Emerging from a long, boring, but oddly productive meeting at work into my 80 degrees and sunny cube, I got a weak phone call from Thong around 3:00, who wanted me to take him to the doctors. Told 'em I was leaving at work, drove home, got gas, picked him up, with more than a slight fever, and took him down to Hennepin County Hospital. Parked the car in the ramp. Been there before, it isn't ever quick.
After about twenty minutes, the triage nurse saw him, and pretty much thought it was a variant of the flu. I ventured that was slightly unlikely as he'd been collecting flu shots. But his throat was sore, and she thought he should get checked for strep. So I got him registered and we went back to the waiting room. He really didn't feel good at all, and he really didn't want to wait, but I ustta get strep too easily when I was young, and it's no fun, and it only gets worse without antibiotics. It was a long wait, and Thong was not happy. He couldn't lie down, and he was dizzy and feverish. She'd estimated a two-hour wait, and I don't think she was too far off.
He finally got called and taken into the ER. She said I could get a visitor's pass after twenty minutes. So, I sat, watched the Simpson's and read the newest Fantasy and Science Fiction. Then, went and got a pass from the cute security guard and wandered around until I found the right room.
He was laying on a gurney, with his shoes off, not at all happy. I think they'd taken a throat swab before I got there, but not much more. The first guy that came in did the blood pressure and pulse thing while Thong was sitting down, then made him stand up and did the whole thing over again. And he took his temperature, which wasn't really necessary to tell he had a fever.
The second guy came in with some Tylenol for Thong, and he took a bunch of blood and hooked him up to a saline. (They really like saline at Hennepin County.) The time started to move really slowly. Thong kept trying to get me to go eat. (He started to cool down and got a bit more animated.), but I wasn't hungry anyway. The first saline bag runs out, and we wait and wait. Two people pass in the hallway, and from their casual conversation, it appears the strep test is negative, but they also ran a mono test. We wait. Thong tells me to go eat. He'll take a taxi home. I have so few pleasant memories of hospitals.
Eventually the bright light gets turned off, and finally a woman pops her head in. "I'm just on, and I don't know what's going on yet." she says. "Strep test, cranky guy, and I don't know either." I said. Long period of waiting. She comes back in with a visitor. Takes Thong's blood pressure and pulse. I mention he's going to have to go to the bathroom soon. And we have a brief conversation about his 14 hour sleeping time. "You should have him worked up" she says, and drifts off to talk about narcolepsy, which he doesn't have, to sleeping too much, which he does seem to do. Not probably that I need to pay a doctor to check out why he sleeps as much as he does. I've always just figured it was what he needs. I ustta require a lot of sleep.
Somewhere along here it comes out that he's tested positive for mono, but the nurse, who had it in college, doesn't remember much about it. Most of my memories are from when I was in college as well. "The doctor will talk to you about it."
Another long wait. Somewhere in here another saline drip is started by the nurse who has some trouble hanging the bag because she's not very tall. The doctor comes in, an Asian woman, who appears to be about 25 and spends a great deal of time telling Thong that he should avoid contact sports and trampolines because mono affects the spleen. Probably not a worry, I volunteer. How about disco dancing? I ask. Thong is not a jock, his brother, our pseudo-child has enough jock jeans for the both of 'em. 6-9 months recovery the doctor says... I'll give you some narcotics and a throat spray. Take lots of ibuprofen and drink plenty of clear fluids, oh, and avoid contact sports.
Another long wait for the paperwork and getting him off the IV. At least the guy was cute... Thong heads back for the bathroom, and I head off for the pharmacy with the prescriptions. We meet at the pharmacy, and I went and got the car. Paid at the ramp, then did a wide swing to get back into the entry for the hospital. Thong ran out and off we went home.
He'd bled inside his sweatshirt, but we put a new Band-Aid on his arm. I threw the shirt in the washer with some shout and cold water. He heated up what was left of the soup he got from Quang's earlier, and ran up to eat it in bed. I'll hafta lay in a big supply of chicken soup tomorrow. Have a MNSTF meeting at two, and should see if I can get some videos from him or something. May just skip the meeting. Meteor showers tomorrow night too. Minicon meeting on Sunday as well.
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