Surviving a Stomach Bug with MS: A Reality Check

MS Reality Checks: 3 JoranTal: 0 So I was unable to eat or drink anything for 54 hours before I went to urgent care. I had diarrhea and was throwing up every couple hours. With nothing in my stomach for the last 48 hours of it, I was throwing up stomach acid. Every time I tried to drink water, I threw it up. Homemade anti-inflammatory broth, threw it up. Went to urgent care. “You’re not knocking on ERs door, but you’re maybe walking to the ER, get my analogy?” “Pick up these medicines, wait 4 hours, then go to ER.” *friend and I decide: whytf are we not just going to the ER then?* ER: 1.5 hour waiting room. Taken back to hallway of beds. 45 minutes for resident (which I’m always for getting). 45 minutes for IV insert. 30 minutes to connect my IV. Medicine. By the time we left we spent 8 hours there. Found out that I picked up a stomach bug that would’ve blown right past anyone, but I’m immunocompromised and need to be more careful. *friend points out “this is a stomach bug to you, what if it was covid?”* MS: 1 Two days later, I’m feeling normalish. Had counseling in the morning and they said “so realistically you could’ve died from this stomach bug if you didn’t get to the ER and didn’t call your friend to have them watching out for you that night.” MS: 2 Went to Walmart to find a face mask. They don’t have any (wtf) and am told “you’ll need to order off Amazon” (i was going to Etsy for some anyway -small biz support- but I needed some until then). Walk out frustrated because, I had the realization that I need to be more proactive in protecting myself. Sit in my car for a second. Diarrhea. In my pants. In my car. In the Walmart parking lot. MS: 3. I felt like a reaction video. Got home, showered, laundry, everything. And now I’m laying in my bed like “how have I survived this first year of diagnosis without this happening? Without realizing how sick I can get from a fkng stomach bug? Doing every day things with no mask on because “my legs feel fine, so I’m fine.” I spent this whole year worrying about not being able to walk in a couple years. Not basic concepts of what immunocompromised means. I feel so irresponsible and I’m not sure what to do.