WORST HOSPITAL EXPERIENCE

Hey yo, readers! 

Today, I wanna share with you a personal story that still gives me chills whenever I think about it, my absolute worst hospital experience. Get ready for a wild ride of emotions as I take you through this harrowing tale. So, fasten your seatbelts, grab some popcorn, and let's dive into the horror together. 

So, I've been stuck with this crazy intense headache/migraine for weeks. At first, for like three days, I just brushed it off as a regular migraine that could be fixed with some Panadol. I didn't take it seriously. But then, a whole week went by and it still hadn't gone away. And you know what? I still didn't even consider going to the doctor because I didn't think a migraine was a big enough deal to warrant a hospital visit.

Instead of going to the doctor, I thought popping a bunch of paracetamols and painkillers would do the trick. But guess what? None of them kicked in. If anything, it actually had gotten slightly worse.

As the week went by, I found myself in a constant state of discomfort. That migraine that was once manageable had now escalated to a severe and unbearable level.

I desperately needed some sleep to ease the pain, but it seemed like the universe had other plans. The pain strike back at night, especially in the dead of night, leaving me wide awake and sleep-deprived. And let me tell you, lack of sleep only amplified the agony. At noon, I haven’t been able to eat much cause I feel very nauseated and wanna throw up.

And to make things worse, I couldn't even function properly. Work became an impossible task, and forget about checking my emails on my phone. It felt like my eyes were ready to give up on me.

You know what? Initially, I started freaking out, convinced that I might have caught Covid. It's weird though, because I didn't have the typical symptoms like a sore throat or fever. But according to an article I read, frequent headaches could be a sign, and that got me all anxious.

The thought of being Covid positive really stressed me out. I mean, I've been taking all the precautions and being super careful ever since this pandemic hit. The last thing I wanted was to actually get sick. If it turned out I had Covid, I would be a mix of sad and furious. Eventually, I decided to get myself admitted to the hospital. I went to MRCCC Siloam, a private hospital that I usually go to, and scheduled an appointment with my trusted General Practitioner. This doctor knows my medical history like the back of her hand, so I felt comfortable seeking her help. I explained to her that I had been dealing with this excruciating pain for almost a week, and nothing seemed to alleviate it. She conducted some tests and then prescribed me a bunch of meds.

For two days straight, I religiously took the medication as instructed by the GP (three times a day). But instead of leaving feeling better, my pain reached an unbearable level. It's crazy, none of those meds seemed to do a single thing to help me out.

On day three, I reached a breaking point and couldn't take it anymore. I was scared that something might be seriously wrong inside my head, I decided to see a Neurologist at the same hospital. My appointment was set for 10 AM, I arrived 15 minutes early. After waiting for around 30 minutes, my name was finally called over the hospital PA system, signaling my turn to enter the room.

Let me tell you, this Neurologist was a breath of fresh air. She was a young, beautiful, and incredibly compassionate woman. Her vibe was completely different from the GP. Without wasting any time, she immediately set about finding what was causing the pain in the right side of my head.

As she pulled up my medical records on the computer, it quickly became apparent that my GP had prescribed meds for vertigo instead of migraines. Now, I don't mean to sound harsh, but when an experienced doctor in a highly reputable hospital can't even get the right medications prescribed for a patient, it seriously made me question her credibility. I'm not sure if she misdiagnosed me or if the dosage was incorrect, but one thing is clear: migraines and vertigo might share some common causes and symptoms, but they are distinct conditions that require different treatments!

Thankfully, my brilliant neurologist promptly provided me with the correct and specific prescription for migraines. And let me tell you, within less than an hour of taking those meds, I felt like I had come back to life. My pain vanished completely, and I regained my energy. It was like a miracle!

But then, I quickly realized that I had celebrated too soon. The very next day, the pain came back with a vengeance. It seemed like I had become dependent on those meds, and I couldn't go a single day without them. They would provide temporary relief for a couple of hours, but they couldn't fully cure the pain, if you catch my drift.

And then, one night, it hit me like a ton of bricks, I only had one pill left. I popped it right away, hoping it would do the trick. But instead, the pain worsen and started spreading throughout my entire body. Talk about a total nightmare!

My neurologist had told me that if the pain persisted for more than three days, I should come back to undergo an MRI test. So, three days later, at around 11 o'clock in the morning, I went back to see her. She promptly arranged a schedule for me at the radiology department on the same day. Unfortunately, the place was packed, and I ended up waiting until 6 PM to finally get my turn. Can you believe it? The struggle was real.

So, after enduring a long 6-hour wait, they suggested that I opt for in-patient care. I figured, why not? However, all the in-patient procedures are super complicated due pandemic. Thanks to the Covid-19 situation. After the doctor sorted out all the necessary paperwork, a nurse escorted me to the lower level of the hospital building, which turned out to be the dreaded Emergency Room. I walked in with a glimmer of hope, but what unfolded there was beyond depressing.

First things first, I had to go through the joyous experience of getting a PCR test done to make sure I wasn't Covid positive. Thankfully, the result came back negative. Phew!

Now, it was around noon when I found myself in the ER, hoping to be whisked away to a room soon after the test. But, oh no, the male nurse had a different plan. He casually informed me that I wouldn't be getting into a room until around 1 pm. I just responded with a sarcastic "MKAY!" 😏

Next up, after an excruciating hour of waiting, a bunch of nurses whisked me upstairs for a head CT-Scan to rule out any nasty stuff like bleeding or tumors (God forbid). And just to be extra sure, they also had me do some additional tests, including an MRI. My fingers were crossed that after the CT-Scan, I'd finally get to chill in my proper room. But guess what? All those hopes were shattered.

Hours flew by, and at 8 PM, they finally took me to the radiology ward for the dreaded MRI. It was my first time, and I have to admit, I was pretty darn nervous. You know how they show those dark, cold, and cramped MRI machines in movies? Thankfully, the one at MRCCC was a fancy state-of-the-art scanner. Not dark, not too close to my face, and definitely not as scary as I thought. The test lasted only 30 minutes, and I swear I was half asleep during it, with Ariana Grande's tunes playing in the background. Oh, and I just found out they let you jam to your favorite music during MRIs. Dang it, why didn't anyone tell me before? I would've requested "Zero O'clock" by BTS! LOL.

But here comes the infuriating part. The MRI test got delayed by three whole hours from the initial schedule. I mean, delays are the norm in hospitals, but this took it to a whole new level. After all those tests, they had the audacity to send me back to the fucking ER once again.

Staying in the ER for more than 8 hours was beyond depressing, especially considering the pandemic situation and the ambiance of the place. So, I asked the nurse again, "Ini saya kapan bisa masuk kamar ya?" The male nurse said I would be getting into the room at 1 PM. It was already 8:30 PM when I asked him, and I was still stuck in the ER. Seriously, that wasn't what I signed up for! Then they hit me with the news that I'd have to wait ANOTHER HOUR OR SO since every single room in MRCCC was occupied.

An hour later, a nurse came to me and said that I was on the waiting list no.20.  

NUMBER FUCKIN’ TWENTY! NO SHIT!

I didn't say a word, just gave him the fiercest resting bitch face I could muster, took a deep breath, and dialed up my boyfriend in Paris on a video call. And there I was crying.

To be fair, I knew it wasn't the nurse's fault. I was just so damn furious at the hospital for not informing me right from the start that there were no available rooms. Can you blame me for getting mad when I have to deal with such dumb shit? I'm so done with this damn hospital!

So, guess what? I ended up stuck in that fuckin' ER for a whole day and a half. I tried my best to convince the hospital staff to send me home, but they wouldn't budge. Apparently, I still needed treatment, and they hadn't even gotten all the test results yet.

All I wanted was plenty of sleep and rest my nerves. But nooo, the ER was packed to the brim and noisy as hell. And let me tell you, I'm the kind of light sleeper who can't doze off in a noisy place. On top of that, I couldn't stop overthinking about the results of my MRI.

It was about 2 o'clock in the morning when I hit a breaking point. I started contemplating moving to a different hospital. I called nearly every hospital in town, but they all hit me with the same line, “Mohon maaf Bu, kamarnya full”. Ugh, can this situation get any worse?

I have no idea what time I eventually knocked out, but I woke up to a nurse delivering breakfast and swapping out my IV set around 9 AM.

I was kinda hoping the hospital staff would keep me updated about the room situation, but nope, they were radio silent. Maybe my wicked face literally scares the shit out of them. HAHAHAHA.

Finally, at 2 PM, my Neurologist paid me a visit with all the test results in hand. I was super nervous and anxious to hear the news, but luckily, everything came back good, clear, and normal. No signs of any sudden brain calamities whatsoever. After getting the results, I asked to be discharged. I couldn't bear spending any more time in that godforsaken ER. In the end, I only stayed for a total of 30 hours (under two days), but it cost me a whopping IDR 16 million for staying 1,5 day in that hellhole.

As my friend put out:

So, if I'm not dealing with any major head issues, what the heck is causing these headaches? Well, it turns out the most common culprits are all up in my head, but in an emotional sense. We're talking stress, depression, anxiety, and even excitement. But there are some other possible triggers too, like feeling exhausted (from being loveless, LOL), not getting enough sleep (definitely guilty), having tense shoulders and neck (thanks to my impromptu home workouts without a personal trainer), having terrible posture (no more gym for me, thanks to that damn Covid), experiencing low blood sugar (seriously, where did all that boba sugar go? haha), having irregular meal times (ngl, it's pretty much every day), and being dehydrated (spot on!).

I mean, all these triggers make sense, but for me, the most likely culprit is my fucked-up sleep schedule. My sleep cycle has been completely out of whack for the past few months. Or maybe my mom hit the nail on the head with her statement: "Your sickness is a result of always being glued to that stupid phone." Can't deny that one, though, Mom! 😂

So, it turns out all those CT scans and MRI tests were unnecessary. I spent 1,5 days in the hospital for nada. Turns out, the cure for my ailment lies in fixing my fucked-up habits. That's it!

To all you folks out there who think this illness is no biggie, I kindly request you to think again. Take care of your own health, get enough sleep, reduce your phone time, and get some exercise in.

Here's hoping this loser can practice what she preaches.

Ciao!