Student Bloggers
Hospitalized – 3,000 miles away from home
Date
November 30, 2017
So November didn’t start off so well. My laptop broke and took about 2 weeks to get fixed. Midterms were coming up and I had no idea how the Spanish set up their exams.
As mentioned in my previous blog post we went to Toledo and Madrid. That trip was extremely fun. But I was dealing with a cold, looking back it was probably the beginning of my illness.
So I came back to Granada and took my midterms. Then I went on a trip. And it was painful.
I was in so much pain and I was so tired. I could barely eat despite being starving. I was severely dehydrated. So I came back on Sunday early and ready to go to the doctor I had a fever of over 100 F or 38 C.
Since it was Sunday the only thing I could do was head to the emergency room, which was a first for me. I’ve been in the ER multiple times, just never for me. Luckily the wait only lasted about an hour. The doctor saw me quickly, next thing I knew I was being hooked up to an IV. I was freaking out.
I was panicking. I didn’t know what was happening or what they were pumping into me. Turns out it was just antibiotics and liquids to break my fever and keep my hydrated.
Then they came in and thought it was appendicitis. This was where my mom started to panic, well even more so.
Hours passed, constantly being given IVs and was taken for a Cat Scan. They found out it was a serious infection in my stomach and intestines. My PCR level was at 180, the normal is 5 & under. Safe to say, I was in serious trouble.
I got admitted within the hour and got sent to my first ever hospital room. All I wanted to do was cry and leave. But I didn’t. Well I couldn’t. I stayed in the hospital for five days. Five incredibly trying and exhausting days. I spent hours and hours doing nothing bored out of my mind, because my only other option was panic attacks and crying. I did a lot of crying. Even now two weeks later I’ll still sometimes cry out of utter exhaustion and just the absolute need to see my mom.
But thanks to my incredible host mom who stayed with me for 6 hours the first day, and came back everyday. And to my two amazing program managers at the Arcadia Granada Center, Eu and Marta, who kept me calm and handled all the paperwork for me. And the ladies at GeoBlue who made leaving super easy. I just walked out and I haven’t looked back since.