Medical Emergencies and Vanlife

I do not think much about medical emergencies. I am a very healthy person but on Monday something happened that has not happened in almost 30 years (when my last daughter was born). I had to go to a hospital.

I was driving back to southern Ontario from Timmins and had stopped in North Bay for the night. My stomach was a little upset and I knew I had the beginnings of a gall bladder attack. I have had them before but have always been able to ride them out. I had a rough nights sleep and set off the next day thinking it would calm down. As I was driving the pain was getting worse not better. I got to Huntsville which is a few hours from North Bay and realized I needed to pull off the highway.

At this point I want to tell you something about me. I do not do doctors, prescription medicine, over the counter medicines. I believe that my body is a powerful force and can over come what is going on. That there are natural remedies that help the body fight the outside forces that want to bring it down. Do I think doctors are a must? Yes of course but not at the rate we see them today. Did you know when you turn 50 you need to go for a battery of tests in case something is going wrong? Haha! Omg!! They want to shove things everywhere! Take bits and pieces off! Squish my boobies until they are flat!!! What does this do to your body?? And they hound you like a telemarketer! I got put on the do not call list!! Haha! No really! I did! If there is something wrong I will come to you!

As far as prescription drugs. Nope. One leads to another to another to another. I watched at 13 years old my Mom convulse on the floor because of doctors prescribing too many prescription drugs. That will never be something my children have to witness with me.
Most people who have a brick and mortar home have a doctor they regularly go to but being as mobile as I am. I am never in one spot for too long. I have a doctor but yup you guessed it I am not sure he would recognize me.

I had been keeping my gallbladder under control with apple juice and apple cider vinegar and watching what I ate. For whatever reason I did not do that for the 6 weeks I was in Timmins! They made the best butter tarts! Hahaha! And now was the payback! And WOW what a payback that was! When I pulled into the Walmart in Huntsville I knew it was going to be bad! The pain was ramping up. I parked, poured myself another apple juice and apple cider vinegar and paced and layed down and got up. Hoping it would start to go away. I was still a long way from anybody I knew.

Then came the point I knew I had to call Kim! The pain was EXCRUCIATING!!! Why did I have to call her? Someone had to tell me to go to the hospital! Hahaha! Yup! What are friends for. She is my best friend! We have been friends since high school! She said you either call 911 or get yourself to a hospital or I am coming up there! Hahaha! Ok! So I Google the hospital and it was less than a mile away! Off I went.

It went pretty quick after that. After an ultrasound to make sure that it was indeed my gallbladder I was transferred to Bracebridge hospital where the surgeon was. I will tell you everyone was extremely nice. I have a very clean system so the morphine levels were not huge (3 milligrams was my highest) but knocked me on my ass! Haha! Wow! She suggested maybe we do a 2 week antibiotic regiment and send me back down south. Ummm no. If we can do it now let’s do that. If I feel better I will not have the operation. I also do not want to be on antibiotics for 2 weeks. That would totally destroy my immune system! I have a great immune system. I do not get sick! Other than the gallbladder I no longer have! So surgery was set for the next day!

As I was laying there I got a text from Kim! I am coming! Lol! I would get through it but it was comforting to know she was coming! Although I did not think she wouldn’t. There is no force of nature that would keep us apart if we needed each other. I am blessed to have such wonderful friends! Kim stayed with me and Tom took the van home as they said I could not drive when I got out!

The surgery went off with out a hitch. I woke up the next morning feeling so much better. Dieing for a coffee and starving since I had not eaten for 3 days. The nurse came in I asked for coffee. She said I was still on clear fluids until the doctor had seen me. Dam! Could I go for walk? My IV had been unhooked and I had been up and dressed for hours! Time to go!!! Lol! She said sure I could go for a walk. Was a little bemused that I needed no pain meds and was up and walking so well. I bounce back well! Haha! Off for a “walk” to the coffee shop. Grabbed a coffee and an egg salad sandwich. Ate only 1/2 the sandwich and slowly because I was hungry but not foolish and sat outside and enjoyed my coffee.
2 hours later I was free and heading south back to my van! It was a great roadtrip back with the GPS set at no highways and my girlfriend laughing next to me. And yup I drove! Hahaha!

This experience was scary but also proved to myself again that no matter what happens I can handle it!

Now to recover and clean my system of all the medications that were pumped into me! Lots of water and lemon and some nap time in the van and I will be good as new!!

And coffee! Got this great coffee at Winners! I can not pronounce but I like it! Lol!

Thanks for coming along on my Chipmunks Adventures with me!

See you Next time!

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