Gray Matter (702 hits)
Category: NoneRating: 1.89 on 31 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by tiaprae (View user info) at 2007-02-26 16:32:39 EST
My alarm was buzzing in my ear as I reached over to quiet it. Why was my arm so sore? Come to think of it, why was my entire body sore? I hadn't worked out any harder than normal recently.... A sharp pain in my mouth, and I notice the indisputable taste of pennies as I swallow a few spoonfuls of blood. What the fuck?
I look over at my roommate - sound asleep. I achingly pull myself out of bed and step into the bathroom. The mirror shows a chunk of my tongue is dangling off. What the fuck happened last night? I wasn't drinking...I even fell asleep early. I can't stop staring at my tongue. Did I have a seizure last night? Wouldn't I have woken up? Wouldn't my roommate have noticed?
I hear his alarm blaring as he shuffles out of bed.
"Ryan? When did you get home last night?" I slurred to him. He would have noticed something, I'm sure of it.
He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "I don't know, some time around 1:00 or so. Why are you talking weird?"
I ignored his question and garbled, "Did you notice anything when you came in?"
"Light was off. Went to sleep. Why?" I let my tongue part my lips and watched the fatigue disappear from his eyes, "Jesus what the fuck happened?"
I laughed a bit...it's probably nothing, I probably just had a nightmare and bit my tongue. "I have no fucking clue."
"Come on, I'm taking you to sick call." He grabbed my arm and started tugging me out the door.
"Ryan...Neither of us are dressed." I was only wearing jeans and he was in his boxers. "Put on some frickin pants and we'll go."
"So you think you had a seizure?" The doctor asks as he takes my blood pressure.
"I don't know, my roommate didn't see anything, but I woke up and my tongue had been cut open and I was sore all over. Wouldn't it have woken me up?" This is just too unreal. How could I have had a seizure?
"It may not have if you were already asleep." He writes down the readings and asks, "Have you been having headaches lately? Personality change? Dizziness? Fatigue? Anything?" He keeps scribbling in my chart.
"I guess I sleep a lot. But what the fuck else there to do here?"
He lets a smile peek through for a moment, "I suppose that's a good point. We're going to be doing a CT Scan, some one will be here in a few moments to take you to radiology."
This will be fun.
Thirty minutes later the radiologist comes in, and escorts me to the lab. They have me wearing a gown. I fucking work here. One of my coworkers is at some point going to see my ass. I'm never going to hear the end of it. Perfect.
"So I want you to stay as still as you possibly can." The tech directs me as I lay down on the table. I work in radiology, I know this, the tech knows I know this, but procedure is procedure. "Do you have any metal, jewelry, anything?"
"I took off my watch while I was waiting." He walks behind the thick wall and peers through the glass window, "Ready?"
"As ready as I'm going to be." I hear the whir of the machine start, and the table begins to carry me into the machine. Red lights place a cross over my face as I close my eyes. I keep telling myself to remember to breathe...I can't help but feel claustrophobic.
Clothes back on, once again waiting for some one to tell me what the hell is going on. Another knock on the door, an orderly walks in. "We're going to be moving you," he states as he pushes a wheel chair into the room.
"What's the chair for?"
"For you. The doctors don't want you walking." He can see the confusion on my face, "Come on just sit down."
I'm trying to decipher what's going on. It's obvious now we're going to the hospital. At least sick call is only one building away.
As he opens a door to a room, I realize they're putting me in ICU.
"Seriously, what's going on?" I ask, this is really starting to worry me.
He just shakes his head and has me sit in the bed. "A nurse will be in momentarily."
Another hour goes by, finally a nurse comes in with preparations for IV's.
"Hi there," she smiles at me as she walks in. She's cute, I'd definitely give it a go if I had the chance. "So we're just going to give you an IV before the doctors come in."
"What are you giving me?" Why are they giving me an IV? I just bit my lip for christ's sake.
"Just some fluids right now."
I try not to wince as she misses my vein the first time, I may still be able to get her number. "Sorry," she mumbles as she hits the target on the second try. She places sensors on my chest, like stickers but connected to a machine that prints out my heart rate. She puts something on my finger to check my pulse and blood pressure. What the fuck is going on? "A doctor will be in soon," she murmurs as she pushes her cart out of the room. No chance on a number there.
I fall asleep at some point, and wake up to some one who can't be much older than me standing over my bed. White jacket - he's a doctor. "Hey," he looks down at his chart, "Nick right? How are you doing?" How the hell does he think I'm doing?
"Well, I'm in a hospital bed, hooked up to an IV, and no one will tell me what the hell is going on."
"You're in radiology, right?" He starts pulling my scan out of my chart and places it on the x-ray viewer on the wall, "Take a look at this, tell me what you see."
I start to get out of the bed, he helps to drag the IV along with me as I stumble up to the wall. I stop about a foot away from the viewer, I don't even need to be any closer than that.
"Uhm...Is that...is that what I think it is?" My mouth hangs open as I move closer. I place my hand on the x-ray, directly where a baseball-sized dark spot sits on my brain.
"I'm sorry Nick, it's a tumor." I can't stop staring at it. He places is hand on my shoulder. I look into his rimless glasses and as calmly as an experienced doctor can be, he says, 'We're going to need to start on some tests"
Fuck.
User Reviews
Submitted by mossimo1213 (user info) at 2007-03-13 18:55:07 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Interesting. I like the last word and the pic to go with it. It's a nice touch
Submitted by JoeyG (user info) at 2007-03-06 06:32:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by DrogoRoch (user info) at 2007-03-01 09:41:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Christ.
Submitted by Sacrilicious (user info) at 2007-02-28 20:25:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow.
Submitted by Juddernaught (user info) at 2007-02-28 11:15:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
Not bad. Kept me reading!
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2007-02-27 19:26:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
ITS NOT A TUMAH
Submitted by sicosemen (user info) at 2007-02-27 13:49:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Show me your tits.
Submitted by tiaprae (user info) at 2007-02-27 13:11:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by fruity_tootie (user info) at 2007-02-27 13:06:40 (#)
Ranking: 2
Despte your cruel and hurtful comments I liked you. You seem like a nice man and if you ever want my number, you have my gmail address.
----
Lol, I'm actualy a chick
Submitted by fruity_tootie (user info) at 2007-02-27 13:06:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Despte your cruel and hurtful comments I liked you. You seem like a nice man and if you ever want my number, you have my gmail address.
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2007-02-27 08:44:42 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Very nice.
Write more, please.
Submitted by DCWoody (user info) at 2007-02-27 07:57:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I'm reliably informed that cancer sucks
Submitted by LittleMonster (user info) at 2007-02-27 07:35:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Fuck
Submitted by peckerhead (user info) at 2007-02-27 00:50:06 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Realpolitik (user info) at 2007-02-26 16:58:46 (#)
Ranking: 2
Very well done.
Submitted by tiaprae (user info) at 2007-02-26 22:50:44 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2007-02-26 18:47:37 (#)
Ranking: 2
true story or no?
we're trying to bring variety to our current/former cancer ward.
--------
Yes and no, Nick (not same name) and the events are real, but the depiction of the events is fictional.
Submitted by TheUniter (user info) at 2007-02-26 22:10:13 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Mort (user info) at 2007-02-26 21:39:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Very interesting stuff.
Submitted by messmind (user info) at 2007-02-26 20:24:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
brrrr!
Submitted by manic_impressive (user info) at 2007-02-26 19:49:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Badass = you.
Submitted by experima (user info) at 2007-02-26 19:30:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
great job, t :)
Submitted by i_can_get_you_a_toe (user info) at 2007-02-26 18:59:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I prefer stories told in the first person, i'm not sure why.
Well done
Submitted by sweetcheebs (user info) at 2007-02-26 18:57:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
tragic
Submitted by hot_pocket (user info) at 2007-02-26 18:52:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i liked this alot
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2007-02-26 18:47:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
true story or no?
we're trying to bring variety to our current/former cancer ward.
Submitted by hour_man (user info) at 2007-02-26 18:25:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Another good piece of writing goes unnoticed.
Submitted by sir_cowman (user info) at 2007-02-26 17:37:21 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
awesome
Submitted by Daccory (user info) at 2007-02-26 17:31:07 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Amontillado (user info) at 2007-02-26 17:18:57 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by tiaprae (user info) at 2007-02-26 17:00:50 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Realpolitik (user info) at 2007-02-26 16:58:46 (#)
Submitted by The_Drake (user info) at 2007-02-26 16:45:19 (#)
Submitted by Luther (user info) at 2007-02-26 16:43:12 (#)
---------
Thanks Luther and politik. And The_Drake - k?
Submitted by Realpolitik (user info) at 2007-02-26 16:58:46 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Very well done.
Submitted by The_Drake (user info) at 2007-02-26 16:45:19 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I just got head from a 41 year old!
I just UBERCAME.
....i just lied.
Submitted by Luther (user info) at 2007-02-26 16:43:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Excellent.