Emergencies: Not Just for CHD Patients

Every month I tell myself that I’ll get my ACHA Blog post in early. But every month something seems to happen that has me writing up to the last minute. This month, it was a sick kitty.

While I was sitting in the vet’s office yesterday, I realized how much I know about other people’s (and cats’) health. I’ve gone with Victor to enough cardiologist appointments and ER trips that I can give you his medical history, allergies and find the list of his medications he keeps on his phone. If he was unable to answer a doctor or nurse, I could fill enough gaps to keep him safe. Ditto for our cats.

How well Victor (I’m letting the cats off the hook on this one) knows my medical history is debatable, however. Fortunately, I don’t get sick often and when I do, it’s usually nothing more serious than a cold or 24-hour bug. But when I do get truly sick I do it up right.

Over the summer I had to be taken to the hospital for heat stroke. Not “I’m really hot and need to sit in the air conditioning,” but full on “My body can’t regulate its own temperature and I’m slipping in and out of coherency.”

Most of my time in the emergency room is fuzzy at best, but I do remember having to tell each new doctor or nurse who came in what medications I was taking and what I’m allergic to. Looking over my paperwork later, I realized that I had given the doctors an incorrect age, but nailed my allergies. I suppose the survival instinct still works, even if you’re not sure how old you are.

When you’re married to someone with a serious health condition, it’s easy to get so wrapped up with it that you forget anyone can have an emergency.