Today was quite the day! I'll get right to the point: I've been dealing with a hemorrhoid for the last couple days and when I woke up today the pain had increased three fold (at least).
So I got showered and dressed and got to work, being extra careful getting in and out of my car. The pain was searing each time I sat or stood up! Getting in and out of my work truck was a whole other story, and I carelessly hopped up into the truck like I normally do without thinking and felt like I was going to die...
Later that day I finished up work in the early afternoon and headed home to shower. I had called my Drs office earlier but they weren't able to get me in and suggested I visit an urgent care or emergency room.
At the urgent care after signing in, I was taken to a small room after having my vitals taken and given a gown. The dr examined me and dryly told me that he was going to give me a cream, and my eyes glazed over as I started to doubt even coming there and feeling like a fool.
I was given some lidocaine cream, and shortly after a nurse came in with a needle. This is getting interesting, I thought! It was toradol, and an intramuscular injection at that... nothing too bad.
Shortly after, the Dr came back and told me what I wanted to hear; that he was probably going to cut it and to just wait a few minutes for the painkillers to kick in.
I was soon guided across the way to a small operating room, and the preparations were underway. The Dr then advised me that there was going to be a slight pinch as he began to inject the anesthetic into the area. The initial insertion wasn't too bad, a sharp exhale and tight grip on the table helped me deal with it. But then the needle went deeper, and my grip got tighter, breath sharper. Then a second injection, a third... I thought I was gonna pass out! A final fourth injection and I was praying it was the last, and thankfully it was.
Once the anesthesia kicked in, it was time for what I came for. I felt a light tickling as he began to cut with the scalpel, seemingly scraping away, almost in a digging manner. It was over in about two minutes and I was so relieved! He had discovered that one of them had just started to become infected, so I was very glad to have caught that before it became a major issue.
Now that that was all done, it was time to pay up. I sat a while in the waiting area, nervous to find out what the final total was. Since I don't have health insurance, I had informed them that I would be cash pay, and the receptionist had made an exception for the initial fee of $150 due before being seen to be due at the end of the procedure. My name was called, and I approached the front counter. She pulled out a price sheet and began to tally up all the fees for the various medications and equipment. I began to anxiously tally it up in my head. $200, $250, $300, $380... She excused herself to go talk to the Dr. A minute later, she was back and told me that the final total would be $410, but since she had talked to the Dr I would only need to pay $200! I thanked her sincerely and made the payment.
Despite all the horrible pain I experienced today, ending it on receiving that discount after going through all that was definitely a high note! Hopefully I won't have to worry about anything like this for a long time... 👶🏻