You Can't
Admit Me - I Have Jimmy Buffett Tickets!
by: Joyce Moseley Pierce
Monday morning we were in San Antonio on the final day of our annual family reunion. We spent four days with my husband's five siblings and had a great time together. We spent one day at Sea World, sat in the splash zone for Shamu, and got soaked on all of the water rides. We laughed, appreciating having fun without using grandkids as our excuse for being there.
When I got up on Monday, it was just like any other day, or so I thought. I showered, packed my bag, and went to the other room to talk to anyone else who was already up. As I walked into the living room, I felt a pain in my chest that immediately spread up my neck and into my head. It was a sensation I had never felt before.
Mary, my sister-in-law, noticed that something was different. When I tried to describe what I was feeling, I could see the concern on her face. When the pain didn't subside, I thought if I could just lie down, maybe I could relax it away.
By now, there was a crowd gathering. My face turned white and my skin was clammy. Someone asked if there was a blood pressure monitor in the house. Another sister-in-law took my blood pressure and my pulse. The blood pressure was high for me, but what concerned me was the pulse at 120! Someone else asked if there was any baby aspirin. They handed me four of them and told me to chew. The pain went away right after that.
We didn't feel comfortable making the three hour drive to Houston without at least a medical opinion, so we said our good-byes and drove to the nearest hospital emergency room. I learned that when you tell them you are having chest pains (or in my case, had experienced A Chest Pain) they pay attention.
They took me to a room and wanted my medical history. They asked if I had a Medical Power of Attorney. I told them I did, but as the day went on, I started to wonder about it. I knew I had one, and I knew exactly where it was. After all, I'm in the business of helping other people get these things organized. As soon as I said I had one, I started second guessing myself. Did I have all the witnesses I needed? Had I forgotten ANYthing? It nagged at me throughout the day.
I told my husband where the Medical Power of Attorney was. I told him all of our original documents were in my black binder, and because we were out of town, it was in the safe deposit box. I told him where the keys to the safe deposit box were, but I could tell by the look on his face that this was information he did NOT want to need to know. I reminded him that I didn't EVER want to be kept alive by artificial means, and yet I knew that it didn't matter what I said to him there in that room. If I didn't have the Medical Power of Attorney completed correctly, it was useless.
They wanted to start the tests, but of course someone from billing had to come in first. He took my insurance card and then came back wanting to know how I wanted to "take care of" the $5,000 deductible. I asked him what he suggested, and he said that if I gave them $1,500, that should get them started.
They tagged me, did a chest x-ray, drew blood, did an EKG, and I waited. Next thing I know, the billing guy comes in and tells me they're going to admit me. That's when I told him, "You can't admit me! I have tickets for Jimmy Buffett in Houston tonight"!
Fortunately, I had a great nurse named Michael. I think he must have been a Parrothead, because he did everything he could to get me through the system and out the door.
The doctor came back in and said if I would agree to a stress test, and if I passed, he would release me. There was one cardiologist in the hospital who could do it that day. I took the test, passed with flying colors, and as promised, they sent me home. My only orders were to go home, check in with my doctor there, and start taking one baby aspirin a day. Six hours later, there I was, in Margaritaville. I might add that I was quite possibly the only sober person there, and only part of the handful NOT wearing a grass skirt or a cheeseburger hat.
On my way home from the concert, I thought about what a great day it had been. There had been a little kink in my plans earlier in the day, but when the night was over, I was sleeping in my own bed and not a hospital bed. To go a step further, I was home and very much alive and healthy.
Today, I've made an appointment with my doctor to tell her about yesterday's incident. I also took the time to review the Medical Power of Attorney. Everything was in order, and thank goodness, right now it can just stay filed away!
What about you? Are you prepared for ANY emergency?
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