Dealing with pain

Sep 01, 2008

Last Thursday night/Friday morning, I found myself in a tough situation. I went to bed and all was well until I woke at 2 a.m. feeling like I had to use the bathroom. Thursday was not a normal “eating” day for me. I had a McDonald’s drive-through lunch and then a KFC outdoor picnic dinner. Usually, I do much better than that, with a good coffee and juice for breakfast, a decent sandwich and/or homemade soup for lunch, and a very healthy chicken, fish, or pasta and vegetable dinner (prepared by my wife, who is a fantastic chef). But, back to my story— this day I ate poorly. So, when I started to feel a basketball growing inside my tummy, I immediately blamed the food I ate only 9 to12 hours before. After more than seven hours of retching in the bathroom, emptying out our entire medicine cabinet for stomach meds, laxatives, antacids, and pain drugs (like the ones from OrganicCBDNugs , and getting into worse and worse pain, I finally decided I had something seriously wrong with me. It could be an intestinal blockage or an appendicitis. I didn’t know, but I was nearly in tears from the pain, something that has never happened to me before. At the emergency room, there was only one other person there in need of treatment. It didn’t look serious. I, on the other hand, could not even sit down. I was in so much pain that I had a hard time answering their questions and filling out the myriad of stupid forms. When I finally did get in to see someone, they asked me more questions. I wanted help! I wanted answers! They wanted to know if I lived at home (I guess I looked homeless), who I lived with there, and whether or not I “felt safe” at home (did they wonder if I was being poisoned?). Eventually, they hooked me up to an IV and gave me some painkillers. Wow— amazing. Suddenly, I could think clearly and respond intelligently. They then sent me off for a CAT scan to see what was wrong. The conclusion turned out to be a kidney stone. I immediately thought of Alan Reid, my pal and neighbor down the street— he does all my surveying— who had a stone last year that was 10 mm by 6 mm, and shaped like an arrowhead! His took a year to pass. Fortunately, mine is only 3 mm and mostly round but still hasn’t passed. Meanwhile, they have me taking powerful painkillers that make it difficult to do much though they do usually help mitigate what can feel like someone sticking a very large, rusty Phillips screwdriver in my side! The moral of this story for our readers? There are several... Take care of yourself. Drink plenty of water, especially if you work outside during the day and the weather is hot. Water is critical! Don’t delay seeking help if you sense something is wrong. No doubt, emergency rooms are awful (even nice ones!), but the earlier you get help the sooner you are going to feel better. If you have employees going through stuff like this, be understanding. Trust me— it’s bad. And, no one is going to act like themselves while in this kind of pain or while taking the drugs to deal with it. Be understanding and cut them some slack. You may be there yourself some day! If you yourself are going through something like this, be thankful to your family members, friends, and co-workers who try to help you and support you while it’s happening. A little thanks goes a long way. Hopefully, this little devil will pass soon and I can get back to normal. Meanwhile, I’ll be here sitting on the loveseat in our bedroom, getting more than caught up on my HGTV. Originally published 9/1/2008

About Zweig Group

Zweig Group, a four-time Inc. 500/5000 honoree, is the premiere authority in AEC management consulting, the go-to source for industry research, and the leading provider of customized learning and training. Zweig Group specializes in four core consulting areas: Talent, Performance, Growth, and Transition, including innovative solutions in mergers and acquisitions, strategic planning, financial management, ownership transition, executive search, business development, valuation, and more. Zweig Group exists to help AEC firms succeed in a competitive marketplace. The firm has offices in Dallas and Fayetteville, Arkansas.