I had more testing done this past Saturday at the Mayo Clinic. I went in thinking I’d give a blood sample, pee in a cup, and be out of there. Nope.
I was led to a hospital room. “Um, what are we doing today? How long is this going to take?” I was concerned on time, because my birthday dinner with friends was that evening as well as the fundraiser at FnB in Scottsdale. “Oh, about 2 hours,” replied the nurse. I stopped walking and started crying. I was frustrated that I hadn’t known about the length of time, and when she told me I’d have an IV in my arm the whole time, I just felt…alone. I’ve been going to all my tests by myself because I really don’t want people seeing me pee in a cup and I don’t want to inconvenience anyone. I had the IV (not attached to anything) stuck in my hand and had to drink 20 ounces of water in an hour. When the hour was up, I had to go pee in a bowl, and they had to measure it. THEN, a sonogram was done on my bladder to make sure I peed properly. Then, blood was pulled through the IV. Again, I had to drink 20 ounces of water and wait 45 minutes the second time. Pee in a bowl, sonogram and blood. I was in a hospital bed. I was alone. I cried. I watched serial killers on the TV. I also had to fast for 4 hours before the test, but since I slept in a little, I didn’t have time for a real meal and it was now 3pm. I was HANGRY, crying, frustrated and felt really, really alone. Finally, it was over.
My birthday dinner was nice and I got to catch up with friends I really don’t get to see too often. It was at FEZ, my favorite CenPho spot, and I was surrounded by good people. I was also very anxious about the fundraiser, which was to start at 10pm. I knew it was going to be emotional, but I had no idea who would be there, if ANYONE would actually show up.
Pavle, the owner of FnB, had come forward a couple weeks ago and said he’d do a fundraiser. I let Kirti take care of it, as I had a trip out of town, work, and comedy. Boy, were those two ever organized!!! Pavle had asked a lot of local business owners to donate goods and gift cards to the raffle. When I got there, Kirti was organizing everything and I was completely awe-struck at the people there. People who I had been interacting with on Twitter and Facebook for over a year, most I had never met before face-to-face had come out to show their support. A few times that night, my eyes welled-up and I realized that even though we had never physically met, I had a LOT of friends there and a LOT of good people still do exist in the world.
I will be out of work for 3 – 4 weeks, of which I do not get paid. I have not been at my job long enough to get short-term disability, nor do I qualify for FMLA. It will be unpaid. I have some vacation time, but not enough to cover the entire recovery period. The generosity of not only Pavle for donating part of the proceeds of that evening, but of all the people who donated from their businesses and pockets was amazing. I am so thankful to be a part of such a FABULOUS community!!! I am not going to be afraid to ask for help, even if it’s just to have someone come over and watch a movie. I will not let myself think I am inconveniencing anyone.
After feeling so alone in the hospital all day, and seeing all those people there, I cried the entire drive home from the restaurant. I’m NOT alone.
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