I went to the emergency room last night. Well, actually it was at 3:30 this morning. I couldn’t pee. I’ve been having urinary weirdness since last week. I went to the doctor last Wednesday because around lunchtime I was using the restroom and there was this weird whitish droplet just when I was beginning to urinate. My first and only thought was that I’d contracted an STD (because that’s what I worry about more than anything else). So I went to the doctor that afternoon, and he took cultures and a urine sample, and he prescribed me doxycycline in case it was chlamydia or something like that. There were two more droplets that day, and I began taking the doxycycline that night. And then Friday, I started to have trouble peeing. I kept feeling pressure, but not much would come out. It’s been better at some times than at others, but it’s been an uncomfortable few days. I had brunch with my parents on Sunday, and I didn’t tell them about any of this, because I was ashamed and embarrassed and worried that it was an STD.

Yesterday I got the test results back — no STDs. But there were a few white blood cells in the urine, which was probably an infection of some sort — probably a urinary tract infection. The lab person on the phone told me it would probably resolve on its own, but just in case, I got a referral to a urologist.

Last night I was trying to sleep and the pressure was getting worse. I kept feeling like I needed to pee, but I couldn’t. It got to the point where it was almost painful. Finally I called my doctor’s emergency number and I asked if I should go to the emergency room. He said I should. So at 3:30 in the morning I called my parents and told them where I was going — and why. They said to call them with updates.

After being registered, giving them lots of information, and so forth, I finally got sent to a room. I was asked to give a urine sample. How I was supposed to do that when that was the reason I was there? But somehow I did it. And it made me feel better for a while, although the feeling came back.

I got put on a bed. A nice doctor appeared, and she had me tell her the story. She said it might be a urinary tract infection, so she gave me something called pyridium, which is supposed to ease the symptoms. It also turns your pee bright orange.

It didn’t ease my symptoms. I lay there on the bed, playing games on my cell phone. It was after 5 in the morning. I heard someone say something about kidney stones. I worried that they were talking about me. But it turned out they weren’t.

Eventually, the doctor came back. My urine sample was fine. Huh? How can that be? So she was going to discharge me and recommend I make an appointment with the urologist. Then she had second thoughts and wondered if it might be prostatitis (a prostate infection), which apparently doesn’t always show up in a urine sample. So while she still recommended I see the urologist, she also prescribed me some Cipro, which is supposed to be effective against prostatitis. And, bonus, I guess I’ll be safe from anthrax for a while.

So I left the hospital and called my parents and told them the news. And I apologized for not telling them about it over the weekend. And then I told them that I wanted them to know that I always have safe sex. Not that prostatitis (if that’s what this is) is necessarily caused by sex, but I wanted them to know this anyway. I felt uncomfortable even discussing the subject with them, but it was something I wanted to do. Also, it was after 7 in the morning and I hadn’t slept all night.

I came home, I peed, and I gasped at what looked like orange Gatorade coming out of me before I remembered about the pyridium.

I napped for a couple of hours. Later in the morning, my mom called me to say that if I wanted her to come by, she’d be happy to, and she’d bring food. Later my dad called and said I should take her up on her offer if I wanted. I decided I wanted. So she came over. With shopping bags from the supermarket.

She brought:

– bananas

– apples

– dried apricots

– 1 container of mixed nuts

– 1 barbecued chicken

– 1 container of spaghetti sauce

– 1 box of Triscuits

– 1 box of Vienna Fingers

– 4 black-and-white cookies

– 2 cans Manischewitz chicken soup with matzoh balls

– 1 chocolate chip muffin

– 1 loaf of french bread

– cranberry juice

– apple juice

– rolls

– 1 bag of penne

– 1 container of meat tortellini

– 1 box of vegetable crackers

– a pizza bagel

– hamburger patties

– boneless chicken breasts

– 1 container of fruit salad

– 1 container of honeydew melon

– 1 container of tuna salad

– 1 container of orzo primavera

– 1 container of hummus

– 1 container of rosemary roasted potatoes

– a dozen eggs

– 1 container of bruschetta

– 5 or 6 meatballs

– 1 chicken pot pie

– 1 big salad

– 6 Jell-O pudding snacks

– 1 container of minestrone

– 1 container of chicken noodle soup

– 1 hunk of Jarlsberg cheese

– and 6 12-oz. bottles of Diet Coke.

My refrigerator now looks like a whole family lives here. I’ll be eating in for weeks.

She also brought a vacuum cleaner and cleaning supplies because she wanted to clean my apartment. My apartment hasn’t been this dust-free in — well — I guess not since I moved in.

My mom is just amazing. I guess there are lots of moms who would do this. But I’m glad my mom is mine.

Meanwhile, my appointment with the urologist isn’t until Monday, and my mind has been filling the unknown space with a parade of worries. The Internet’s endless supply of information is the bane of the anxiously ill. I hope the Cipro makes this go away.

In the evening, after cooking and making me eat lots of food, my mom was all set to go. Then she said she’d stay for a while if I wanted, and I decided that that would be nice. So she sat on the couch and read her book, and I got into bed with my nether regions in pain. I was groaning to myself, and it was no fun, so I decided to get out of bed. I wanted conversation. I went to the living room and sat at the other end of the couch (it’s a big L-shaped couch) and my mom and I talked about fun random things. It’s amazing how big a difference some good humor can make in a situation — it took my mind off my discomfort, and it was great to talk with her. Never underestimate the importance of the good people in your life.

Then I got up and went to pee, and it was the best pee I’d had in days. Maybe the ER doctor was correct and the Cipro’s already working.

In addition to today, I’m taking tomorrow off from work as well, because I’m supposed to rest for a couple of days. So I will rest. And I will get better.

And I’ll feel thankful for the wonderful people and things that are in my life.