And I came thisclose to having Mike take me to the ER, that is how scary these panic attacks can be.
I did take an Ativan, but it took awhile to work. I managed to get up and take a shower and get dressed, so if I went to the ER, I at least would not stink. But by the time we were about to head out, I told Mike I’d likely be okay, and we could go out and collect mail and do other errands. If something happened, we’d not be far from the Lahey Clinic, where I would want to go.
And I was okay, except for little twinges of dull pains here and there. We went to the Good Post Office to get the mail, and then we headed towards home and went and ate at Turner’s in Melrose. The only thing I didn’t like about that is if I were to actually have a heart attack there (which is what panic attacks simulate), I’d be taken straight to my favorite place, The Hospital From Hell. It’s almost spitting distance away from Turner’s. I would have preferred to have lunch closer to the Good Post Office, which is spitting distance from Lahey, perhaps the Naked Fish, Legal Sea Foods, or the 99.
It’s gotten so I hate being at home, because, once again, if I really were suddenly to begin to die, the hellhole is the closest place. I am sure this fact is adding to my stress and anxiety.
Anyhoo, since I don’t have a primary care doc any longer (the one I had before works for Hallmark Health, the outfit that owns the hellhole), I don’t want to go back to her, even though she was nice enough. So I have to go through the routine to become a Lahey Clinic patient, which means going through their centralized appointment system and waiting to be called back. I have already put in for an appointment with whatever doc will see me first there, let them know what’s wrong, and that I would really rather do it this way than via the ER. Hopefully the call me back soon.
Where else am I gonna go? This is a bit too much for the Minute Clinic at CVS to handle. But it it’s just panic attacks and not anything else, it is a HUGE waste of the Lahey ER, too. That’s why I’ve contacted Lahey about seeing a doctor there via appointment. As good as that hospital is, the waiting time in their ER is often forever.
This is why I like the idea of the Minute Clinics, more and more of them are opening in CVS stores here in Massachusetts. If people would just go there, for then their kids get the sniffles, or ear infections, and such, that would take a HUGE load off of all ERs.
I just hope I will be okay until my appointment, whenever that will be.
Lahey is set up so that all of their doctors work out of the hospital, as in, all outpatient appointments are arranged through their centralized appointment system, and you see a doctor at the hospital, not a private office somewhere.
Mike’s next appointment is on Thursday, with the diabetes doctor. I might go with him, so at least if I do start to die, I’ll at least be in the hospital. It’s a lot scarier than being at home alone.
Yeah, this has to be fixed before Mike goes back to work.
