August Happiness Challenge – Day 5

My 2025 Happiness Icon

Today's happiness: Kindness, and a nap. Today I had a retroperitoneal ultrasound, which is a fancy way of saying a tech slathered gel just under my belly button and checked my kidney and bladder to compare this year to last year and see if anything changed. The test itself is non-invasive and really, no big deal. It was the prep that made me nuts. For the test to be useful, I had to have a full bladder and was told to drink 30 ounces of water an hour before the test. I was required to check in 30 minutes before the appointment. So I left my home at 10:00 and chugged water all the way over to check in at 10:25 for an 11:00 ultrasound. To say I was uncomfortable would be an understatement.

 

At 10:30, an imaging tech came out and welcomed a walk-in ahead of me. I suppose I get it. My appointment was scheduled for 11:00. Maybe another patient was in the room they intended for me. But DAMN! As per direction, my bladder was full.

 

I went over to the lovely young woman who checked me in and explained my predicament. I told her I really, really had to go to the bathroom and asked her if there was a drinking fountain where I could refill my water bottle and resume chugging. She was so sweet and said she understood completely. She sent a message to the imaging center, asking if they couldn't take me earlier. If they couldn't, she promised me I could relieve myself and she'd get me a bottle of water "somehow."

 

A tech came out and, as we walked back to the room, asked me all those questions (like date of birth) so I could just immediately climb into the table and we could get started. She worked fast, and then let me go to the bathroom.  Then she completed her imaging, because she needed to get pictures of me when the needle is on E, as well.

 

Thanks to the kindness of these strangers, I was out of there at 11:00. YAY! 

 

To call this stressful would be an understatement. Then I went to Walgreens and discovered that they had messed up my (completely unrelated) prescription. By the time I got home at noon, I was exhausted. When the going gets tough, the tough go to sleep. I gave myself the gift of a two hour nap and when I woke up, I felt like a new gal. All that's left of this agita is the hospital bracelet on my right wrist.

 

So I'm happy the two women at the hospital were so kind to me, and that I was kind to myself. 

 

 

Happy August Happiness Challenge!

Each day in August you are to post about something that makes *you* happy. Pretty simple. And, it doesn't even have to be every day if you don't want it to be. It's a great way to remind ourselves that there are positive things going on in our lives, our communities, and the world.

 

Photo by Ayşegül Baykal on Unsplash