It started on Friday afternoon. My abdomen felt some pain each time I would take a breath. Initially, I thought it may just have been a muscular problem because I woke up with some back pain. However, the pain started to get worse in the evening. I was hoping that by the time I woke up the next day, the pain would be gone. But it wasn't. I decided I needed to see a doctor.
Unfortunately, my HMO is a bit challenging to use because apparently, you need to find your own doctor before you can request a letter of authorization (LOA). Also, since it was a Saturday, I couldn't ask our company clinic for help. I decided the best option would be for me to go to a hospital emergency room (ER) since ERs normally work with the HMOs to get the necessary LOAs and paperwork done. I decided that Medical City in Pasig would be my best option.
I knew that my abdominal pain wouldn't be flagged as top priority after triage at the ER (I was right) so I was expecting a long wait. It took about an hour for me to get a more thorough doctor's assessment. She said that my abdomen was swollen and when she put pressure on one side of it, it hurt a lot. She prescribed some bloodwork as well as an abdominal CT scan. She also told me I needed IV fluids since I needed an empty stomach for the CT scan and it would take a while before I would get my turn so having an IV meant that I wouldn't need to eat.
The doctor said I would most likely be in the ER until the evening so if I had any plans that evening, I should cancel them. While I didn't have plans with other people that night, I was actually planning to finalize trip preparations for my family's trip to go on safari Kenya a week later. I still needed to sort out our electronic travel authorisations (which is sort of like a visa) and secure travel insurance. Being in the ER was worrisome because I wasn't sure how serious my condition was and if I needed to be confined, which could throw off our travel plans. And of course, no one wants to have a serious health concern that puts them in the hospital.
It was late in the evening when I finally got my diagnosis: it wasn't a serious condition and I didn't need to be confined. Whew! However, I would most likely to continue to be in some pain and discomfort over the next few days so the doctor told me to be in bed rest for four days. He also prescribed me a couple of meds, including a pain reliever.
Needing to go on bed rest was tough since I still needed to sort out many things for our safari but thankfully, I didn't need to be hospitalized. Hopefully, I recover fully in time for my family's trip.
