Doesn't Everyone Start A Vacation With A Visit To The ER?!

So...I had this "FABULOUS plan" to go on a stress free vacation cruise to celebrate our 5 year anniversary and Brett's graduation from WSU. Little did I know the "FABULOUS plan" would be wrecked with a trip to the emergency room the very first day of our vacation. And so the story begins...

We decided to begin our trip by spending a day with Jess and Ryan (and their kids)the day the before the ship actually left. We left on perfect schedule at 3:30pm Tuesday afternoon and made the trip to Houston in just over 9.5 hours. We ended up staying at one of Jess and Ryan's friend's houses due to AC issues at their house, but it was no further than if we were going to Jess's.(Maybe even closer!)Everyone was already in bed when we got there, so we just went straight to bed. Nice comfy bed, cool air condition, sweet dreams of our soon to be "FABULOUS planned" cruise...and then the pain started...4:30am-out of nowhere...POP!! My right knee can no long extend and I can pretty much sum it up in one word...AGONY. My knee has had popping trouble like this before, but usually it is a pop out and then right back in, so when the popping back in wasn't happening I was less than thrilled. I slept through the rest of the night (if you want to call it sleeping) with it bent up hoping that in the next few hours it would miraculously be well. But unfortunately it wasn't. We decided the ER was the fastest option and best for our insurance since we were out of state and since it was first thing in the morning. It by all means was not a "quick" option, but I guess it could have been worse. I think we were there a total of 3 hours. First the receptions needed to know what was wrong. Then we went back. A nurse came in, got the story of what happened. Then the doctor came in, had no details from the nurse so he got the entire story again. I asked him for drugs, which I didn't get until MUCH later! But they did order an x-ray just to make sure nothing was broken. About 30 minutes later the x-ray tech came to get me. She brings a wheelchair, little did I know that would where my rear would be parked (most of the time, some of the time I used crutches) for the next 5 days! In the x-ray room I laid down on the table and she says "okay, lay your legs flat." I thought she was joking. She said, "we need your legs down to get accurate pictures." I said " The whole reason I am here is because my leg won't extend." She said "Well, we need it to." So she goes for "help." She returns with a nurse that definitely has a "can do attitude." I was trying to explain politely and get everyone caught up on why I was there and it wasn't because I thought my leg was broken. IT WOULD NOT EXTEND. But for some reason they just weren't getting it. They assured me everything was going to be fine. And that they dealt with cases like this all the time. As the "can do attitude" nurse grabs my foot she instructs the x-ray tech to "gently" help me extend my leg. Are you kidding me?! At this point I'm done being "polite." Lately I have really been trying to be more patient with people I don't like or get along with, but I'm really restraining from telling this nurse she is an idiot and that my leg hurts and her face is going to if she keeps it up! :) (Also keep in mind I have been at the hospital almost 2 hours at this point, told my story several different times, still don't have any drugs, and if you know anything about my medical history...well, I'm not very nice when I'm in pain. haha...remember my labor with Rachel?! If you don't just ask Brett how that went!) So I continue saying, "I don't think this is going to work. That hurts...That hurts!...That HURTS!!!" My hands are gripped under the table I am laying on, I look down, my leg is semi-straight, but there is nothing "gentle" about what the tech is doing. She might as well have just sat on it! Remember the word that summed it up earlier? A-G-O-N-Y!!! Yep that's pretty much where I was when I yelled (and I do mean yelled) "I'm not gonna make it!" I thought they were starting to kinda understand when they nurse said "okay!" But the very next thing that came out of her mouth dashed my hopes...She said "Okay, HOLD IT!" And my thoughts came out of my mouth..."ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" I laid there as still as I possibly could as the two of them scurry behind the wall and the machine above me begins moving around. The machine turns off and I assume we are done...WRONG..."Those weren't very clear. We're going to try again." Imagine the very same thing happing again with all the "gentle" help AGAIN. Machine moves around...stops...The both re-enter..."Those weren't very good either. Maybe we should just try it with your leg bent." HALLELUJAH! I guess those went well because after the next set with the bent leg, I got to put my pants back on and back to the exam room we went. 20 minutes later the nurse comes back in with the crutches, and brace (which didn't fit so we just got an ace bandage) and says now we're just waiting for the discharge paperwork to be completed. I then politely (of course) told him I still didn't have any drugs and yet again politely demanded I have a prescription to take with me! He said he would have the doctor write it up and it would be with the discharge paperwork. The paperwork came and they sent me on my merry way. With the assurance of medication in the near future I seriously calmed down and began to think what a good blog post this would be. :) So, we did what any normal patient does in the ER...took pictures of the glorious event! Posted below are a few pics just before we were leaving. We tried to make the best of the situation. Tune in in the next couple of days for a new post about how our "fabulous planned" trip went after the exciting ER visit!