Monongahela's Revenge

For a short work week, this one has been a wringer.  There was New Year’s Eve, which was happily spent with friends.  Then there was New Year’s Day, the morning of which was spent watching as Sorg and a few other friends participated in the annual tradition plunge.  Then it was back to work on Wednesday.

Wednesday is where I place the blame for the remainder of the week going to Hell in a handbasket.

Wednesday morning marked Sorg’s return to teaching after the holiday hiatus – and his New Year’s dip in the Monongahela River.  After class, he texted me to let me know he wasn’t feeling well.  As he had not been feeling well for a brief stint while we were home for Christmas, we thought it may have been the flu.  He changed into some sweats and settled in until he had to come get me from work.

A little before he would have left home to come pick me up, I got a text asking if I could take the train home.

Sorg doesn’t get sick often.  If he was sick enough that he couldn’t come pick me up, I knew something was up.  He generally won’t make me take the train when it’s cold out.  He feels bad if I have to sit in the cold waiting for the train to come.  And, he feels bad if I have to walk from the train stop to the house.  He’s generally a great guy in that regard.

Seeing a trip to MedExpress in my future that evening, I started the car as I passed it in the drive.  When I went to open the front door, I realized the door was locked.  After retrieving my keys from the car, I opened the front door.  The house was quiet.  Too quiet.  After calling out, I finally located Sorg.  In the bathroom.  And, he wasn’t looking well at all.

So, I loaded him up in the car.  And, off we went.

Problem #1:  I should have known.  I should have seen the sign and taken it.  But, I didn’t.  Doh!  I pulled in and parked at MedExpress.  I helped Sorg into the building, and stepped up to registration.  When they asked for ID, Sorg didn’t have his wallet on him.  I could have gone home and tried to locate his wallet, but there was no way of knowing where he last had it.  Since it wasn’t in his pants and all.  I asked the lady behind the counter if there was another way we could confirm his ID.  She said that if I could produce proof of residency that it would work.  But, since there was no photo ID, if he needed narcotic medications they couldn’t provide it.  I figured that would be fine.  It’s not like there would be anything requiring narcotic medications, right?  So, I went to the car and retrieved the vehicle inspection information and insurance card.  The insurance card had both our names and address on it, and the inspection information had Sorg’s name and our address on it.

The registration lady processed his paperwork, and the wait for triage began.  When we were called for triage, Sorg had a difficult time standing and walking.  I had to help him to sit.  The triage lady saw his distress and bumped us up in the wait list.  She arranged for him to go back to see the doctor while I finished up at triage.  When I worked my way back to where Sorg was, he was wrapping up with the nurse.  She had taken his temperature and vital signs, and we were waiting for the doctor.

And that’s where Problem #2 arose…

Problem #2:  The doctor reviewed things and talked with Sorg.  He felt that given the gash on Sorg’s leg, and the symptoms he was having, it would be best for Sorg to go to the hospital for exam and testing.  Without the gash in the mix, his symptoms were flu-like.  But, because of the gash on his leg, it could be something worse.

So, the decision then became whether or not to transport him myself or have an ambulance called.  Given how weak he was, and that his heart rate and temperature were elevated, we opted to have an ambulance called.  I calmly, and safely, drove our car and met him at the Emergency Room.

After about 7 hours, 6 vials of blood, 5 tests, 4 medical staff, 3 IV bags, 2 prescriptions, and 1 tetanus shot – we were finally discharged with instructions to keep an eye on things.  The blood work came back with no evidence of infection.  The flu test came back negative.  The urine came back indicative of infection.  They put him on an antibiotic, and we had a follow-up visit with his PCP this afternoon.  That visit turned out okay.  The doctor was very happy to see that Sorg was feeling better today, but still warned that if his fever, chills, or other symptoms came back that we need to get him back to the Emergency Room pronto.

Suffice it to say that Sorg is reconsidering whether or not he plans to jump next year.