So, I have mentioned that David has complained about being dizzy, and today, we decided to do something about it.  I will backtrack and tell the whole story, but cutting to the heart of the matter, David is in the hospital where they are running some more tests.  They gave him an MRI and discovered that he recently had a very small stroke, and we obviously need to figure out what it is all about.

So, the day began as many, my walk, exercise with David and we got ready to go to the Stroke Recovery Center.  While there, we made an appointment for intake at the gym there, which is next week, then we went to the music performance, which was nice, but David was feeling uncomfortable, and wanted to go to urgent care to see a doctor about this dizzy problem along with a discomfort in his stomach.  We went to the urgent care near us, and was seen pretty quickly.  The nurse practitioner recommended that we go to the emergency room, and David didn’t like that idea.  She said we could do what we wanted, but she said, if David was a family member of hers, she would get him to the emergency room.  All the tests they could do looked normal, so she thought that he needed more looking at.  David would not hear of going in an ambulance, and I said, lets go home, have lunch and then head to the ER.  She assured David that it would only take about two hours (four at the most) and was worth the trouble.  That is what we did.

We arrived at Eisenhower Medical Center at 2:45pm and just as we were approaching the four hour mark, at 6:30pm, David insisted that I go up to the charge nurse and tell him that we were going to leave.  They had done an MRI and blood tests, but we had only seen a doctor for about one minute, and it really was starting to get ridiculous.  He said he would release us, but wanted to check the reports and make sure there was not reason we should stay.  He came back a few minutes later and said that the MRI showed that David had had a stroke.  I, being a smartass and just a little frustrated said, “Well, yes, I know that.  He had a stroke last year.  I told you that when we checked in.”  His reply was, “No, recently”.  “How recent?” asked I, and his answer was “Within the past two weeks”.  Yikes (I didn’t say that, just thought it).  David was puzzled by all this, and I had to explain, but he still didn’t want to stay.  He asked what I thought they would be able to do.  And here, for I think the first time, I just laid down the law and said we were staying.  Moments later, David’s name was called and we went back into the ER.  Not sure if it was coincidence, but I thought it was strange that the charge nurse reading the report and our being called were so close together.

Anyway, we were somewhere, and there were now folks looking in on us.  The doctor who saw David four hours prior came in and said he looked much better.  After he left, we both laughed at that because he looked exactly the same as he did earlier, the Doctor must have confused him with someone else he saw.  The nurse, Alex, got us sandwiches, because at this point it was 7pm.  The doctor said he wanted David to stay overnight, and he started to fight about that, and again, I had to put my foot down.  Alex said that the hospital was very busy, but a bed should be available in 20 minutes to an hour.  It was really only about 35 minutes, and we were upstairs by about 7:45pm.  After the usual rounds of introductions – Doctor, Nurses Aide, Charge Nurse and Nurse – we were off to the races.  David, even in a hospital bed, made sure that I understood that I was to tell everyone that I abandoned him.  He wanted me to stay overnight, and pointed at the empty bed next to him as enticement.  Yes, a bed that will probably be filled within the next few hours.  I resisted, and left at 10pm when he was taken away for an ultrasound.

Anyway, it was quite a day, and I am ready for some shuteye, but not before one story I overheard in the lobby.  There was a woman being checked in as we were waiting at reception.  She looked relatively well heeled, but her head kept falling back as she sat in her wheelchair.  Soon after she got settled, and attendant came up to her and told her that she didn’t need to worry, her bag was being held at the Betty Ford Center.  Yes, just steps from Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra Drive!  Every once in a while I think, what are we doing here??!!  And then, the sun comes up in the morning.