this ER trip is brought to you by ponstan

That harmless looking pill over there called Ponstan, less than 30mm long, just sent me to the San Pedro Hospital ER last night. Vile thing.

I don't usually drink pain killers. Usually I just suck it up and let time heal whatever is bothering me. However, my gums have been hurting for the last three days. Yesterday was not much of a good day either. I've been dizzy from work and the gum pain didn't help. So I thought, why should I endure this pain any longer? I asked my mom if she had any pain killers with her. She then produced a Ponstan, which she used to ease her own chest pain.

It was definitely effective. No kidding. In a few minutes, my gums didn't hurt anymore.

I didn't realize, however, that I have been sneezing like crazy. You see, allergic sneezing is not new to me. As I am clinically proven to be allergic to cockroaches, I thought a cockroach might have crawled through the computer keyboards and left some of its essence. When my eyes started becoming red, I still didn't say anything my mom even if that was a new reaction. I also started getting real hungry (or maybe that was because I only ate four spoonfuls of rice and some veggies. We only had little food left).

It was only when I had trouble breathing that I had to say something. Breathing trouble isn't new to me either as it often occurs when I'm fatigued. However, this one was different. I was breathing deeply but could only catch enough air. I had to tell my mom what was happening and asked if she had antihistamine as I left mine at the office. But no anti-allergy medicine was in the house.

It took quite a while before we decided to go to the hospital. Well, my mom insisted. I said we could just buy anti-allergies and be done with it. But not breathing properly is not something a mother could take lightly, I think. She asked advise from my doctor-uncle, who also advised that we go to the ER.

There were still a lot of hullabaloo before we were able to get there. Waiting for my cousin to pick us up, changing into decent clothes, brushing my teeth. All the while, breathing was difficult and sneezing made me all the more tired.

Eventually, we got to San Pedro hospital. I showed my PhilamCare card, signed some forms, weighed (51 kgs. Shucks! Pumayat nga ako.), laid to bed, blood pressure (130/90. Taas! My last was 110/80.) and temperature (36.2 C- normal). Then after they talked to me and my mom, they put an oxygen tube to my nose (most uncomfortable, especially when one's nose is runny and sneezing).

The doctor finally came (didn't catch her name), all bubbly and cute. She'd make a good pediatrician, if she wasn't one already. Hehe. She was explaining stuff to my mom and said she wanted me confined, which my mom and I did not agree with. I just wanted to take whatever meds and go home. My mom allowed for an hour or so of observation. The downside to not being confined, however, was that we had to pay for the medicines ourselves and couldn't charge it to our HMO. Dang.

I was injected with celestamine which made me really drowsy. My poor mom had to run around the hospital buying medicines and water. While the world was hazy and the meds were taking effect, I was just glad that there weren't any ER shouts or bloody patients. No life and death whatsoever happening. Just bum stomachs and babies with primary complex. It was reassuring that I was going to live through the night. Hehe! But I also realized... "damn, i don't want to die drowning. It's ugly not being able to breathe, I tell you. Plain ugly."

Anyhoo, after two and a half hours in the ER, we asked if we could go home. I just wanted to sleep. My mom needed her rest as well. The doctor was a little hesitant, making sure I was fine and all. She finally let us go and told us to come back if I had breathing troubles again.

Everything was still a haze on our trip home and my trip to bed. I managed to clean up and all. When I finally laid my back to the mattress, it was like "ka-bonk! zzzzzz..."

I woke up still feeling drowsy but much better. Rested the morning and went back to work in the afternoon. At the back of my head, that drug-induced sleep was great. No tossing and turning. Just a straight dreamless sleep, which I wish for myself more often.

So I'm fine. Still a bit groggy. The follow-up meds makes me drowsy. And I still have splotches on my face. I'm just darn glad I never tried taking mefenamic acid while I was in the boondocks, or that would have been a terrible ordeal for everyone. Hehe.