Protocol 3: Protect the Pilot

Today supposedly seemed like a normal day, I would be working from home today and my workday was nothing of note. I got some rest at the end of my shift and, when I woke up, I was in searing pain. I felt like passing out from too much pain because it was just excruciating. I felt like I was going to pass out. My initial idea was to ignore it but after seeing my urine turn bloody, I knew I had to rush myself to the ER. I initially thought that it was the HIV PEP that was causing this and that my kidneys were shutting down. It felt like a true House M.D. moment where someone gets rushed to the ER. But this would be my first time rushing myself to the ER.

I booked a ride to the nearest available ER and it was quite a ways away, but it was fine. I just had searing pain. I took a motorcycle ride to the ER and I just prayed that I wouldn't pass out while on the ride there or cause a major accident. I was playing Big Time Rush's "Paralyzed" and it was such a fitting song to listen to while trying my best not to pass out from the pain. I also remembered BT from Titanfall 2 saying Protocol 3 and that's what I was just thinking to myself as I was rushing myself to the ER. I had to file a lot of paperwork which just made me wonder how a truly disabled person would do all this but I just filled out my patient forms and then another doctor came to see me. They made me get a urinalysis and I just waited for the results. Thankfully, the hospital had Wi-Fi (even though I already had my pocket Wi-Fi on me, the signal was poor) and I was able to message my friends and family, also I informed my workmates that I was rushed to the ER. The doctor told me that the hospital would be kind of expensive and I asked if it would be in the hundreds of thousands of Pesos, but they assured me that they didn't cost that much.

I had an IV line connected to me and I was given some pain medication, and the doctor eventually returned to tell me I had a kidney stone. I'm honestly glad the diagnosis was "just" kidney stones and not my kidney shutting down or what. I had another doctor come take a look at me and I was just given anti-pain meds and I was told that I could be discharged. I posted a few pics to my close friends on IG and messaged a few of my concerned friends that it was just kidney stones. I paid my ER bill which was thankfully around 3,000 Pesos, and I honestly expected a worse bill. Thankfully, I still had that 4,000 Peso downpayment from my staycation to pay for this, and I'd argue that medical care is priceless anyway. I got a ride home and I thankfully arrived home safe. For the rest of the night, I was mostly in pain but I felt a little better knowing that my pain had a name and that I should just make some lifestyle changes moving forward. I spent the entire night in agony but today wasn't as awful as I thought it would be. I had concerned friends message, reach out, and some were really concerned about my wellbeing, which was honestly super nice at a horrible time like this.