thistlechaser (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
thistlechaser) wrote2021-02-28 02:41 pm
thistlechaser) wrote2021-02-28 02:41 pm
Entry tags:
New Mexico / MIA Book Reviews / State of the Thistle
In the past week I've:
- Moved from California to New Mexico
- Been diagnosed with a giant kidney stone
Unfortunately the second came directly before the first and so, a week later, it's still kicking myass kidney.
Move date: Tuesday February 23.
On Saturday the 20th, I had serious pain in my flank (I was pretty sure it was kidney stone pain, I used to get them a lot). Went to urgent care. Asked doctor what they could do since I was flying on the 23rd. He said cancel my move until it was taken care of, that it wouldn't be safe to fly.
In a panic, I left. But it was too late to do any calling to cancel anything, so I just went to bed. Next morning pain was so bad, I went to the ER. I was hoping the on call urologist would do the procedure to blast it to bits, then I could get the follow up care done in NM. Nope. Urologist said I either stay and get it done (10 days or so with a stent in me, then get it removed, THEN I could move) or I could move and get the procedure done in NM. He said it would be safe to fly, and since he was the specialist, I went with his opinion. (In addition to my furniture being moved, my car was being shipped, my cat was flying with me, and I had already given up my apartment. Too much to cancel at the last minute.)
The CA urologist said that once I landed in NM I should go to an ER and they could do the procedure that same day. Unfortunately that turned out into a complicated mess. I picked the wrong hospital (the only one out of four that has no urologist on call). The NM ER doctor looked at me in the eye and asked "Why are you here? For a referral?". Ugh.
But what could I do? I took the referral... and then that office (another hospital) canceled it. The state of NM has no 14 day quarantine, but the hospitals do. Sigh. So they made me an appointment two weeks out, but if the pain gets too bad, I can go to their ER.
The move itself was stressful. While the flight was only three and a half hours long, there was a layover in the middle of it, and I was flying with my cat.
Things learned the hard way about New Mexico:
- Uber/Lyft has zero cars available after 9 PM. I spent an hour and a half in the airport trying to get a ride to the hotel, my cat having been in the carrying case for eight hours at that point.
- The difference in altitude will kick your ass. I get winded walking down a short hallway (I used to walk every day for almost an hour). I get so out of breath going up a single flight of stairs (and I live on the second floor).
Lifesaving things:
- Siri. Before smart phones existed, how did anyone get around in a new city? Paper maps? Reading them while driving? All I do is follow her directions and I can get where I'm going.
New Mexico:
- I picked this state because it's so much cheaper to live in than California, but I hadn't realized what that really meant. I had (stupidly) thought that it would be just a much cheaper California -- that it would look the same, the people would be the same, the services would be the same. But I was so very wrong.
- Smoking. OMG. In California, I saw someone smoking maybe once a year. Here every single person I see is either smoking or holding a pack. These apartments are supposed to be nonsmoking, but everyone just stands on their balcony and smoke. I can smell it in my apartment all the time.
- The mountains are great! So pretty!
I'm looking forward to seeing more of the area once I'm feeling better and the virus is more under control. I was looking forward to trying more new places to eat, but I'm sorry to say most of the food I've eaten so far has been from chains. (I'm usually too hurting or tired to venture.)
On book reviews: I haven't read a single page in a week or so. Kidney stone = being in bed hurts, and I do most of my reading in bed. Plus I kind of misplaced my Kindle (I'm nearly sure I saw it in my apartment somewhere, so it's not lost-lost).
- Moved from California to New Mexico
- Been diagnosed with a giant kidney stone
Unfortunately the second came directly before the first and so, a week later, it's still kicking my
Move date: Tuesday February 23.
On Saturday the 20th, I had serious pain in my flank (I was pretty sure it was kidney stone pain, I used to get them a lot). Went to urgent care. Asked doctor what they could do since I was flying on the 23rd. He said cancel my move until it was taken care of, that it wouldn't be safe to fly.
In a panic, I left. But it was too late to do any calling to cancel anything, so I just went to bed. Next morning pain was so bad, I went to the ER. I was hoping the on call urologist would do the procedure to blast it to bits, then I could get the follow up care done in NM. Nope. Urologist said I either stay and get it done (10 days or so with a stent in me, then get it removed, THEN I could move) or I could move and get the procedure done in NM. He said it would be safe to fly, and since he was the specialist, I went with his opinion. (In addition to my furniture being moved, my car was being shipped, my cat was flying with me, and I had already given up my apartment. Too much to cancel at the last minute.)
The CA urologist said that once I landed in NM I should go to an ER and they could do the procedure that same day. Unfortunately that turned out into a complicated mess. I picked the wrong hospital (the only one out of four that has no urologist on call). The NM ER doctor looked at me in the eye and asked "Why are you here? For a referral?". Ugh.
But what could I do? I took the referral... and then that office (another hospital) canceled it. The state of NM has no 14 day quarantine, but the hospitals do. Sigh. So they made me an appointment two weeks out, but if the pain gets too bad, I can go to their ER.
The move itself was stressful. While the flight was only three and a half hours long, there was a layover in the middle of it, and I was flying with my cat.
Things learned the hard way about New Mexico:
- Uber/Lyft has zero cars available after 9 PM. I spent an hour and a half in the airport trying to get a ride to the hotel, my cat having been in the carrying case for eight hours at that point.
- The difference in altitude will kick your ass. I get winded walking down a short hallway (I used to walk every day for almost an hour). I get so out of breath going up a single flight of stairs (and I live on the second floor).
Lifesaving things:
- Siri. Before smart phones existed, how did anyone get around in a new city? Paper maps? Reading them while driving? All I do is follow her directions and I can get where I'm going.
New Mexico:
- I picked this state because it's so much cheaper to live in than California, but I hadn't realized what that really meant. I had (stupidly) thought that it would be just a much cheaper California -- that it would look the same, the people would be the same, the services would be the same. But I was so very wrong.
- Smoking. OMG. In California, I saw someone smoking maybe once a year. Here every single person I see is either smoking or holding a pack. These apartments are supposed to be nonsmoking, but everyone just stands on their balcony and smoke. I can smell it in my apartment all the time.
- The mountains are great! So pretty!
I'm looking forward to seeing more of the area once I'm feeling better and the virus is more under control. I was looking forward to trying more new places to eat, but I'm sorry to say most of the food I've eaten so far has been from chains. (I'm usually too hurting or tired to venture.)
On book reviews: I haven't read a single page in a week or so. Kidney stone = being in bed hurts, and I do most of my reading in bed. Plus I kind of misplaced my Kindle (I'm nearly sure I saw it in my apartment somewhere, so it's not lost-lost).
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I hope things work out and the stone is gone soon!
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Thanks!
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Where exactly are you? (You can PM or email if you prefer - isiscolo@gmail.com) I'm about half an hour north of NM's northern border. Four hours from Albuquerque or Santa Fe (I'm guessing you don't live in Santa Fe, that's super expensive).
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I've read everything from it taking one week to six months, so three weeks wouldn't be bad at all.
Oh! How do you pronounce Isis? I always thought eye-sis, but we have someone at worked named Isis and she pronounces it differently.
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Santa Fe is wonderful. The art galleries and museums are great, the restaurants are great, and hopefully the House of Eternal Return (the Meow Wolf project) will reopen because it was a fantastic experience.
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Oh I just heard on the news that House of Eternal Return is reopening! With changes of course, but they should be reopen soon.
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And thanks! I hope so, too.
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What is different other than the smoking and the poorly staffed ERs?
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And sorry about the stone, it sucks that you have to tough it out for 2 more weeks. Here's hoping you can get it sorted out soon so you're not in pain anymore!
I have to admit, when I fell ill about 3 years ago during a trip to Orlando, when I was on the plane back home I was basically praying I didn't get worse and need to land while still in the US because I didn't want to get tangled in the complicatedness that is your health system...
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