My Recent Trip to the ER

There are many ways that lupus patients like myself may feel like the weakest link, especially during the wintertime because this is when sometimes our lupus flares up the most, dealing with our joints. The wintertime prevents me from going everywhere but the emergency room. The emergency room has become second nature since the wintertime has kicked in. The weather in New Orleans was different. We would get cold air in the morning and then heat for the rest of the day. Here in Atlanta, it is cold all day, every day.

My lupus symptoms came out of nowhere

With a daughter going into the terrible 2's, I felt caught at a vulnerable moment just recently. Why? I got sick, and each time my daughter wanted but needed me, I could not even take care of myself. My husband had to call out of work and help me with my daughter because I could not even get out of the bed, let alone keep any food down. This was so frustrating because my symptoms started completely out of nowhere. I woke up in the morning feeling off-balance, but I had no understanding why. Then I started to get that sharp pain in the side of my chest every time I inhaled. I went to the ER, and they considered me tier 3, so I waited in the emergency waiting room from 11:40 PM to 4 AM. Then I was discharged around 9 in the morning.

My ER experience

This experience was dreadful for me, watching everyone walk in and out who was put before me. Their symptoms were similar to mine, but I think they labeled me as unimportant as much because I came the night before. The only catch is the first night I came, they discharged me with no medicine to help stop the vomiting, and I ended up being sicker the next day. When I showed up the next day, a different doctor was shocked that I left without any meds to take home. She was determined to figure out a solution before she sent me home. Instead of getting the medicine through an IV, I needed the medicine through my arm like a shot. It burned like crazy, but I felt better.

I had a minor flare-up, and my body needed rest. When I got home, I rested for the whole day until I started to feel a little on balance. I could not eat anything in bulk. I had to eat my food slowly. I still can not keep my prednisone down, but I remain confident that I will be eventually able to.