I told him yes, but I am PTSD, (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) and the treatment is the same, and so are some of the symptom’s, accordingly he left for a minute to check to see if any doctor on duty was an insect specialist. Upon his return he said they only had one room left and because of my pain level they would the allow me the last bed so I could get pain medication right away. While walking through this maze on every ward level I noticed numerous empty beds.

I followed him through a maze of wards, each was a different level and a different color. We came across ward four. It was a long walk making our way through all the wards to end up far back in the emergency ward. I was given the last room, across from the rest room with its own TV…Cool. Finally the RN nurse, Melissa came in the greet me. She wanted me to give her an urine sample, but I already just went to the powder room. She was annoyed and said we needed that. I told her not to worry that I drink so much green tea during the day, it will happen soon. She grabbed my hand to look at it and I let out a whimper, I told here that my hands and wrist were in so much pain and not to grab me that way, she said, "Don’t execrate, you can move your hands!" She brought in a hospital gown to change into, and she started to leave, I said I need help I can’t use my hands, she called in a helper and they changed me into hospital gear.

I solicited for a glass of water; they bagged my clothes, shoes and purse, which I thought they placed on the table behind me. The nurse gave me my water and left the room, I was so thirsty and I couldn’t pick up the glass. She helped me a couple of times but I never got any water, she held it to my lips, then placed it back on the table... I finally went to the rest room, this was an incredibly painful experience to hold the cup, and pull up my pants, etc…No help was offered to me at all. This is currently about 6PM and I let the nurse know that the specimen was in the bathroom.

I couldn’t get help getting in and out of bed, and the RN came to check me seldom. Maybe possibly three times during my stay. Then the doctor walked into the room. I was thrilled to see him, it’s been a long week and I needed to know what was happening to me. He situated himself close to my bed and said, “I hear you’ve been very upset” I told him NO (who would tell him that?) I have not been upset at all, I am just in pain and it’s hard to move around. He wanted to know what the problem is, I explained my situation and he took a quick glance at my left shoulder, and grabbed my hand just like the nurse had done. I cried out a bit, and then I said that hurts, he refused to let my hand go, it was the right hand which is swollen and red, he said, “I know that doesn’t hurt?” He pulled back a bit from me and said, “HOW OFTEN DO YOU IMAGINE THINGS THAT AREN’T REALLY THERE?” I said what? Can you repeat that?” He had a look for disgust on his face and then, he said, “You heard me, it’s a simple question, do you imagine and see things that don’t really exist”? I said, what are you talking about, I am here for a spider bite and it’s real, what is your problem?”

He looked at me with a strange look, I couldn’t quite figure out what was happening, then he said, “You seem like you are very upset right now, do you want to harm yourself our harm others?” I said, “OMG you’re looking down at my medical chart and it say’s bipolar so you’re behavior towards me is like I'm a crazy person, right?” With a cold shrug, he said, “Yes, I take in all the facts.” I told him I was here for a spider bite, and I am in pain. He looked at the top of my hand and said, “Maybe you have a slight skin infection, but there is nothing wrong with you.” Then I said to him, “Dear Doctor I believe you are imagining things that really don’t exist!? Yes, I am a smart as…..s.

I must admit I was utterly shocked and have never in my life been treated this way by any doctor in my entire life, then I burst into tears at this point, and he said, “See you are not yourself and are very upset.” I told him to leave my room, I asked him to let me see another doctor, he said, “Sorry I’m the only one here!” I sought to go home, and I let him know I didn’t like him and asked him to leave and to leave right NOW. He walked up to the door and said with a slight smile, “I think you should let me at least take some blood and check this out, you might need an antibiotic.” Then he turned and walked out of my room. The nurses assistant came in and drew my blood.

Three hours later my specimen was still in the bathroom, the RN was in such a rush for my specimen, and at this point my left arm started to feel better, but my right hand was in serious pain, becoming brighter red and more swollen. The nurses shift change finally happened and the new staff came in to introduce themselves, and they were extremely nice, what a relief…By nine, I informed them, that was my deadline and that is when I am going home, the RN’s assistant came into my room with some fresh water and she was bight, cheerful, and happy, she said that the blood work was not ordered yet, that was the worse thing I heard from her, I saw the doctor around 7ish and now it was 8:40 no way I was getting angry and said I was leaving, this game was way above my head. I noticed my personal belongs were not in my room, so I walked out of my room to the nurses desk and asked for my purse and clothes. When you first enter this hospital they have guards and scanners, they look through your purse and you walk through the scanner, and all was okay.

I glanced around and noticed several police standing in some people’s rooms and lots of security guards. Then I observed one security office watching a camera on a computer screen, she was watching everyone in each room. Then it hit me, I was put in the psychiatric ward, and they refused to give me my personal belongs; now I was being held against my will, I have always had my purse and clothes with me in any emergency room.

You see I am not Bipolar, I am Post Turmeric Stress syndrome, (PTSD) yet, the medication is used for both, the exact same. Many member in my family is Bipolar, so I am very familiar with the symptoms. I have been seeing a doctor for many years, he told me it’s easy to misdiagnose because they create the same emotions. Yet, they are very different; however the medications are the same and used for both illnesses. The specimen was now gone, I went out again and they told me that they put a rush on my blood and urine samples and that they were waiting, the one nurse said I am personally going down to talk to them to make sure this is done.

I was now sitting in my bed, holding my tongue and my breath as not to scream at these people, and then the nurses assistant came in and said the doctor wants you to speak to a mental health professional before he will let you leave, I told her NO, and to tell the doctor to go to hell, I was here for a spider bite, period!

During my time, whilst in this room, I had my door opened and this small man was walking around with a clip board, I had observed him walking around all the time, not thinking anything of it at the time. Then he knocked on my door and stood there. He introduced himself as the Medical Health Staff and could he visit with me? I said with anguish, “Get out, I don’t want to talk to you, and I want my clothes and I want to go home?

My sternness hurt his feelings and he looked so sad, then he said with a very kind voice, “Please I just want to ask you a few questions and you really need to talk to me if you want to go home.” I said okay come in, he was so nice, warm and gentle, we talked for about a half an hour, after I shared with him the details of the events, he told me that he would have been madder then I was! We agreed that the doctor thought he was God, and had a bad bed side manner and that I was more normal then most people.

Within minutes everyone came into my room and was helping me get ready to leave, I got my personal belongings and they said that the doctor was writing me a prescription for my skin infection. As I waited to leave the doctor peaked into the room, and with a smirk he said, “Now you have a lot to write about.” I told him, “Yup I sure do, so plan on it Dr. Sauder, he even spelled out his name for me.” He wins my award for the worse doctor in history, other then doctor evil…

While this was going on both my computers crashed with a virus and it cost me a fortune to have them fixed. I am still scared of my room, so I am spending my nights on the couch, I have washed everything in the house and steam cleaned all that I can. Too many lemon falling from my tree, and writing I missed because of my hands. The antibiotics worked for the top of my right hand, and the pain moved to all my different joints going downward. I still have NO idea what happened to me, and my family doctor said, “Darlene I saw all those bites in your inside hair and scalp, and I have no idea what happened to you and honestly we may never know.”

I would like to know what you think I should do about this outrageous experience I had, with Memorial Hospital and its staff in Colorado Springs Colorado. After this I met with my family doctor, my psychologist, and my physicist that said this was pure and simply the most horrific and the worse thing a doctor and staff can do to a visiting patient, unless they gave signs that your crazy, like screaming in the waiting room, I'm going to kill myself and shoot all of you!

I've missed you all….I will be back in a few days now.

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